Kelesh Ahmed-Bey Shervashidze

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Kelesh Ahmed-Bey (Kelesh-Bey) Shervashidze (1747-1808) was the head of state of the Principality of Abkhazia from the 1780’s to 1808. Kelesh-Bey was the son of Manuchar Shervashidze. In his childhood, Kelesh-Bey was taken to Istanbul, Turkey as a hostage, where he converted to Islam. Shervashidze returned to Abkhazia from Istanbul in the 1770s with the goal of taking over and ruling his native land. With the help of Turkish forces, Kelesh-Bey was able to overthrow his uncle, Zurab Shervashidze, and take over the Abkhaz crown. Kelesh-Bey was known for his energetic drive to consolidate state power while actively fighting against the Principality of Mingrelia which bordered Abkhazia to the east. In 1802, he rallied the Turkish support and captured the Mingrelian fort of Anaklia. After Mingrelia joined the Russian Empire in 1803, Shervashidze also tried to seek closer ties (associated relations) with Russia which led to Abkhazia’s break with Ottoman Turkey. Becoming increasingly worried about Abkhazia drifting closer to Russia, the Turkish leadership tried to remove Kelesh-Bey from power by force, but failed. In the end, Turkey was able to remove Shervashidze from the Abkhaz throne by forging close ties to Shervashidze’s son Aslan-Bey who killed his father and became the new ruler of Abkhazia.