Khimshiashvili

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Khimshiashvili (Georgian: ხიმშიაშვილი) was a Georgian noble family, descended from the medieval house of Abazasdze of Marili, known from the eleventh century. They were enlisted among the princely houses of Kakheti in eastern Georgia, with their title recognized by the Russian Empire in 1850.[1]

A branch of the Khimshiashvili family was also active in the southern Georgian provinces and embraced Islam under the Ottoman rule in the 16th century. They remained local chiefs (bek) in Adjara and Akhaltsikhe.[2] The Khimshiashvili of a mountainous Adjara had been powerful enough to render the Ottoman authority in the area nominal until they were overthrown in the 1840s. Of this branch, Selim-Pasha (died 1815) is remembered for his revolt against the Ottoman government, while Ahmed-Pasha (d. 1836) became a prominent Ottoman commander in the Caucasus and Anatolia. Descendants of this family survive in Georgia, Turkey, and Iran.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Toumanoff, Cyril (1967). Studies in Christian Caucasian History, p. 272. Georgetown University Press.
  2. ^ Bagrationi, Ioane (1768-1830). Khimshiashvili (Princes of Kakheti). The Brief Description of the Georgian Noble Houses. Retrieved on January 7, 2008.