Mikhail, Prince of Abkhazia

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Mikhail
Prince of Abkhazia
Prince Michael of Abkhazia (Hamid Bey). Laurence Oliphant. The Trans-Caucasian campaign of the Turkish army under Omer Pasha. P.50.1856.jpg
Reign1823–1864
Predecessor Dmitry
Successor Giorgi II
Born1806
DiedApril 1866
Voronezh
Burial
SpousePrincess Menika Dadiani
Princess Alexandra Dadiani
Issue Giorgi II
Names
Mikhail Sharvashidze
House Sharvashidze
Father Prince Giorgi Sharvashidze
MotherPrincess Tamara Dadiani

Mikhail, or Hamud Bey Sharvashidze-Chachba, from the House of Sharvashidze , (born 1806, died 1866) was the head of state of the Principality of Abkhazia and reigned from 1823 to 1864. [1]

Contents

Biography

Born into an old House of Sharvashidze, ruling family of Abkhazia, he was the son of Giorgi, Prince of Abkhazia and his wife, Princess Tamar Dadiani.

Mikhail, who was Orthodox Christian, came to power at a time when Abkhazia had only recently been declared a protectorate of Russia, as a result of the 1810 manifesto of Tsar Alexander I. During the Crimean War of 1853–55, Abkhazia was invaded by Turkey, and Mikhail was forced to declare his loyalty to Turkey. This came back to haunt him when, in 1864, the Russians accused him of cooperating with Turkey during the war. He was subsequently exiled to Voronezh, in Russia – an act which was vastly unpopular with the Abkhaz people.

Mikhail's deportation, and death not long after, also marked the beginning of the end for Abkhazian self-governance for the next 140 years. In June 1864, the Princedom was abolished and replaced by the Sukhumi Military Sector. In 1866, a popular uprising declared Mikhail's son Giorgi a Prince, but this was short-lived.

Personal life

Mikhail married two times.

He married first Princess Menika Nikolaevna Dadiani, former wife of Prince Tsereteli, and only child of Prince Niko Giorgievitch Dadiani of Mingrelia. He married secondly her cousin, Princess Alexandra Giorgievna Dadiani (1829-1898), eldest daughter of Captain-Lieutenant Prince Giorgi Nikolaevitch Dadiani of Mingrelia. Prince Mikhail had issue from both marriages; three sons and four daughters: [2]

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. Hewitt, George (1998). The Abkhazians. A Handbook. St. Martin's Press. p. 79. ISBN   9780312219758.
  2. https://rgenea.ru/familiya/shervashidze/page_3
Mikhail, Prince of Abkhazia
Regnal titles
Preceded by Prince of Abkhazia
1823–1864
Succeeded by