-a bit of background
David Dadiani![](DavidDadiani.jpg)
David Dadiani, Duke of Dukes of Mingrelia, had four children.
The older two were daughters:
Princess Martha Davidovna, born on February 4,
1840
Princess Nino Davidovna, born on January 2, 1841.
The next two were sons:
Nikolai Davidovitch Dadiani, born on January 4,
1847
Andrei Davidovitch Dadiani, born on October 24,
1850.
His two daughters died very young: Princess Martha in 1842
and Princess Nino in 1848. Of his two sons:
One would follow in his footsteps and become the final Duke of Dukes of
Mingrelia.
The other would become a chess player.
The Black Sea forms the western border of the Georgian province of
Mingrelia (Samegrelo). see maps
Ever since Mingrelia became a Georgian province in the 11th century,
the ancient house of Dadiani governed the province with its militaristic style
through a succession of Dukes. From the 11th
through the 16th centuries, Mingrelia was under the Georgian Kingdom which
allowed the Dadiani to rule in return for military favors. In the 16th century,
Mingrelia gained its independence which it held until 1803 when it was absorbed
by Russia under a special agreement that allowed the Dadiani to continue ruling.
But the family's days were numbered and in 1857, Tzarist Russia took over the
rule of Mingrelia, leaving the Dadiani family their titles.
Edward
Gibbon's is his massive book, The Decline and Fall of the
Roman
Empire, describes old Mingrelia: Both the soil and
climate are relaxed by excessive moisture: twenty-eight rivers, besides the
Phasis and his dependent streams, convey their waters to the sea; and the
hollowness of the ground appears to indicate the subterraneous channels between
the Euxine and the Caspian. In the fields where wheat or barley is sown, the
earth is too soft to sustain the action of the plough; but the gom, a small
grain, not unlike the millet or coriander seed, supplies the ordinary food of
the people; and the use of bread is confined to the prince and his nobles. Yet
the vintage is more plentiful than the harvest; and the bulk of the stems, as
well as the quality of the wine, display the unassisted powers of nature. The
same powers continually tend to overshadow the face of the country with thick
forests; the timber of the hills, and the flax of the plains, contribute to the
abundance of naval stores; the wild and tame animals, the horse, the ox, and the
hog, are remarkably prolific, and the name of the pheasant is expressive of his
native habitation on the banks of the Phasis.
Mingrelian Coat of Arms Further along he adds
something about the people who inhabited the land:
It is in the adjacent climates of Georgia, Mingrelia, and
Circassia, that nature has placed, at least to our eyes, the model of beauty
in the shape of the limbs, the color of the skin, the symmetry of the
features, and the expression of the countenance. According to the destination
of the two sexes, the men seemed formed for action, the women for love; and
the perpetual supply of females from Mount Caucasus has purified the blood,
and improved the breed, of the southern nations of Asia.
Dadiani Castle
While
maintaining rule for 800 years isn't easy and in the course of that time there
had been many upheavals. The most irrevocable one occurred in 1803 when,
seeking protection against Persia and the Ottoman Turks, Mingrelia allowed
itself, through a pact between Tsar Alexander I
and Prince Grigol Dadiani, to be annexed by Russia. The Dadiani remained in
control. In 1857, Russia ended this provincial-type government and the rule of
the Dadiani ended also.
The
final Duke of Dukes of Mingrelia
Nikolaoz (Nikolai Davidovitch) Dadiani went by Niko.
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