Grigol Dadiani (Kolkhideli)

Prince Grigol Dadiani (

Grigol Dadiani was the second son of Levan V Dadiani, ruler of Mingrelia—then an autonomous principality within the Russian Empire—and his second wife, Marta Tsereteli. He was, thus, a younger brother of David Dadiani, the penultimate prince-regnant of Mingrelia, and uncle to Niko Dadiani, the last to hold that office.^[1]

Dadiani married at St. Petersburg, in 1843, to Princess Terezia (1825 – 24 March 1871), daughter of Mamia V Gurieli, Prince of Guria by his wife Sophio Tsulukidze. She was educated at St. Petersburg and served at the Imperial court. She followed her husband to Georgia, where she became involved in many charities, earning the Small Cross of the Order of Saint Catherine from Alexander II of Russia during his visit to Kutaisi in 1861. She died at the age of 47 and was buried at the Martvili Monastery. The couple had no children.^[2]

Military career

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Grigol Dadiani was enlisted in the Imperial Russian

In 1853, after the death of his elder brother David, Grigol Dadiani became part of the regency council for his underage nephew, Niko. The council was presided by the dowager-princess Ekaterina and also included his younger brother, Konstantin Dadiani. Grigol Dadiani's relations with Princess Ekaterina were strained and he was accused by her sympathizers of political intrigues and stocking unrest among the Mingrelian peasants. A peasants revolt in 1857 seriously destabilized Mingrelia, leading to the Russian government to impose its direct administration and, finally, formally abolish princely rule in 1867.^[3]

Literary interests and philanthropy

Dadiani was a founding member of the leading Georgian education charity Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians in 1879. He was part of the commission studying the texts of the medieval Georgian epic The Knight in the Panther's Skin. He made donations to several schools and bequeathed his extensive library to the Society for the Spreading of Literacy. Dadiani composed his first poems while studying military in St. Petersburg. His poetry was mostly Romanticist and patriotic, influenced by that of Grigol Orbeliani. He mostly wrote under the pen name of Kolkhideli, "a Colchian".^[1]

Death

Prince Gregory Dadiani died December 24, 1901(Julian calendar) in Kutaisi, Georgia. He was buried at the Dadiani necropolis at the Martvili Monastery.^[1] His brother and rival, David Dadiani, filled his position.^{[citation needed]}

References