Ilia Chavchavadze
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Ilia Chavchavadze | |
---|---|
Native name | ილია ჭავჭავაძე |
Born | Kvareli, Georgia Governorate, Russian Empire (present-day Kakheti, Georgia) | 8 November 1837
Died | 12 September 1907 Tsitsamuri, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire | (aged 69)
Resting place | Mtatsminda Pantheon, Tbilisi |
Occupation | jurist, poet, novelist, humanist, publisher, philosopher |
Nationality | Georgian |
Literary movement | |
Signature | |
He was a leader of contemporary youth intellectual movement named "Tergdaleulebi". They spread modern and European
Continuing the educational work started in
Inspired by the contemporary liberal and nationalist movements throughout Europe, Chavchavadze directed much of his efforts toward awakening national and liberal ideals among Georgians. Chavchavadze was the author of numerous articles that were published in his newspaper Iveria, as well as in other periodicals that were published in Georgia. In his articles, Chavchavadze discussed literature, education, theater, politics, economics, current affairs. His views on self-government, judicial system, social issues, human rights, women's rights, and civic activism were ahead of their time and contributed to Georgia's sense of national identity. He was a devoted protector of the Georgian language and culture from Russification. He coined the phrase "Ena, Mamuli, Sartsmunoeba" ("Language, Homeland, Faith"), which is widely acknowledged slogan of Georgian nationalism.[3][4]
During the
His most important literary works were: The Hermit, The Ghost, Otaraant Widow, Kako The Robber, Happy Nation, Letters of a Traveler and Is a man a human?!.
Chavchavadze was killed in
Life
Ancestry and early life
Ilia Chavchavadze was born in Qvareli, a village in
Ilia was the third son of Grigol Chavchavadze and Mariam Beburishvili. Grigol, like his father and his famous ancestors, had a military background. He, along with the local
Chavchavadze was educated at the elementary level by the
Ilia's mother, Mariam, died on 4 May 1848, when Ilia was ten years old, and his father asked his sister, Makrine, to help bring up the children. Aunt Makrine had a significant impact on Ilia's life, because, after 1852, when Ilia's father Grigol died, she was the only remaining caretaker of the family.[5]
In 1848, after the death of Princess Chavchavadze, Ilia was sent to Tbilisi by his father to begin his secondary education.[5] Ilia attended a private school for three years before he entered the 1st Academy of Tbilisi in 1851. Soon after, Ilia's father died and Aunt Makrine looked after the family. His secondary school years were very stressful, due to his father's death. However, the Chavchavadze family suffered another devastating blow when Ilia's brother, Constantine, was killed during the Dagestani raid on Kakheti. Ilia expressed his anguish and grief in one of his first short-poems called Sorrow of a Poor Man. In addition to his personal problems, the political situation in Georgia worsened under the harsh authority of the Russian Empire, which played a destructive role to the nation and its culture.[citation needed]
Student years
After graduating from the academy, Ilia decided to continue his education at the University of St. Petersburg, Russia. Before leaving for St. Petersburg, Ilia composed one of his most remarkable poems, To the Mountains of Kvareli in the village of Kardanakhi on 15 April 1857, in which he expressed his lifelong admiration for the Greater Caucasus Mountains and his sorrow at leaving his homeland.[citation needed]
That same year, Ilia was admitted to the University of St. Petersburg. During his student years, numerous revolutions sprang up in Europe which Ilia observed with great interest. Ilia's attention focused on the events in Italy and the struggle of Giuseppe Garibaldi, whom he admired for many years. While in St.Petersburg, Ilia met Princess Catherine Chavchavadze, from whom he learned about the poetry and lyrics of the Georgian romantic Prince Nik'oloz Baratashvili. Due to the harsh climate in St Petersburg, Ilia became very ill and returned to Georgia for several months in 1859.[citation needed]
Ilia finally returned to Georgia after the completion of his studies in 1861. During his journey back, Ilia wrote one of his greatest masterpieces, The Traveler's Diaries, in which he outlines the importance of
Political life
Ilia's main political and social goals were based on
In the 1860s, "Tergdaleulebi", the new generation of Georgian intellectuals, educated at Russian universities and exposed to European ideas,[6] promoted national culture against assimilation by the Imperial center. Led by Ilia Chavchavadze, their program attained more nationalist colors as the nobility declined and capitalism progressed, further stimulated by the rule of the Russian bureaucracy and economic and demographic dominance of the Armenian bourgeoisie in the capital city of Tbilisi. Chavchavadze prominently founded "The Bank of the Nobility" of Tbilisi, with the aim of protecting Georgian land from being sold off by poor Georgian nobles to rich Armenian bourgeoisie. In his work Outcrying Stones, Chavchavadze denounced Armenians for falsifying Georgian history, buying up Georgian land and appropriating Georgian churches, as well as indebting poor Georgian peasant families. Chavchavadze attacked Armenians for their mercantilism and condemned them in his newspaper Iveria for "eating the bread baked by someone else or drinking that which is created by another's sweat", as well as being "sly moneylenders and unscrupulous traders".[7] He also created slogan "Language, Homeland, Religion", which served as a motto of Georgian nationalism. Chavchavadze and his associates called for the unity of all Georgians and put national interests above class and provincial divisions. Their vision did not envisage an outright revolt for independence, but demanded autonomy within the reformed Russian Empire, with greater cultural freedom, promotion of the Georgian language, and support for Georgian educational institutions and the national church, whose independence had been suppressed by the Russian government.[8]
As the number of supporters for Chavchavadze's ideas grew, so did opposition to Chavchavadze from both the
In addition to his works described above, Chavchavadze was also the founder and chairman of many public, cultural and educational organizations (
Prince Chavchavadze briefly acted as a literary
Death
After serving as a member of the Upper House in the first
The Prince's murder was seen as a national tragedy and was mourned by all classes of Georgian society. Prince Akaki Tsereteli, who was suffering from serious health problems at the time, spoke at the funeral and dedicated an outstanding oration to Ilia: "Ilia's inestimable contribution to the revival of the Georgian nation is an example for future generations".[10] Famous Georgian poet Vazha-Pshavela said: "Ilia's murderers would have killed Georgia if they could".
Following the unfortunate passing of Ilia, the news coverage pertaining to his assassination was primarily limited to a single newspaper called Isari (ისარი).[11] Notably, Isari, despite being a relatively small publication, provided extensive coverage of the incident. Surprisingly, larger mainstream newspapers did not report on the intricate details surrounding Ilia's assassination.[citation needed]
Investigation
In 1907, the Tsarist authorities launched investigation into Chavchavadze's death and arrested four suspects: Giorgi Khizanishvili, Ivane Inashvili, Gigola Modzghvrishvili and Tedo Labauri. One suspect (Gigla Berbichashvili, the head of the crew) went into hiding in Iran, while another one (Pavle Aptsiauri) died during clashes with the police. According to investigation, during the incident Chavchavadze appealed to the crew: "Do not shoot, I am Ilia", while Gigla replied: "That's why we have to shoot you". In 1909, according to the decision of the Stolypin tribunal, the entire gang was sentenced to capital punishment. Following the October Revolution, Gigla Berbichashvili returned to Georgia in 1921 and worked in the various positions within the Soviet Georgian government. In 1936, the investigation was launched against him for participating the murder of Ilia Chavchavadze. In December 1941, he was tried in the court, which sentenced him to capital punishment in January 1942. However, this was later changed to 10 years imprisonment.
Theories
The assassination of Ilia Chavchavadze remains controversial today. The Tsarist investigation concluded that the murderers were part of Bolshevik "Red Squad", while the Soviet investigation blamed the Tsarist secret police and administration for being involved in the assassination. The unofficial versions mostly blame Bolsheviks as well as Mensheviks for orchestrating the murder.
According to Montefiore: "The Bolshevik position in Georgia was undermined by the assassination of the hugely popular Prince Ilya Chavchavadze, in August 1907. The Bolsheviks had attacked his patriarchal vision of Georgian culture and, it was widely believed, had decided to kill him. There is some evidence that Stalin's friends Sergo Ordzhonikidze and Filipp Makharadze organized or took part in the assassination. It may be that the SDs took no part in the murder at all. Stalin always praised Chavchavadze's poetry in his old age and there is no evidence that he ordered the hit, but he was very close to Sergo and he was certainly more than capable of separating literary merit from cruel necessity: politics always came first."[16]
Legacy
Ilia Chavchavadze is considered to be "the founding father of modern Georgian nation". Ilia's legacy of national awakening earned him the everlasting admiration of the Georgian people and the title of Uncrowned King of the Nation. His work was acknowledged in his lifetime, as well as Soviet period. His legacy is cherished in modern-day Georgia too. In 1937, the Soviet authorities celebrated the hundredth anniversary of Ilia Chavchavadze. During Soviet times, Chavchavadze's rejection and criticism of serfdom was particularly emphasized.
After the
In 1998,
In 2006, Ilia State University was named after Ilia Chavchavadze.[18] Various streets and avenues are also named after him, including Tbilisi's central avenue, Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue.[19] Chavchavadze's main works, including his Is a man a human?!, are taught in Georgian schools within Georgian Language and Literature classes.
Published works
- Georgian Poetry: Rustaveli to Galaktion: A Bilingual Anthology. Translations by Lyn Coffin, with the assistance of Gia Jokhadze, featuring an introduction by Dodona Kiziria. Slavica, Bloomington, Indiana, 2013.
- Georgische Dichter. Translated and compiled by Arthur Leist, Dresden-Leipzig, 1887 (Poems of Ilia Chavchavadze and other Georgian poets, in German)
- The Hermit by Prince Ilia Chavchavadze. Translated from the Georgian by Marjory Wardrop, London: Bernard Quaritch, 1895
See also
References
- ^ a b Kinzer, Stephen (7 May 1998). "Saguramo Journal; On the Tallest Pedestal, a Man for All Georgians". The New York Times.
- ^ Kekelia, Tatia (2015). "Building Georgian national identity". In Agadjanian, Alexander; Jödicke, Ansgar; van der Zweerde, Evert (eds.). Religion, Nation and Democracy in the South Caucasus. Routledge. p. 123.
- ^ Chkhartishvili 2013, p. 192: "The main designer and contributor to the Georgian nationalist project was the eminent Georgian writer and public worker Ilia Chachcavadze (1837-1907)."
- ^ Chkhartishvili 2013, p. 195: "In 1860-1880ss the premature Georgian political nationalism was replaced by fully developed Georgian cultural nationalism. As it was already mentioned, its main author was Ilia Chavchavadze who, with his co-workers, was an active part of the societal life of the 1860s."
- ^ a b c d "Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia". Orthodox Church in America.
- ^ "Tergdaleulebi" translates as "those, who have drunken the water of the Terek river", since the Terek river functions as the geographical boundary between Georgia and Russia, the term began to be used to refer to those young intellectuals who went to pursue education in Russia and brought to Georgia new ideas of modernity
- Armenian Review. 46 (1–4): 57–77.
- ISBN 9789633860069.
- ^ Simon Sebag Montefiore, "Young Stalin," page 57.
- ^ David Marshal Lang, History of Modern Georgia, p. 176.
- ^ ""რას სჩადიხართ!"- ეს სიტყვები მთელ საქართველოს ეკუთვნოდა". 12 September 2011.
- ISBN 9780674019027.
Bolshevik unpopularity in Georgia was in part due to the widely held suspicion that they had been behind the murder of Ilia Chavchavadze in August 1907.
- ISBN 9780670840892.
...the Bolsheviks were suspects in the (still obscure) murder of Prince Chavchavadze, father of the Georgian cultural renaissance, on 28 August 1907: he had spoken out strongly against the revolutionary left.
- ^ ISBN 9780691025490.
- ISBN 9781412821711.
...Ilia Chavchavadze, murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1907.
- ^ Simon Sebag Montefiore, "Young Stalin," page 179.
- ^ Tonoyan, Artyom (22 September 2010). "Rising Armenian-Georgian tensions and the possibility of a new ethnic conflict in the South Caucasus". Demokratizatsiya. 18 (4): 287–309.
- ^ "ILIAUNI IS THE BEST RESEARCH INSTITUTION IN CAUCASUS". ILIA STATE UNIVERSITY. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue". Tbilisi Street Name Database. Tbilisi City Hall. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
Sources
- de Baye, Joseph (1899). Au Nord de la chaîne du Caucase: Souvenir d'une mission (in French). Paris: Nilsson.
- de Baye, Joseph (1900). Tiflis: souvenirs d'une mission (in French). Paris: Nilsson.
- Chkhartishvili, Mariam (2013). "Georgian nationalism and the idea of Georgian nation" (PDF). Codrul Cosminului. 19 (2). Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava: 189–206. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2014.
- Leist, Arthur (1903). Das georgische Volk, geschildert von Arthur Leist (in German). Dresden: E. Pierson.
- Lehmann-Haupt, Ferdinand Friedrich Carl (1910). Armenien, einst und jetzt: reisen und forschungen von C.F. Lehmann-Haupt; hrsg. mit unterstützung des Königlich preussischen kultusministeriums, der Averhoffstiftung und der Bürgermeister Kellinghusen-stiftung zu hamburg, der Rudolf-Virchow-stiftung zu befreundeter förderer ... (in German). Berlin: B. Behr. pp. 106–111.
- Reisner, Oliver: The Tergdaleulebi: Founders of Georgian National Identity. In: Ladislaus Löb, István Petrovics, György E. Szonyi (eds.): Forms of Identity: Definitions and Changes. Attila Jozsef University, Szeged 1994, pp. 125–37
- Wardrop, John Oliver (1888). The Kingdom of Georgia: Notes of Travel in a Land of Women, Wine, and Song; to which are Appended Historical, Literary and Political Sketches, Specimens of the National Music, and a Compendious Bibliography. London: S. Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington. pp. 150–152.
External links
- Sharadze, Guram (ed., 1987).Ilia Chavchavadze works, translated by Marjory and Oliver Wardrops. Tbilisi: Ganatleba, 1987. Online version at NPLG.