THE FRONE VALLEY AND THE NOBLE HOUSE OF THE DOGHLIDZE FAMILY

Abstract

The valleys of the Frone rivers bordered the Likhi Range. In this territory—namely, in the valleys of the Surami River, the Ali River, as well as the Frone rivers of Dvani and Ptsi—numerous noble families laid claim to the villages located there. Considering the importance of the routes connecting eastern and western Georgia, this part of Inner Kartli held particular strategic significance from ancient times. The distribution of villages within the Frone valleys often became a cause of conflict among Georgian aristocratic houses, as confirmed by various historical sources.The presence of different noble families in the Frone valleys has been preserved through numerous toponyms. One such example is “Doghlaura,” a plain located on the northern bank of the Mtkvari River extending toward Surami, which is associated with the Doghlidze family. This name is also preserved in a village within the Kareli municipality (currently, the village of Doghlauri belongs to the Breti administrative unit, located 8 km from Kareli, where the Ptsi Frone River joins the Mtkvari). Naturally, the Doghlidze domain was not limited to this village and the aforementioned plain; this feudal house controlled a substantial territory in the valleys of the Ptsi and Dvani rivers. To the northeast, their lands bordered the possessions of the Machabeli family.The Doghlidze family donated estates located in the lower reaches of the Greater Liakhvi Valley to the Holy Sepulchre of Christ, as evidenced by a charter issued in 1624 by King Simon II. The document records the renewal of this donation by the Daghladze (i.e., Doghlidze) family to a revered Christian site. This renewal was not accidental; rather, it likely reflected the extinction of the feudal house—its disappearance due to a lack of heirs. This tradition appears to have persisted in popular memory, as noted by the prominent Georgian populist writer Soprom Mgaloblishvili in one of his works.In the 14th–15th centuries, the Doghlidze feudal domain included part of the Dvani River valley (Ghverteti, Takhtisdziri, Dirbi), sections of the right bank of the Greater Liakhvi River (lands near Rkhuiti, or Khviti), and the lower southern zone of the Frone valleys extending toward Surami (the village of Doghlaura and the Doghlauri floodplain). The southern boundary of their domain followed the Mtkvari River. This territory, known as “Doghlauri,” covered a considerable area. Together with the Tirifoni and Mukhrani plains, the Doghlauri field formed part of the extensive Kartli plain. Following the extinction of the Doghlidze feudal house, the territory of Doghlauri diminished and remained associated only with a single village (it is likely that the Doghlidze family retained ownership of this area in its final phase) and its floodplain.In addition to the Doghlidze domain, several other feudal principalities existed in the Frone valleys, including those of the Palavandishvili, Amirejibi, and Abashidze families. Among these, the Amirejibi domain appears to have formed the earliest, with its center at Nabakhtevi. The expansion of the Amirejibi holdings eastward likely occurred at the expense of the reduced Doghlidze territory.By the late 14th century, the Doghlidze family is mentioned alongside other prominent Kartlian nobles in a document that names Ananiki Doghlisdze as one of the aristocrats of Kartli. Although he did not hold the title of eristavi (duke), he was a representative of an influential feudal house. However, by the early 15th century, the Doghlidze family appears to have gradually lost its political and social influence. Their lands were appropriated by other noble families. The weakened Doghlidze house was pressured by the Machabeli family from the northeast and, likely, by the Amirejibi family from the west.By the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the Doghlidze lineage ceased to exist. Consequently, in 1624, King Simon II of Kartli (r. 1619–1630/31) renewed the donation of their estates to the Holy Sepulchre, as previously noted.Information about the Doghlidze feudal domain has been preserved in several documents, oral traditions, and in the surviving toponym “Doghlauri.” In the Khashuri municipality, the surname Dugladze is found. In our view, this surname likely derives from the old feudal family of Doghlisdze (Doghlidze). In oral tradition—such as that recorded by S. Mgaloblishvili—the form “Doghlasdze” is attested. The evolution of the surname may have proceeded as follows: Doghlisdze → Doghlasdze → Dughlasdze → Duglasdze → Dugladze.

Keywords: Prone Valley, Liakhvi Valley, Doghlidze family, Estates, Toponym.