THE POPULATION OF THE FRONE VALLEY ACCORDING TO THE 1715 RUISI FLOK REGISTER (KHASHURI MUNICIPALITY)

Abstract

Based on the 1715 Ruisi Episcopal Register, this study examines the population of the following villages and settlements of the present-day Khashuri Municipality: Tkotsi, Dumatskho (modern Dumatskhovi), Flebi, Ali, Kindzati, Nabakhteti, Brili, Tsablua (Tsablovana), Kempferi, Tsedani, Odzisi, Urtkva (formerly Utkhva), Bijinisi, Chumatelleti, Zindisi, Itria, the town of Surami, Upper Surami, Bekami, Tezeri, Begliti, Monasteri, Tsikhisdziri, Sholispiri, Kvishkheti, Tashiskari, Savaniskhevi, Gorati, Shindara, Khashuri, Osiauri, Zemo Chala, Lubruma, Akhalsopeli, Sative, Dzvisa (Adzvisi), and Vaqi.

As the register indicates, the majority of the population in the villages of the Khashuri Municipality was Georgian. Alongside Georgians, Jewish and Armenian inhabitants are also recorded. The source frequently uses the term uriaqopili, which appears to indicate the process of Georgianization of the Jewish population. According to the 1715 data, only three Ossetian households lived in the entire Frone Valley: one family in Akhalsopeli and two households in the village of Tighva, which is currently under occupation.

The devastation caused by the incursions of Qizilbash and Ottoman forces, as well as by the phenomenon known as Lekianoba, had a severe impact on the villages of the Khashuri Municipality. Many settlements were abandoned and turned into deserted villages. From the nineteenth century onward, these areas were gradually resettled by families migrating from western Georgia, mainly from Imereti. Alongside the Georgian population, the number of Ossetian families migrating from the North Caucasus also increased over time.

Alongside the analysis of the Ruisi Episcopal Register, the study pays special attention to the localization of each village or now-abandoned settlement, their historical background, social relations, and the identity of their owners. Earlier and later demographic records of the Ruisi diocese are compared, demonstrating changes in population dynamics over several decades for each settlement and highlighting the current demographic situation.

Key words: Khashuri Municipality, Frone Valley, Ruisi Diocese, register, cameral surveys, estate, household, population.