Aznauri
Encyclopedia
Aznauri was a class of Georgian
nobility
; the term that was first applied to all nobles, but in the later Middle Ages narrowed to designate the petty nobles.
The term is related to Pahlavi āzāt-ān, "free" or "noble", who are listed as the lowest class of the free nobility in the Hajjiabad inscription of King Shapur I
(241-272?), and parallels to the azat
of Armenia
. It first appears in "The Martyrdom of Saint Shushanik", a 5th-century work of Georgian hagiographic literature. A later chronicle, that of Leonti Mroveli
, derives "aznauri" from the semi-legendary ruler Azon
(Georgian –uri is a common adjectival suffix), whose 1,000 soldiers defected him and were subsequently named aznauri by Azon’s victorious rival P’arnavaz. This etymology is patently false. According to Hrachia Acharian
the word was borrowed into Georgian from Armenian
azn “nation, generation, race”.
The stratification within the feudal aristocracy of Georgia
, generically known as "aznauri", already became apparent in the 9th-10th century. A higher substratum began to be distinguished by adding the title of "didebuli", i.e., the aznauri who held "dideba", an especially high courtier office. Later in the Middle Ages, a clearer distinction was made between an aznauri (now dependent noble), and a tavadi
and mtavari
(dynastic prince); from the 15th century, the aznauri was considered a qma (literally, "slave") of his lord, either secular or ecclesiastic. This form of dependence was later subjected to a formal regulation under Vakhtang VI
’s Code of Laws which was codified between 1705 and 1708, and loosely governed a Georgian version of feudalism
(batonq’moba) even after the Russian annexation of Georgia early in the 19th century. Subsequently, in the 1820s, the status of aznauri was equated to that of the (untitled) dvoryanstvo of Russia.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
; the term that was first applied to all nobles, but in the later Middle Ages narrowed to designate the petty nobles.
The term is related to Pahlavi āzāt-ān, "free" or "noble", who are listed as the lowest class of the free nobility in the Hajjiabad inscription of King Shapur I
Shapur I
Shapur I or also known as Shapur I the Great was the second Sassanid King of the Second Persian Empire. The dates of his reign are commonly given as 240/42 - 270/72, but it is likely that he also reigned as co-regent prior to his father's death in 242 .-Early years:Shapur was the son of Ardashir I...
(241-272?), and parallels to the azat
Azat
Azat was a class of Armenian nobility; the term came to designate the middle and lower nobility originally, in contrast to the naxararkʿ who were the great lords...
of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. It first appears in "The Martyrdom of Saint Shushanik", a 5th-century work of Georgian hagiographic literature. A later chronicle, that of Leonti Mroveli
Leonti Mroveli
Leonti Mroveli was the 11th-century Georgian chronicler, presumably an ecclesiastic. Mroveli is not his last name, but the adjective for the diocese of Ruisi, whose bishop he probably was...
, derives "aznauri" from the semi-legendary ruler Azon
Azo (Georgian history)
For other uses, see AzoAzo also known as Azon was a legendary ruler of Georgians of ancient Kartli claimed by medieval Georgian annals to have been installed by Alexander the Great, king of Macedon .- Medieval tradition :His name and origin are differently given by the medieval Georgian chronicles...
(Georgian –uri is a common adjectival suffix), whose 1,000 soldiers defected him and were subsequently named aznauri by Azon’s victorious rival P’arnavaz. This etymology is patently false. According to Hrachia Acharian
Hrachia Acharian
Hrachia Hakobi Acharian was a prominent Armenian linguist, etymologist and philologist, Professor, Academic of Armenian Academy of Sciences, a member of French Linguistic Association and Czechoslovakian Institute of Oriental studies.He studied at...
the word was borrowed into Georgian from Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
azn “nation, generation, race”.
The stratification within the feudal aristocracy of Georgia
Georgian feudalism
Georgian feudalism, or patronqmoba , as the system of personal dependence or vassalage in ancient and medieval Georgia is referred to, arose from a tribal-dynastic organization of society upon which was imposed, by royal authority, an official hierarchy of regional governors, local officials and...
, generically known as "aznauri", already became apparent in the 9th-10th century. A higher substratum began to be distinguished by adding the title of "didebuli", i.e., the aznauri who held "dideba", an especially high courtier office. Later in the Middle Ages, a clearer distinction was made between an aznauri (now dependent noble), and a tavadi
Tavadi
Tavadi , "prince", lit. "head/chief" [man], from tavi, "head", with the prefix of agent -di) was a feudal title in Georgia first applied in the Late Middle Ages usually translated in English as prince...
and mtavari
Mtavari
Mtavari was a feudal title in Georgia usually translated in English as prince.The earliest instances of the use of mtavari are in the early Georgian hagiographic texts dated to the 5th century. From the 11th to the 14th centuries, the title mtavari, along with tavadi, was synonymous with eristavi,...
(dynastic prince); from the 15th century, the aznauri was considered a qma (literally, "slave") of his lord, either secular or ecclesiastic. This form of dependence was later subjected to a formal regulation under Vakhtang VI
Vakhtang VI of Kartli
Vakhtang VI , also known as Vakhtang the Scholar and Vakhtang the Lawgiver, was a Wāli of Kartli, eastern Georgia, as a nominal vassal to the Persian shah from 1716 to 1724. Traditionally, he has been still styled as king of Kartli...
’s Code of Laws which was codified between 1705 and 1708, and loosely governed a Georgian version of feudalism
Georgian feudalism
Georgian feudalism, or patronqmoba , as the system of personal dependence or vassalage in ancient and medieval Georgia is referred to, arose from a tribal-dynastic organization of society upon which was imposed, by royal authority, an official hierarchy of regional governors, local officials and...
(batonq’moba) even after the Russian annexation of Georgia early in the 19th century. Subsequently, in the 1820s, the status of aznauri was equated to that of the (untitled) dvoryanstvo of Russia.