Royal Dynasty of Dadiani Princes

Prince — born in 1954.

A descendant of the hereditary (“stolpovoye”) nobility, whose lineage is recorded and reflected in the charters of Romanos III Argyros, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, and, in 1027, of King Bagrat IV of Kartli; and of the Caucasian Queen Tamar, who in 1183 granted her Minister of the Court VARDAN DADIANI the royal historic lands of ancient “Colchis” — the Principality of “Mingrelia” — founding the royal dynasty of the Princes Dadiani in the lands of “Colchis”, which at that time held lands inhabited by all the smaller peoples of the Caucasus.

Today the dynasty is one of the oldest royal dynasties on the planet to have preserved its descendants.

Confirmations of its hereditary noble dignity were granted to the House by charters of King Vakhtang VI of Kartli and, in 1788, of King Erekle II of Kartli-Kakheti.

The dynasty of the Sovereign Princes Dadiani reigned in Mingrelia, Abkhazia and Svaneti…

“MINGRELIA” is one of the most ancient states on the planet — following the tradition that this mountainous country is the successor of “COLCHIS”…

It is academically established that the Mingrelian settlement of “NOKALAKEVI” — the city of the GOLDEN FLEECE, heritage of the planet — is ancient “EA”, known in ROME as “ARCHAEOPOLIS”, the capital of the Colchians, the city visited by the ARGONAUTS…

As a sign of this continuity, the coat of arms of the House of DADIANI bears a Dragon guarding the “GOLDEN FLEECE” hanging from a tree…

The Principality of Mingrelia was abolished (annexed) in 1867 after 500 years of sovereignty recognised by countries around the world. This was done against the will of the last Sovereign Prince DAVID DADIANI and HIS Government, in violation of numerous previously concluded treaties, incorporating it into the Kutaisi Governorate of the Russian Empire.

A professional human-rights defender, founder of “DENPIS” at the “MONARCHICAL HOUSE — ROYAL DYNASTY OF THE PRINCES DADIANI IN KYIV” (“MD-TsDKD”), author of the book “Presumption of Innocence, or How to Remain Innocent in a Road Accident”.

Human-rights defender of the “MFZPV”, head of the council of the “League of Human Rights Defenders”, author of a series of books and television programmes “Presumption of Innocence”, head of the specialised legal directorate USS, MSS-911, of the department of transport and road safety of Ukraine, director of the “International Internet Centre for Independent Expert Legal Investigation of Traffic Incidents”.

General, jurist, law-enforcement officer, executor of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution of 02.03.2010, which launched the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011–2020) — measures to be taken by the heads and rulers of all countries to end the undeclared war on the roads and the growing number of victims.

From 1975 to 1988 he studied at various institutes of special designation. Continuer and custodian of the memorial heritage of the dynasty of the Princes Dadiani. A jurist specialising in the protection of law and legal relations. He has developed approaches to improving law and order and justice in judicial and investigative proceedings, road safety, the reduction of road accidents and fatalities, and the guarantee of justice in road-accident proceedings. He knows from what, why and how road accidents occur, and what the rulers of countries must do to reduce them.

Within the framework of the UN resolution he wrote the books “The Driver’s ABC, or How to Remain Innocent in a Road Accident” and “Presumption of Innocence, or How to Conduct an Inspection of the Scene of a Road Accident” — an appendix to the traffic regulations and the “Euro-protocol” — which have been bestsellers for many years for drivers, police officers, investigators, prosecutors, lawyers, experts and judges.

Developer and author of the educational-legal and scientific-educational television programme “Presumption of Innocence”. Creator of the international internet centre “DENPIS”, which is building a multimillion-strong International Defence of Drivers of All Countries of the World; its independent, non-governmental legal expertise makes it possible to conduct proceedings, investigation, prosecution and trial with a decision or verdict issued without error, avoiding the conviction of an innocent person and protecting the court from an erroneous verdict; justice is established and the methodology for determining fault in road accidents is put in order in all countries of the world, with the aim of eliminating deficiencies, erroneous findings of guilt and the prosecution of the innocent — for the courts of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Spain, and in other countries of the world: the USA, Canada, China, Japan, India, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Singapore — fairly, competently and completely, making DENPIS publicly available to drivers and their insurance companies, which receive from it a certificate — insurance of innocence in a road accident. He developed the methodology for carrying out legal expert examinations of facts and events in order to eliminate errors and deficiencies.

Son of Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Dadiani, grandson of Prince Ivan Otievich Dadiani, great-grandson of Prince Otia Elizbarovich Dadiani.

Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich Dadiani, born in 1981, carries forward the ancient martial tradition of the House of Dadiani. Since 2007 he has devoted himself to the development of physical conditioning and endurance, serving as assistant head coach. His work is not merely sport, but the revival of the very school of warrior education for which his ancestors — princes who trained warriors and defenders of the homeland — were renowned.

The blood of heroes runs in Dmitry's veins: his grandfather, Prince Ivan Otievich, was a knight of many orders; his great-grandfather, General Otia Elizbarovich, was a hero of the Russo-Turkish War. Dmitry shares his father's mission as a human-rights advocate and continues the work of “DENPIS”, preserving and increasing the dynasty's heritage. He is a living link between the glorious past of Mingrelia and its future — proof that the ancient house still gives the world strong and noble people.

Watch Dmitry's training: https://youtu.be/bDAhgvr6R1U

Though his life ended early, Pavel Vladimirovich left a deep mark on the history of the dynasty. Born in 1982, from his youth he absorbed the ideals of justice and service by which his father, Prince Vladimir Mikhailovich, lived. He shared with his family the mission of the human-rights defender and the keeper of historical memory.

As a descendant of the hereditary nobility whose lineage is confirmed by the most ancient charters, Pavel carried within him the spirit of Colchis and Mingrelia. His untimely death in 2019 was a grievous loss for the house. Yet his memory endures in the work of the family, in the activity of the “Monarchical House of Dadiani”, and in the hearts of all who knew him as a man of honour and dignity.

Sergey Vladimirovich, born in 1992, chose the element of the sea, worthy of his ancient house. Graduating in 2015 from the navigation faculty of the Kyiv State Academy of Water Transport, he earned the rank of navigator and became a marine officer. Today he serves as chief mate on ocean-going vessels of more than 90,000 tonnes displacement and has completed two circumnavigations of the globe — a voyage that in antiquity was open only to the legendary Argonauts who sought the Golden Fleece in the lands of his ancestors.

Yet Sergey's horizons are not limited to the sea. He is a practising specialist in website and application programming, uniting the heroic past of the dynasty with the technologies of the future. Son of Prince Vladimir, he continues his father's work, remaining a keeper of history while charting new paths in the digital world.

Princess Victoria, born in 1989, became a worthy representative of the dynasty in the humanities. In 2011 she graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages with a degree in philology and as a specialist in the English language. Her gift is a bridge between the ancient culture of Mingrelia and the modern world.

As a descendant of the hereditary nobility of the Byzantine Empire and the Georgian Kingdom, Victoria preserves the linguistic and cultural heritage of her house. She continues the work of her father, Prince Vladimir Mikhailovich, whose human-rights activity is known throughout the world. Her knowledge and talents serve to spread the truth about the history of the Dadiani dynasty, about ancient Colchis, and about the fact that the princely house not only fought and ruled, but also created culture, enlightenment and learning.

Mikhail Ivanovich was the son of court counsellor Ivan Otievich and of Maria Mikhailovna Gersevanova, who belonged to a family of archpriests of the imperial court. Born in 1906, he witnessed the collapse of empires and the birth of a new world.

Graduating in 1933 from the military institute of the White emigration, Mikhail Ivanovich became a prospecting geologist and worked with survey expeditions across the USSR. But his true vocation lay in sport: he inherited the dynasty's traditions of training warriors and athletes for endurance. This determined his service as assistant for sports work to Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Blyukher himself — the legendary commander, holder of the Orders of the Red Banner and the Red Star. His life is an example of how a descendant of ancient princes, even in the hardest of times, remained faithful to duty and professionalism, uniting the greatness of his forebears with the realities of the twentieth century.

Prince Ivan Otievich Dadiani was an outstanding statesman and military official of the Russian Empire. Born to General Otia Elizbarovich and Princess Daria Luarsabovna Chelokaeva, he received a brilliant education at the Emperor Alexander I Institute of Transport Engineering (1900). Rising to the rank of court counsellor (1912), he was honoured with the highest awards of the empire: the Orders of St. Anna (2nd and 3rd class), St. Stanislaus (2nd class) and St. Vladimir (4th class). From 1915 he served in the Special Operations Directorate of the South-Western Front armies, and in 1916 he was sent to Persia with the 1st Caucasian Cavalry Corps to counter pro-German forces (the Persian campaign).

His marriage to Maria Mikhailovna Gersevanova united two of the most ancient noble houses of Byzantium and Georgia. Her ancestor, Archpriest Grigory Gersevanov, keeper of the icon of the Mother of God with holy relics, had his hereditary nobility confirmed in 1027 by a charter of King Bagrat IV of Kartli.

Ivan Otievich and Maria Mikhailovna died a violent death in 1921.

Prince Otia Elizbarovich was a legendary commander and a hero of the Crimean and Russo-Turkish wars. Born to Prince Elizbar Georgievich Dadiani, staff captain of the militia, he began his military career in 1855 as a cadet in the 11th Black Sea Line Battalion, famed for the battle on the Enguri River. For his courage he received the Badge of the Military Order of St. George, 4th class. In 1865 he was transferred to the elite Chevalier Guard Regiment — the guard of the Emperor himself.

In 1877, at the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War, Otia Dadiani was appointed inspector of the mounted divisions and foot hundreds of the Zugdidi district militia. During the Turkish landing in Abkhazia, when the enemy seized Gudauta and Sukhumi, he showed extraordinary bravery in the struggle against the occupiers and the rebellious Abkhaz clans, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class with swords. Rising to the rank of colonel, he served as head of the Ozurgeti and Alexandropol districts. He died on 7 June 1915.

Holding 4,000 dessiatinas of land in the Senaki district and 7,780 dessiatinas through his wife (Princess Daria Luarsabovna Chelokaeva), he was the largest landowner and one of the most influential figures of his time.

Princess Daria Luarsabovna Chelokaeva (Cholokashvili) — wife of Prince Otia Elizbarovich Dadiani from 1853 and mother of seven children of the house.

Kaikhosro (Kakutsa) Cholokashvili — a hero of Georgia — and Daria Luarsabovna Chelokaeva (Cholokashvili) are relatives. They descend from the same princely Cholokashvili family (also transcribed as Chelokaev in Russian).

Prince Elizbar Georgievich Dadiani was a judge of the supreme government of Mingrelia (mdivabeg). Son of Prince Georgy Nikolaevich, who held the office of high police master (bokoultukhutses), he continued the family tradition of state service.

During the Crimean War, Queen Ekaterina Alexandrovna Dadiani of Mingrelia (née Chavchavadze) entrusted the safety of her children to Elizbar. He sheltered them at his estate of Kvashikhori from the advancing Turkish army, showing loyalty to the throne and great courage.

Married to Princess Sophia Paatovna Tsulukidze, he became the father of nine children, among whom stood out the hero Otia Elizbarovich, as well as his son Alexander, who became Bishop Grigory.

Prince Georgy Nikolaevich Dadiani was a prominent statesman of Mingrelia who held the office of bokoultukhutses (chief bailiff, high police master). He was responsible for law, order and security in the principality, standing guard over its laws and traditions. His wife was Princess Mariam Abashidze, a union that further strengthened the alliance of the great houses of the Caucasus.

Prince Nikolai Otievich was a direct ruler of Mingrelia and the son of Prince Otia Bezhanovich. The blood of the ruling mtavaris flowed in his veins, and his reign fell in an era of intense rivalry and political struggle for the thrones of the Caucasus. His marriage to Anastasia Eristavi of Ksani sealed the alliance of two of the strongest houses.

Otia Bezhanovich was the son of the ruling prince Bezhan Dadiani and Princess Tamara Gelovani. Ascending the throne in 1728, he continued his father's policy. His wife was Princess Gulkan, daughter of Shoshita III, Eristavi of Racha.

From this marriage were born Katsia II (the next ruling prince), Nikolai, Georgy and the Bishop of Tsageri. His daughter Mariam became the wife of King Solomon I of Imereti — testimony to the high international standing of the House of Dadiani.

Bezhan Georgievich was a ruler of Mingrelia, son of Georgy IV and Princess Sevdia Mikeladze. Having received the province of Lechkhumi from his father, he became a key figure in the political games of the Caucasus, supporting candidates for the throne of Imereti.

Married to Princess Tamara Gelovani, he became the father of Otia, who later inherited the throne.

Georgy Katsievich, descended from the Chikovani (Lipartiani) house, inherited Salipartiano and Lechkhumi after the death of his father Katsia Chikovani. His right to the throne rested on his father's marriage to Princess Mzekhatun Dadiani.

He consolidated power and continued the dynastic line, becoming the progenitor of the branch that led to Bezhan and onward to the great princes of the 19th century.

Katsia Chikovani was the ancestor of the house in the male line, Prince of Lechkhum-batoni. According to tradition he was a man of courage and enterprise who earned the respect of kings.

His marriage to Mzekhatun Dadiani, daughter of Levan III, ruling prince of Mingrelia, brought his descendants the rights to the Mingrelian throne and opened a new historical era of the Dadiani dynasty's rule.

All the figures presented here, from the ancient Katsia Chikovani to the present generation of princes, are bearers of a unique historical memory. The House of Dadiani is not merely an aristocratic surname but a living testimony to the antiquity and greatness of the Caucasus, inseparably bound to the legend of the Golden Fleece, the reign of Queen Tamar and the centuries-old statehood of Mingrelia.