The first known dukes of Aragvi belonged to the
House of Shaburisdze which flourished in the 13th century. From this house, the duchy passed to those of Tumanisdze and, finally, in the 16th century, to the
House of Sidamoni. This latter change of power took place sometime after 1569, when an obscure nobleman of the Sidamoni clan, with the aid of the
dukes of the Ksani, massacred the Tumanisdze family and took control of their possessions. In the process of time, the tenure of a duke of Aragvi became hereditary, and the eristavi ranked as
mtavari, one of the "undivided" princely houses of Georgia. The dukes of Aragvi had their residences at
Dusheti and
Sioni, and the main fortress at
Ananuri.
Bodorna was their familial abbey and a burial ground. as well as the fertile area of
Bazaleti. s'' (
Dukes) of Aragvi. The energetic 17th-century dukes of Aragvi –
Nugzar,
Zurab, and Zaal – waged a relentless struggle to achieve more autonomy from the royal authority of
Kartli as well as to subdue the free mountainous communities of
Pshavi-
Khevsureti and
Ertso-Tianeti. In 1743, the rebellious Aragvians killed their duke Bezhan and surrendered the duchy to
Teimuraz II, a Georgian king of Kartli. Teimuraz converted the duchy into a royal
appanage and gave it to his grandson Prince
Vakhtang. The surviving members of the ducal family were later removed by Teimuraz's son
Erekle II to
Kakheti and granted a smaller estate. Vakhtang died in 1756 and was succeeded by his brothers, first by
Levan (died 1781), and then by
Vakhtang-Almaskhan, who was sent into exile by the
Russians, once they
took control of Georgia, in 1803. Later, the descendants of the dukes of Aragvi attempted to restore their titles and patrimonial estates in the Aragvi valley, but to no avail. In 1828, the
Russian Senate ruled their claims to be groundless. == List of dukes of Aragvi ==