Parsadan Gorgijanidze

P'arsadan Gorgijanidze (Georgian: ფარსადან გორგიჯანიძე; or Giorgijanidze, გიორგიჯანიძე) (1626 – c. 1696) was a Georgian and historian who served at both the Georgian and Persian courts and is principally known for his informative chronicles The History of Georgia (საქართველოს ისტორია, sak’art’velos istoria).

Originally from the town of Gori, Gorgijanidze was brought up at the court of the pro-Persian Georgian ruler Rostom of Kartli in Tbilisi and engaged in Georgian-Persian diplomacy early in his career. In 1656, he was appointed, through the recommendation of Rostom, as a darugha (prefect) of the Persian capital, Isfahan. Gorgijanidze had to become a Muslim on this occasion and was to spend four decades in the service of the shahs Abbas II and Suleiman I.

Shortly after his appointment as prefect of the capital, Parsadan's administrative rearrangements and new laws raised him opposition and led the Isfahanians into rebellion. Through the intervention of the shah's vizier, Mohammad Beg, Parsadan was removed from his post and appointed an eshik-agha (Master of Ceremonies) of the royal court. Parsdan's family remained in Georgia, but several of its members were also active in Persia. Thus, one of Parsandan's brothers, Alexander, served as the zarabibash (chief of the Shah's mint) of Isfahan; another, Melik Sadat-Bek, was yuzbash (lieutenant) of the shah’s army. Parsadan's son, David, was trained as an officer of the shah's guard (ghulam). Gorgijanidze found himself involved in the incessant intrigues in the Safavid administration and twice fell in disfavor with the shah. His post also allowed Gorgijanidze to intervene in the domestic politics in his native Georgia. His antagonism with Rostom's successor to the throne of Kartli, Shah Navaz Khan (Vakhtang V) undermined his position and Gorgijanidze was exiled, from 1666 to 1671, to Shushtar, the governor of which, Vakhushti Khan, was a close relative of Shah Navaz Khan's wife Rodam.

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