House of Sidamoni

They originally lived in the village of Vanati on the Little Liakhvi River and, through the loyal service rendered to the Georgian kings of Kartli, rose in the ranks of nobility (aznauri) in the mid-16th century.

The Eristavi of Aragvi pursued an aggressive, expansionist policy which resulted in important territorial acquisitions at the expense of other noble houses of Georgia.

They were considered among the six "undivided" houses of the Kingdom of Kartli, which outranked those that had succumbed to the weakening division of their dynastic allods.

After the Russian annexation of Georgia in 1801, the Sidamonishvili attempted to restore their erstwhile titles and patrimonial estates in the Aragvi valley, but to no avail.

[1] After the Soviet invasion the family was forced to leave Georgia, as they were likely to be placed in Siberian Gulags had they stayed.