Born in Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire, he graduated from the 3rd Alexander’s School (1887) and the General Staff Academy in St Petersburg (1894).

He served, from 9 November 1911 to 9 January 1914, a governor general of Samarkand and was moved afterwards as a chief of staff of the Turkestan Military District.

During the total collapse of the Tsarist administration he tried to prevent the imperial army's disintegration, then resigned as a commander and helped to organize national Georgian divisions.

In March 1918, he served as deputy minister of war for the Transcaucasian Commissariat, but was sacked for his nationalistic sentiments.

After Georgia’s declaration of independence (May 26, 1918), he held various important posts in the national armed forces and served as the commander-in-chief of army from the fall of 1920 to February 1921.