Kazbegi family

Of a semi-legendary noble descent, the Chopikashvili rose in prominence under the Georgian king Erekle II at the end of the 18th century, when the clan's leader Kazi-Beg was made an official (mouravi) in the village Stepantsminda and placed in charge of collecting tolls on travelers through the key road to the North Caucasus.

[1] Kazi-Beg's son Gabriel was made an aznauri, noble of a lower rank, and adopted the surname Kazbegi (Kazbek).

He played a role in the Russian-Georgian interaction and pledged his loyalty to the Russians upon their annexation of Georgia in 1801.

The clan ran Stepan-Tsminda – henceforth frequently referred to as Kazbek in Russian accounts – and Khevi as their fief.

Gabriel's son Mikheil (1805–1876) fought in the Caucasian War and was made a major general of the Russian army in 1859.