02 — The Making of Ilia
The formation of Ilia Chavchavadze: birth into a Kakhetian princely family at Kvareli in 1837, schooling in Tbilisi, and the decisive years at St. Petersburg University, where he joined the reform generation of the tergdaleulebi and left in 1861 amid the student disturbances that closed the university.
Tradition: Georgian Orthodox
This section covers Ilia’s life to his return home in 1861 — the family, the schooling, and above all the St. Petersburg years that made him a national reformer. Two files:
- Kvareli, Tbilisi, and the Princely Family — birth on 27 October 1837, the Chavchavadze family and its princely (tavadi) rank, the early loss of his parents, and his schooling in Tbilisi.
- St. Petersburg and the Tergdaleulebi — the law faculty at St. Petersburg University from 1857, the reformist ferment of the era of the Great Reforms, the circle of young Georgians who became the tergdaleulebi, and his departure in 1861.
Files
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| kvareli-tbilisi-and-the-princely-family.md | Birth 1837, Kvareli; the Chavchavadze princely family; early years and schooling in Tbilisi |
| st-petersburg-and-the-tergdaleulebi.md | St. Petersburg University law faculty; the tergdaleulebi; departure amid the 1861 student unrest |
See Also
- Georgia in the Nineteenth Century — the world that formed him
- The National Work — what he built on his return
- The Writings — the literature he began at St. Petersburg