House of Shavliani

Originating in Abkhazia, the Shavliani Dynasty was a group of Egrisian lords who became so powerful that they even faced off against the royal dynasty. They usurped power after George I died, installing John Shavliani as king until his death, when his heir Adarnase succeeded him. During Adarnase's reign, Megrelian nobles and Byzantines who remained faithful to Bagrat I wished to overthrow Adarnase in his conflicts against the Armenians. But after Adarnase lost the Battle of Kutais, the dynasty withdrew to Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, where they took on new surnames to avoid being persecuted. Adarnase died as a result. Inscriptions found in local churches attest to the affection the people of Khoni had for the rulers, who owned estates in the Khoni Municipality's Nakhakhulevi and Kukhi.