Cherkezishvili

thumb|right|Coat of arms of Princes Cherkezishvili The House of Cherkezishvili () is a Georgian noble family, descended from the Circassian chieftains of Great Kabarda, whence the surname, literally meaning "children/descendants of a Circassian" in Georgian. They settled in Kakheti (eastern Georgia) in the 17th century, and attained to a princely dignity of tavadi. Under the Russian rule they were confirmed, in 1829 and 1850, in the princely nobility as knyaz Cherkezov (Черкезовы).

== History == The traditional genealogical accounts such as that of Prince Ioann of Georgia at the beginning of the 19th century had it that the Cherkezishvili descended from a Circassian chieftain who had arrived in Georgia during the reign of Queen Tamar (r. 1184–1213). In fact, the ancestor of the family, the Kabardian nobleman Alejuko known to the Georgians as Aladag, settled down in the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kakheti in the 17th century. With the adoption of Christianity by Aladag and his scions, the family was conferred with the princely rank and given several villages, such as Manavi, Tokhliauri, Kakabeti, and Kachreti, in possession by the kings of Kakheti. The princely possessions of the family were collectively known as Sacherkezo (საჩერქეზო).