Historical Context
The seventeenth century was a turbulent age for the eastern Georgian kingdoms, which lay under the influence of Safavid Persia and were torn by rivalries among their own nobility. Bidzina Cholokashvili lived through this period in the Kingdom of Kakheti, where he held a high office at court and aligned himself with King Teimuraz I against Rostom of Kartli.
In the 1650s the Persians pursued a policy of colonization, settling great numbers of Turkoman nomads in Kakheti in order to repopulate the land, restrain its nobles, and secure the province. According to Georgian tradition the bulk of the population took part in the revolt that followed, because they were being driven from their villages and farms by the newcomers.
The Uprising and Martyrdom
In 1659 Bidzina joined with Elizabar and Shalvi, the eristavi of Ksani, to lead the Bakhtrioni Uprising. They were supported by the highland peoples of Tusheti, Khevsureti and Pshavi. The allied forces attacked and overcame the Turkoman fortresses at Bakhtrioni and Alaverdi and routed further Turkoman troops throughout Kakheti.
Despite this success, the rising was weakened by its loose organization and isolation, and the Safavid shah was able to mount an effective counterattack. The three leaders were summoned before the Persian court and pressed to renounce Christ. When they refused, they were delivered over to tribes that had been struck down during the uprising, and there they were tortured and killed, about the year 1660. The anchor record names the principal saint Bidzini as a Great-Martyr.
Veneration and Legacy
Bidzini, Elizabar and Shalvi are honored as martyrs by the Georgian Orthodox Church, which numbers them among the defenders of the faith and homeland. In this database their feast is kept on September 18.
Beyond their place in the Church calendar, the Bakhtrioni Uprising became a lasting theme in Georgian national memory and literature, inspiring such works as Vazha-Pshavela's epic poem Bakhtrioni and Akaki Tsereteli's novel Bashi-Achuki.
