Abstract:
According to the opinion in historiography, David IV Aghmashenebeli combated the
institution of the eristavis; this opinion is supported by the examples of Baghvashi family
and Dzagan, patron of Zedazeni fortress. The analysis of the data provided by the sources
show that Dzagan had never been eristavi and Kldekari saeristavo (dukedom) had not been
abolished by the king after resignation of Baghvashis.
Let us make an assumption that David Aghmashenebeli confronted the institute of the
eristavis; in such case he should had created new administrative units instead of abolished
ones – the saeristavos. No state can exist without administrative division; no sources show
that the king founded new administrative structures.
Struggle against institution of the eristavis and abolishment of the saeristavos could
had meant conduction of the administrative reform of enormous scales; historian of David
IV, describing the whole activity of the king, says nothing about the changes in the sphere of
administrative organization of the country. It is impossible that the historian failed to say
nothing if the king had actually taken such kind of measures.
David IV Aghmashenebeli confronted not the eristavis entirely, but he fought against
some specific disobedient representatives of those; local governance during the reign of
David IV Aghmashenebeli remained in the hands of the eristavis.
