Akaki Chikobava

Tbilisi State University, Institute of Georgian History, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty Member

Tbilisi State University, Tsu Humanities , History, Faculty Member

Tbilisi State University, Institute Of Georgian History, invited teacher. PhD in History

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45 Papers
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Papers by Akaki Chikobava

PEASANTS IN GEORGIAN HISTORICAL AND LEGAL DOCUMENTS (THE RESULTS OF THE INITIAL OBSERVATION) - (In Georg.)

ივანე ჯავახიშვილის სახელობის თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტისსაქართველოს ისტორიის ინსტიტუტის შრომები. XX, 2024

Peasants were the primary means of production during the Middle Ages. Lords had the authority to ... more Peasants were the primary means of production during the Middle Ages. Lords had the authority to sell peasants, with or without a land. The tax obligations of a peasant depended on their status, specifically whether the land they cultivated belonged to the lord or to the peasant themselves. Although peasants are frequently mentioned in Georgian legal documents, they do not constitute an independent subject during the Middle Ages, which is typical to the feudal social relations everywhere. It is not surprising that historical documents from Georgia primarily reflect the interests and demands of the upper classes, as they controlled both the educational and judicial systems. During this time, the literacy rate among the general population was only 4%, placing the power to shape public consent firmly in the hands of the elite. The Georgian Church enjoyed monopoly on education sphere. According to Antonio Gramsci, medieval intellectuals, or “organic intellectuals”, were represented by ecclesiastical entities that held a monopoly over morality, law, science, and philosophy of the period. With the rise of feudalism, the language of the upper classes prevailed, contributing to the expansion and reinforcement of the feudal system. In this context, the peasant is largely absent as a subject; they were often mentioned only in registries. However, before feudal relations were fully established, there was a conflict between what were termed high and folk languages. Nikolai Marr analyzed this process through his study of the four chapters of the Adishi Gospels. Historical documents from Georgia reveal that the peasantry is typically referred to in the third person, often as representatives of their lords and sometimes by their lords’ names. The only instances where peasants speak in the first person occur in documents involving commitments made in exchange for debt repayment. Overall, the voice of the peasantry is either limited or entirely absent in medieval Georgia. We hear their perspective not through rebellions or peasant protests, but through obligatory documents that reflect rising exploitation, specifically regarding their responsibilities under the law. The opening of the Inquisition archives has led some historians to believe that the European peasantry, which had been largely invisible for centuries, can primarily be heard through the interrogation protocols of the Inquisition. In a similar vein, Georgian historical documents indicate that the voice of the peasantry is often only heard in the context of debt. Georgian historiography tends to depict the everyday lives and work processes of peasants mainly in relation to their obligations to pay feudal taxes. Furthermore, it is important to consider the increase in workload and exploitation that occurs when a peasant is in debt – either due to their own liabilities or because of their lordʼs debts. In such cases, peasants must undertake additional work to pay off the interest on their lord's debts, in addition to their usual labor. The majority of the medieval Georgian population, which was predominantly composed of peasants, begins to express themselves in the first person in documents primarily when they take out loans from pawnbrokers. Their somewhat ephemeral “subjectivity” becomes evident when they find themselves burdened by the economic constraints of pawnbroking

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