114 Orientalism and Empireand Georgian Christianity, emphasized Barbare Jorjatsisa in Iveria in
1893, found themselves in a precarious position on a Georgian frontier
threatened by Islam and aggressive mountaineers. Aleksandr
Chavchavadze’s military miscalculation proved fatal for the family,
and from too far away to help, he learned from a subordinate: “Sir! The
enemy is on its way! Shamil is at the head of an army headed our way,
and mountaineers are pillaging the countryside beyond the river!”^24
According to this account, Davit (David) Chavchavadze at least made a
valiant effort, organizing Georgian peasants from the surrounding
countryside for their holy struggle against the barbaric intruder.^25
In Verderevskii’s (Russian) account, Shamil was somewhat periph-
eral to the main events of the drama. Once he presided over an ani-
mal sacrifice in preparation for the feast of Bairam, and on another
occasion he dramatically left for battle on his white horse, with his tu-
nic, coloured boots with braids, and white turban.^26 In this costume
“Shamil looked magnificent, and even imposing,” Verderevskii said.
He depicted the imam as generally humane to his prisoners but out
of touch with the activities of his enormous household.^27 This house-
hold, rather than Shamil, became the primary setting for the remain-
der of the story. Zaidat, his Tatar wife and frequent persecutor of the
captives, contrasted with the friendly and honest Shuanet, whose fate
was of great interest to Russian readers. She, along with her wealthy
Armenian merchant family from Mozdok by the name of Ulukhanov,
had been captured by the mountaineers in an invasion of that town.
Shamil refused to accept a ransom for the return of the family, but the
then-sixteen-year-old Shuanet nobly pledged to become Shamil’s
wife in return for the safety of her family. In time she studied the
Qur’an and adopted Islam as her faith.^28 Was she happy, the Princess
Chavchavadze wondered? “I persisted in not abjuring my own reli-
gion, but at last I got to know Shamil, and for love of him consented
to everything. At present I am happy, but I sometimes cannot help re-
gretting –,” she was reported to confide.^29 In any event, after Shamil’s
death in 1871, Shuanet did not return to Mozdok but joined the rest of
Shamil’s family in Turkey.^30
Eight months and many negotiations later, the twenty-two captives
were returned to the Russians. As Princess Chavchavadze left, she
saw a young Georgian girl, held by the mountaineers since she was
young and apparently intended as a future wife of Shamil. “If you
should grow up here, never forget that you are a Georgian, and
whenever you have an opportunity, help the Christians,” the princess
told the girl. Dzhemaledin (Jamal al-Din), Shamil’s son, previously
surrendered to the Russians and now an officer in the regiment of
theGrand Duke Mikhail, was returned to Shamil along with