The Charters of Blood
The Charters of Blood are the Georgian mediaval legal documents which include an important information for family historians. According to the old Georgian juridical terminology  ‘Blood’ was a property or money compensation/indemnification for losses that must be made up by a culprit to a suffered family. The records are of assistance to genealogists or others as evidence of the date of a person’s living as well as family name, place of residence, social status, privileges, property, etc.  
 
Date range of the charters: 1251 – 1675; although Professor Sargis Kakabazde - who was edited the majority of these documents - noted that the earliest Charter of Blood is the Avshandazde’s family record, which could be dated by the 957-967 years. The charters have been edited by other historians as well (E. Thaqhaishvili, T. Zhordania, etc) and you can see below the annotations of the charters.
 
Exsplanations:
 
·         Tskhumuri, Kirmaneuli, Thethri and Gogauri– old Georgian monetary units
 
·         Sanakhshiro – (a fine for killing a family member)
 
 
 
The Charter of Blood granted by Abkazian King David Narini to Niqabadze (Miqamadze) family, dated about 1251. The Niqabadzes are mentioned there as “outsiders and serfs of Gelathi”. On the charter are written the fallowing surnames: Movardukadze, Morchiashvili [S. Kakabadze, About the Charters of Blood, “Historic Messenger”, 1924, book II, pp. 2-5]  
The Charter of Blood granted by Abkaz-Imerethian King George to Niqabadze (Miqamadze) family, dated about 1325. Niqabadze is mentioned here as Chkhetidze’s serf [S. Kakabadze, About the Charters of Blood, “Historic Messenger”, 1924, book II, pp. 5-7]     
In the years 1325-1326 Abkaz-Imerethian King Miqel approves Miqeladze’s old blood by 80 thousand old kirmaneuli thethri and 6 thousand sanakhshiro (a fine for killing a family member). Instead of the money Gogitashvili gave to Miqeladze “eight body armors with its equipments, seven peasants, horse and uncounted armors”. On the charter are written the fallowing surnames: Tcharelidze, Gogotashvili (Gogitashvili), Kakhaberidze, Mkhetsidze [E. Thaqhaishvili, Georgian Antiquities, book II, pp. 33-34]
The Charter of Blood granted by King David (XIV-XV cc.) to Geladze family. Killer of one of this family member paid a blood amount 80 thousand kirmaneuli. Instead of the money the person “gave twelve peasants, much armor, treated with respect a church, king and noble children of a church”. On the charter is written surname Davladze  [E. Thaqhaishvili, Georgian Antiquities, book II, pp. 34-35]
The Charter of Blood granted by King Constantine to Tsirghiladze family on June, 1408. There is written that: “give now to chief of the vinedressers of Genathi the same old blood which is originated from our grandfathers, one hundred and twenty thousand thethri together with its sanakhshiro (a fine for killing a family member)”  [S. Kakabadze, Genealogy of King Alexander the Great, Tphilisi 1913; E. Thaqhaishvili, Georgian Antiquities, book III, pp. 434-435]
The Charter of Blood granted by King Bagrat to Qhiphiani family (XV c.). Due to the Qhiphianis’ “ecclesiastical” blood there is appeared “eighty thousand gogauri (giorgauli- S. K.) thethri, two horses, three hawks together  with a hawker and hound”. On the charter are written the fallowing surnames: Dseretheli, Lorthqiphanidze, Qhaenadze, Kakhaberidze [E. Thaqhaishvili, Georgian Antiquities, book II, pp. 398-399]
The Charter of Blood granted by Abkhaz-Imerethian King Bagrat to Girgalidze family (beginning of the XV c.). In the charter the Girgalidzes are mentioned as chief of the vinedressers and their blood is estimated at 200 thousand thethri qhaznauri (sic), 6 thousand for “reconciliation” and 15 thousand sanakhshiro (a fine for killing a family member)  [S. Kakabadze, Research works on Georgian history, pp. 1-3]  
The Charter of Blood granted by Abkhaz-Imerethian King Vakhtang to Kotridze (Kontridze, Kotrikadze) family in 1432. The charter was given due to a killing of Abesalom Kotridze by the Tcharulidzes {S. Kakabadze, One of the unknown Abkhaz-Imerethian King, pp. 9-11]
The Charter of Blood granted by King Bagrat on behalf of his sister Elena and his son to the Svans’ head Gelovani (XV c.). Blood – two thousand kirmaneuli thethri… “sanakhshiro (a fine for killing a family member) forty thousand, twelve thousand for reconciliation and truce” [E. Thaqhaishvili, Georgian Antiquities, book II, pp. 514-515]