George III of Imereti
Encyclopedia
George III (died 1639), of the Bagrationi Dynasty
, was a king of Imereti
from 1605 to 1639. George succeeded on the death of his brother, Rostom of Imereti
, but his authority was seriously challenged by the energetic prince of Mingrelia, Levan II Dadiani, whose increasing influence over the western Georgian polities George tried to restrict without any success. In 1623, Levan, with a combined Mingrelian-Abkhazian
n army, inflicted a heavy defeat upon the royal troops. In his quest for allies, George established close ties with the influential eastern Georgian noble Giorgi Saakadze
who employed an Imeretian force in his struggle against King Teimuraz I of Kakheti
. After Saakadze’s defeat in 1626, George made an alliance with Teimuraz and arranged a marriage between his son, Alexander (III)
, and Teimuraz’s daughter Darejan (1629). This, however, failed to bring the feudal anarchy in Imereti to an end and the unrest continued. Later in his reign, George III once again campaigned against Levan Dadiani, but was defeated and taken captive. He was ransomed by his son Alexander, but George did not live long and died in 1639.
Bagrationi Dynasty
The Bagrationi dynasty was the ruling family of Georgia. Their ascendency lasted from the early Middle Ages until the early 19th century. In modern usage, this royal line is frequently referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, a Hellenized form of their dynastic name.The origin of the Bagrationi...
, was a king of Imereti
Kingdom of Imereti
The Kingdom of Imereti was established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagration when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Imereti was considered a separate kingdom within the Kingdom of Georgia, to which a cadet branch of the Bagration royal family held...
from 1605 to 1639. George succeeded on the death of his brother, Rostom of Imereti
Rostom of Imereti
Rostom , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti in the periods of 1588–1589 and 1590–1605. A son of Constantine, sometime claimant to the crown of Imereti, he was raised to the throne through the support of Mamia IV Dadiani, prince of Mingrelia, who had deposed King Leon of Imereti in 1588...
, but his authority was seriously challenged by the energetic prince of Mingrelia, Levan II Dadiani, whose increasing influence over the western Georgian polities George tried to restrict without any success. In 1623, Levan, with a combined Mingrelian-Abkhazian
Principality of Abkhazia
The Principality of Abkhazia emerged as a separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries, amid the civil wars in the Kingdom of Georgia that concluded with the dissolution of the unified Georgian monarchy...
n army, inflicted a heavy defeat upon the royal troops. In his quest for allies, George established close ties with the influential eastern Georgian noble Giorgi Saakadze
Giorgi Saakadze
Giorgi Saakadze was a Georgian politician and military commander who played an important but contradictory role in the politics of the early 17th-century Georgia...
who employed an Imeretian force in his struggle against King Teimuraz I of Kakheti
Teimuraz I of Kakheti
Teimuraz I , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a Georgian monarch who ruled, with intermissions, as King of Kakheti from 1605 to 1648 and also of Kartli from 1625 to 1633...
. After Saakadze’s defeat in 1626, George made an alliance with Teimuraz and arranged a marriage between his son, Alexander (III)
Alexander III of Imereti
Alexander III , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from 1639 to 1660.Alexander succeeded upon the death of his father, George III of Imereti, in 1639. Most of his reign was spent in the struggle against the powerful prince of Mingrelia, Levan II Dadiani, who refused to acknowledge...
, and Teimuraz’s daughter Darejan (1629). This, however, failed to bring the feudal anarchy in Imereti to an end and the unrest continued. Later in his reign, George III once again campaigned against Levan Dadiani, but was defeated and taken captive. He was ransomed by his son Alexander, but George did not live long and died in 1639.