George II of Kakheti
Encyclopedia
George II also known as George "the Bad" or "the Evil" (Av-Giorgi, ავგიორგი) (1464 – 1513), of the Bagrationi Dynasty
, was a king of Kakheti
in eastern Georgia
from 1511 to 1513.
He was the eldest son of King Alexander I of Kakheti
by his wife Queen Ana. He is reported by the Georgian chronicles to have been extremely grasping and ambitious and to have had frequent conflicts with his peace-loving father, insisting that Alexander made war upon the rival Bagrationi branch presiding over Kakheti’s western neighbor, the Kingdom of Kartli
. Also, he was suspicious of his younger brother, Demetre, whom Alexander had entrusted an important diplomatic mission to Shah of Iran
, Ismail I
.
On April 27, 1511, George murdered Alexander, had Demetre blinded, and seized the crown. Immediately after his ascension to the throne, George II organized an expedition against Kartli, and attempted to depose King David X
. David’s brother, Prince Bagrat, who led the successful defense of the kingdom, was rewarded with the castle of Mukhrani
, thus founding a long-lasting branch of Bagration-Mukhraneli. In 1513, George II made another incursion into Kartli, but was again defeated and ambushed by Bagrat’s men on his route back to Kakheti. George was put in the Mtveri castle where he soon died. Kakheti was briefly annexed to Kartli.
George was survived by his wife, Helene née Irubakidze-Cholokashvili
(died 1532), and two children:
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 Kakheti
Kingdom of Kakheti
The Kingdom of Kakheti was a late medieval/early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centered at the province of Kakheti, with its capital first at Gremi and then at Telavi...
in eastern Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
from 1511 to 1513.
He was the eldest son of King Alexander I of Kakheti
Alexander I of Kakheti
Alexander I , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1476 to 1511. Alexander's pliancy and flexible diplomacy earned him security from the neighboring powers, only to be murdered by his own son George II "the Bad".- Biography :Alexander was appointed by his father...
by his wife Queen Ana. He is reported by the Georgian chronicles to have been extremely grasping and ambitious and to have had frequent conflicts with his peace-loving father, insisting that Alexander made war upon the rival Bagrationi branch presiding over Kakheti’s western neighbor, the Kingdom of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
. Also, he was suspicious of his younger brother, Demetre, whom Alexander had entrusted an important diplomatic mission to Shah of Iran
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
, Ismail I
Ismail I
Ismail I , known in Persian as Shāh Ismāʿil , was a Shah of Iran and the founder of the Safavid dynasty which survived until 1736. Isma'il started his campaign in Azerbaijan in 1500 as the leader of the Safaviyya, an extremist heterodox Twelver Shi'i militant religious order and unified all of Iran...
.
On April 27, 1511, George murdered Alexander, had Demetre blinded, and seized the crown. Immediately after his ascension to the throne, George II organized an expedition against Kartli, and attempted to depose King David X
David X of Kartli
David X was a king of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1505 to 1525.He was the eldest son of Constantine II, whom he succeeded as king of Kartli in 1505 . Despite the fact that Constantine had recognised the independence of the breakaway Georgian kingdoms of Imereti and Kakheti, the rivalry...
. David’s brother, Prince Bagrat, who led the successful defense of the kingdom, was rewarded with the castle of Mukhrani
House of Mukhrani
The house of Mukhrani is a Georgian princely family, a collateral branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi of which it sprung early in the 16th century, and received in appanage the domain of Mukhrani located in Kartli, central Georgia...
, thus founding a long-lasting branch of Bagration-Mukhraneli. In 1513, George II made another incursion into Kartli, but was again defeated and ambushed by Bagrat’s men on his route back to Kakheti. George was put in the Mtveri castle where he soon died. Kakheti was briefly annexed to Kartli.
George was survived by his wife, Helene née Irubakidze-Cholokashvili
Cholokashvili
Cholokashvili is a former noble family in Georgia. It claimed an exotic foreign lineage and first appeared in the eastern Georgian province, and later kingdom, of Kakheti in 1320...
(died 1532), and two children:
- Leon of Kakheti (1505-1574)
- Princess Khvaramze (died 1528), who married Vakhtang, brother of King Bagrat III of ImeretiBagrat III of ImeretiBagrat III , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from April 1, 1510, to 1565. He succeeded upon the death of his father, Alexander II, and faced repeated assaults from the Ottoman Turks as well as the conflicts with his ostensible vassal princes of Mingrelia, Guria, and Abkhazia who...