Alexander II of Imereti
Encyclopedia
Alexander II (died April 1, 1510) was a king of Georgia
in 1478 and of Imereti
from 1483 to 1510.
In 1478, his father Bagrat VI
died and Alexander became king of Georgia, initially ruling its two major regions, Imereti
in the west and Kartli
in the east. Alexander was expelled from the kingdom by a rival prince Constantine II
. Alexander retired to the mountainous western provinces of Racha
and Lechkhumi
. Alexander recovered Imereti after Constantine’s defeat at the hands of Qvarqvare II Jakeli, a powerful atabeg
of Samtskhe, in 1483, but lost the capital Kutaisi
to Constantine again a year later. In 1488, Alexander took advantage of the Ak Koyunlu
Turkoman invasion of Kartli, and seized control of Imereti. In 1491, Constantine had to recognise his rival as independent sovereign, and to confine himself to the government of Kartli.
Peace between the two Georgian kingdoms didnot last long, and in August 1509, Alexander invaded Kartli, taking a fort-city Gori
and the surroundings. News that Imereti had been raided by the Ottoman
s at Alexander’s absence made the king to return to Kutaisi, and Gori was soon taken back by David X of Kartli
.
In 1483, Alexander II married Tamar who died on March 12, 1510. Alexander died on April 1, 1510 and was buried with his wife at the Gelati Monastery
near Kutaisi. They were survived by four children:
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...
in 1478 and 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 1483 to 1510.
In 1478, his father Bagrat VI
Bagrat VI of Georgia
Bagrat VI , a representative of the Imeretian branch of the Bagrationi royal house, was a king of Imereti from 1463, and a king of Georgia from 1465 until his death.-Life:...
died and Alexander became king of Georgia, initially ruling its two major regions, Imereti
Imereti
Imereti is a province in Georgia situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni river. It consists of the following Georgian administrative-territorial units:#Kutaisi #Baghdati region#Vani region#Zestafoni region...
in the west and 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...
in the east. Alexander was expelled from the kingdom by a rival prince Constantine II
Constantine II of Georgia
Constantine II , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Georgia since 1478. Early in the 1490s, he had to recognise the independence of his rival rulers of Imereti and Kakheti, and to confine his power to Kartli....
. Alexander retired to the mountainous western provinces of Racha
Racha
Racha is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains...
and Lechkhumi
Lechkhumi
Lechkhumi is a historic province in northwestern Georgia which comprises the area along the middle basin of the Rioni and Tskhenistskali and also the Lajanuri river valley. Now part of the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region, it corresponds roughly to the present day Tsageri district as well...
. Alexander recovered Imereti after Constantine’s defeat at the hands of Qvarqvare II Jakeli, a powerful atabeg
Atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince...
of Samtskhe, in 1483, but lost the capital Kutaisi
Kutaisi
Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
to Constantine again a year later. In 1488, Alexander took advantage of the Ak Koyunlu
Ak Koyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu or Ak Koyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans , was an Sunni Oghuz Turkic tribal federation that ruled parts of present-day Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iraq, and Iran from 1378 to 1508.-History:According to chronicles from the Byzantine Empire, the Aq Qoyunlu...
Turkoman invasion of Kartli, and seized control of Imereti. In 1491, Constantine had to recognise his rival as independent sovereign, and to confine himself to the government of Kartli.
Peace between the two Georgian kingdoms didnot last long, and in August 1509, Alexander invaded Kartli, taking a fort-city Gori
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
and the surroundings. News that Imereti had been raided by the Ottoman
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
s at Alexander’s absence made the king to return to Kutaisi, and Gori was soon taken back by David X of Kartli
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...
.
In 1483, Alexander II married Tamar who died on March 12, 1510. Alexander died on April 1, 1510 and was buried with his wife at the Gelati Monastery
Gelati Monastery
The Monastery of Gelati is a monastic complex near Kutaisi, Imereti, western Georgia. It contains the Church of the Virgin founded by the King of Georgia David the Builder in 1106, and the 13th-century churches of St George and St Nicholas....
near Kutaisi. They were survived by four children:
- Bagrat III, who succeeded Alexander as king of Imereti
- Prince David (born 1505)
- Prince Vakhtang (died circa 1545)
- Prince Khusro
- Princess Elene, who married a noble Sargis Mikmetzidze (died 1551)