Alexander IV of Imereti
Encyclopedia
Alexander IV (died 1695), of the Bagrationi Dynasty
, was a king of Imereti (western Georgia
) from 1683 to 1690 and again from 1691 to 1695.
A natural son of Bagrat V of Imereti
, he was a political hostage at the eastern Georgian court of George XI of Kartli
at the death of his father in 1681. Giorgi III Gurieli
, Prince of Guria, capitalized on the vacuum of power in Imereti, and seized the crown the same year. However, George XI and the Imeretian nobles secured the Ottoman
recognition for Alexander, who was enthroned in Imereti after deposing Prince Gurieli in 1683.
Alexander married off his sister Darejan to his powerful vassal Paata Abashidze
, lord of Upper Imereti, and succeeding in crushing the aristocratic opposition led by Prince Gurieli in 1684. In order to get rid of the Ottoman hegemony, Alexander transferred his loyalty to the Saffavid shah
Suleiman I of Persia
in 1689, but was expelled by the Turks into Kartli
in August 1690.
In 1691, through the mediation of Erekle I of Kartli and the Persian government, Alexander was restored in Imereti after a year of anarchy and misrule, only to be dethroned by the nobles led by his own father-in-law Prince Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze
. The leaders of the coup delivered Alexander to the anti-Persian king of Kartli, George XI, who had him executed and buried at the Ruisi church in 1695.
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 (western 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 1683 to 1690 and again from 1691 to 1695.
A natural son of Bagrat V of Imereti
Bagrat V of Imereti
Bagrat V , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti, whose troubled reign in the years of 1660—1661, 1663—1668, 1669—1678, and 1679—1681, was marked by extreme instability and feudal anarchy in the kingdom....
, he was a political hostage at the eastern Georgian court of George XI of Kartli
George XI of Kartli
George XI was a Georgian monarch who ruled Eastern Georgia from 1676 to 1688 and again from 1703 to 1709. He is best known for his struggle against the Safavid Persia which dominated his weakened kingdom. Being an Eastern Orthodox Christian, he converted to Islam prior to his appointment as...
at the death of his father in 1681. Giorgi III Gurieli
Giorgi III Gurieli
Giorgi III Gurieli , of the Georgian House of Gurieli, was a prince of Guria from 1664 to 1684 and a de facto king of Imereti from 1681 to 1683. He succeeded his father, Kaikhosro I, as prince of Guria and secured his throne through paying tribute to the Ottoman Empire. He was energetically...
, Prince of Guria, capitalized on the vacuum of power in Imereti, and seized the crown the same year. However, George XI and the Imeretian nobles secured the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
recognition for Alexander, who was enthroned in Imereti after deposing Prince Gurieli in 1683.
Alexander married off his sister Darejan to his powerful vassal Paata Abashidze
Abashidze
Abashidze is a Georgian family and a former princely house. Appearing in the 15th century, they achieved prominence in the Kingdom of Imereti in western Georgia in the late 17th century and branched out in eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kakheti and Kartli as well as the then-Ottoman-held...
, lord of Upper Imereti, and succeeding in crushing the aristocratic opposition led by Prince Gurieli in 1684. In order to get rid of the Ottoman hegemony, Alexander transferred his loyalty to the Saffavid shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
Suleiman I of Persia
Suleiman I of Persia
Suleiman I was a Safavid shah of Persia who reigned between 1666 and 1694. He was the elder son of the previous shah Abbas II and a Circassian slave, Nakihat Khanum....
in 1689, but was expelled by the Turks into 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 August 1690.
In 1691, through the mediation of Erekle I of Kartli and the Persian government, Alexander was restored in Imereti after a year of anarchy and misrule, only to be dethroned by the nobles led by his own father-in-law Prince Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze
Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze
Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze was a Georgian nobleman and King of Imereti as George VI from 1702 to 1707. He was a member of the prominent Abashidze family....
. The leaders of the coup delivered Alexander to the anti-Persian king of Kartli, George XI, who had him executed and buried at the Ruisi church in 1695.