David I of Klarjeti
Encyclopedia
David I (died February 23, 943) was a Georgian
prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti
who ruled, with the title of mampali
, in Adjara
and Nigali from 889 and in Klarjeti
from 900 until his abdication in 943.
David was the oldest son of Sumbat I, founder of the Klarjeti line of the Bagratids. Upon Sumbat’s death in 889, David’s younger brother Bagrat I became a successor in Klarjeti, while David’s holdings were confined to the less important territories of Adjara and Nigali. With Bagrat’s death in 900, David retrieved Klarjeti with its key fortress and trading town of Artanuji. He abdicated in favor of his son Sumbat II
and died as a monk in 943.
David is mentioned by Constantine Porphyrogenitus
in his De Administrando Imperio
which renders David's title in Greek
as mampalis (μάμπαλις) and incorrectly translates it as "all-holy".
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...
prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti is the term conventionally used in modern history writing to describe the historic south-western Georgian principalities, now forming part of north-eastern Turkey and divided among the provinces of Erzurum, Artvin, Ardahan and Kars...
who ruled, with the title of mampali
Mampali
Mampali was a dynastic title in medieval Georgia , usually held by high-ranking Bagratid princes who did not possess any Byzantine dignities. It is compound of the words mama, "father", and upali, "lord". The following Bagratid princes held the title of mampali:*Guaram Mampali *Gurgen I Mampali...
, in Adjara
Adjara
Adjara , officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara , is an autonomous republic of Georgia.Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea...
and Nigali from 889 and in Klarjeti
Klarjeti
Klarjeti was a province of ancient and medieval Georgia, which is currently part of the Artvin Province in northeastern Turkey. Klarjeti, the neighboring province of Tao and several other smaller districts constituted a larger region with shared history and culture conventionally known as...
from 900 until his abdication in 943.
David was the oldest son of Sumbat I, founder of the Klarjeti line of the Bagratids. Upon Sumbat’s death in 889, David’s younger brother Bagrat I became a successor in Klarjeti, while David’s holdings were confined to the less important territories of Adjara and Nigali. With Bagrat’s death in 900, David retrieved Klarjeti with its key fortress and trading town of Artanuji. He abdicated in favor of his son Sumbat II
Sumbat II of Klarjeti
Sumbat II was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti and ruler of Klarjeti from 943 until his death.Sumbat was the only son of David I, whom he succeeded as prince of Klarjeti. Little is known of his life...
and died as a monk in 943.
David is mentioned by Constantine Porphyrogenitus
Constantine VII
Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...
in his De Administrando Imperio
De Administrando Imperio
De Administrando Imperio is the Latin title of a Greek work written by the 10th-century Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine VII. The Greek title of the work is...
which renders David's title in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
as mampalis (μάμπαλις) and incorrectly translates it as "all-holy".