David VI Narin
Encyclopedia
David VI Narin (1225–1293), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia
in 1245–1293. From 1259 to 1293, he ruled the kingdom of Imereti
under the name David I as a vassal state of Georgia.
by her husband, Muhammad Mughis ud-din Turkan Shah, he was crowned at Kutaisi
, as joint sovereign by his mother in 1230. Fearing that her nephew David VII Ulu
would claim the throne at her death, Rusudan held him prisoner at the court of her son-in-law, the sultan Kaykhusraw II
, and sent her son David to the Mongol court
to get official recognition as heir apparent
. She died in 1245, still waiting for her son to return. Since David was believed by the Georgia
n nobles to have disappeared, two years later, they proclaimed David, his cousin and son of Giorgi IV Lasha, as king of Georgia. In 1248, he was recognized by Güyük Khan
as junior co-king to his cousin David. Thereafter known as David VI Narin (i.e. “the junior”) and David VII Ulu
(i.e. “the senior”), the cousins ruled jointly until 1259, when the former rose, unsuccessfully, against the Mongol yoke
and, then, fled to Kutaisi
, from whence he reigned over western Georgia (Imereti
) as a separate ruler. In 1261, he gave shelter to David VII Ulu
, who in his turn had attempted to end the Mongol dominance. However, David Ulu made peace with the Mongols and returned to Tbilisi
, eastern Georgia
in 1262. Thus, Georgia split into two parts. However, both rulers continued to be titled king of Georgia.
He developed friendly relations with the Golden Horde
and Egypt
, and repulsed the Ilkhanate
attacks. In 1269, he gave shelter to Teguder of Turan, brother of Baraq Khan
of Turan, who had rebelled against the Ilkhan
ruler Abaqa Khan
. However, when Teguder’s force began terrorizing the Georgian
population, David sided with Abaqa Khan
’s general Sirmon. Despite this, Abaqa attempted to overthrow David with the help of the renegade Racha
n lord Kakhaber Kakhaberisdze
, and sent two expeditions against Imereti
in the 1270s. Nevertheless, David VI Narin succeeded in retaining his independence and attempted to restore Georgian influence in the Empire of Trebizond
. For this purpose, he marched to Trebizond during Emperor John II Comnenus
’ absence at Constantinople
in April 1282; and although he failed to take the city, the Georgians occupied several provinces and helped John’s half-sister Theodora
, daughter of Manuel I of Trebizond
by his Georgian wife, Roussudan (Rusudan), seize the throne in 1285, only to be put suddenly to flight.
He died at Kutaisi
in 1293. He was succeeded by his elder son, Konstantini I
.
emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus.
A genealogical theory also considers him father to Rusudan of Georgia
, wife of Manuel I of Trebizond
.
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 1245–1293. From 1259 to 1293, he ruled the kingdom 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...
under the name David I as a vassal state of Georgia.
Life
Son of Queen RusudanRusudan of Georgia
Queen Rusudan , from the Bagrationi dynasty, ruled Georgia in 1223–1245.- Life :Daughter of Queen Tamar of Georgia by David Soslan, she succeeded her brother George IV of Georgia on January 18, 1223. George’s untimely death marked the beginning of the end of the Georgian “golden age”...
by her husband, Muhammad Mughis ud-din Turkan Shah, he was crowned at 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:...
, as joint sovereign by his mother in 1230. Fearing that her nephew David VII Ulu
David VII Ulu
David VII Ulu , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1247–1270. He reigned over the eastern part of the country from 1259 to 1270.-Life:David was an illegitimate son of King Giorgi IV Lasha by a non-noble woman...
would claim the throne at her death, Rusudan held him prisoner at the court of her son-in-law, the sultan Kaykhusraw II
Kaykhusraw II
Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw II was the sultan of the Seljuqs of Rûm from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Babai uprising and the Mongol invasion of Anatolia. He led the Seljuq army with its Christian allies at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243...
, and sent her son David to the Mongol court
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
to get official recognition as heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
. She died in 1245, still waiting for her son to return. Since David was believed by the 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...
n nobles to have disappeared, two years later, they proclaimed David, his cousin and son of Giorgi IV Lasha, as king of Georgia. In 1248, he was recognized by Güyük Khan
Güyük Khan
Güyük was the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. As the eldest son of Ögedei Khan and a grandson of Genghis Khan, he reigned from 1246 to 1248...
as junior co-king to his cousin David. Thereafter known as David VI Narin (i.e. “the junior”) and David VII Ulu
David VII Ulu
David VII Ulu , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1247–1270. He reigned over the eastern part of the country from 1259 to 1270.-Life:David was an illegitimate son of King Giorgi IV Lasha by a non-noble woman...
(i.e. “the senior”), the cousins ruled jointly until 1259, when the former rose, unsuccessfully, against the Mongol yoke
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
and, then, fled to 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:...
, from whence he reigned over western Georgia (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...
) as a separate ruler. In 1261, he gave shelter to David VII Ulu
David VII Ulu
David VII Ulu , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1247–1270. He reigned over the eastern part of the country from 1259 to 1270.-Life:David was an illegitimate son of King Giorgi IV Lasha by a non-noble woman...
, who in his turn had attempted to end the Mongol dominance. However, David Ulu made peace with the Mongols and returned to Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, 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...
in 1262. Thus, Georgia split into two parts. However, both rulers continued to be titled king of Georgia.
He developed friendly relations with the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and repulsed the Ilkhanate
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
attacks. In 1269, he gave shelter to Teguder of Turan, brother of Baraq Khan
Baraq (Chagatai Khan)
Baraq was a khan of the Chagatai Khanate. He was the son of Yesünto'a, and a grandson of Chagatai Khan. A convert to Islam, he took the name Ghiyas-ud-din.-Background:...
of Turan, who had rebelled against the Ilkhan
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
ruler Abaqa Khan
Abaqa Khan
Abaqa Khan , also Abaga , or Abagha Khan, was the second Mongol ruler of the Persian Ilkhanate. The son of Hulagu Khan and Yesuncin Khatun, he reigned from 1265–1282 and was succeeded by his brother Tekuder Khan...
. However, when Teguder’s force began terrorizing the Georgian
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...
population, David sided with Abaqa Khan
Abaqa Khan
Abaqa Khan , also Abaga , or Abagha Khan, was the second Mongol ruler of the Persian Ilkhanate. The son of Hulagu Khan and Yesuncin Khatun, he reigned from 1265–1282 and was succeeded by his brother Tekuder Khan...
’s general Sirmon. Despite this, Abaqa attempted to overthrow David with the help of the renegade 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...
n lord Kakhaber Kakhaberisdze
Kakhaberisdze
The Kakhaberidze, archaically Kakhaberisdze was a noble family in medieval Georgia which held sway over the highland northwestern Georgian province of Racha from the 11th or 12th century to the 13th...
, and sent two expeditions against 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 1270s. Nevertheless, David VI Narin succeeded in retaining his independence and attempted to restore Georgian influence in the Empire of Trebizond
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
. For this purpose, he marched to Trebizond during Emperor John II Comnenus
John II of Trebizond
John II Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from 1280 to 1297. He was the youngest son of Emperor Manuel I and his third wife, Irene Syrikaina, a Trapezuntine noblewoman...
’ absence at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in April 1282; and although he failed to take the city, the Georgians occupied several provinces and helped John’s half-sister Theodora
Theodora of Trebizond
Theodora Megale Komnene , , Empress of Trebizond from 1284 to 1285. She was a daughter of Emperor Manuel I of Trebizond by his second wife, Rusudan, a Georgian princess....
, daughter of Manuel I of Trebizond
Manuel I of Trebizond
Manuel I Megas Komnenos , Emperor of Trebizond from 1238 to 1263, surnamed the "Great Captain", was the second son of Alexios I, the first emperor of Trebizond, and Theodora Axuchina. He succeeded his brother, John I Axouchos...
by his Georgian wife, Roussudan (Rusudan), seize the throne in 1285, only to be put suddenly to flight.
He died at 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:...
in 1293. He was succeeded by his elder son, Konstantini I
Constantine I of Imereti
Constantine I of Imereti , from the House of Bagrationi, was king of the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti from 1293 to 1327....
.
Marriage and children
He was married to Tamar, daughter of the Georgian noble Amanelisdze. In 1254, he married Theodora, daughter of the ByzantineByzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus.
- Konstantini IConstantine I of ImeretiConstantine I of Imereti , from the House of Bagrationi, was king of the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti from 1293 to 1327....
(by Tamar) - Mikeli IMichael I of ImeretiMikeli , from the House of Bagrationi, was king of the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti from 1327 to 1329. The second son of David VI Narin by his first wife Tamar, Mikeli revolted against his elder brother Konstantini I's rule and took the provinces of Racha and Argveti. Konstantini died...
(by Tamar) - Vakhtang II of GeorgiaVakhtang II of GeorgiaVakhtang II , of the dynasty of Bagrationi, was king of Georgia from 1289 to 1292. He reigned during the Mongol dominance of Georgia....
(by Tamar) - Aleksandri (by Theodora)
A genealogical theory also considers him father to Rusudan of Georgia
Rusudan of Georgia, Empress of Trebizond
Rusudan of Georgia, Empress of Trebizond was the second Empress consort of Manuel I of Trebizond.-Family:Rusudan was a member of the Bagrationi dynasty, but there are at least two theories concerning the identities of her parents....
, wife of Manuel I of Trebizond
Manuel I of Trebizond
Manuel I Megas Komnenos , Emperor of Trebizond from 1238 to 1263, surnamed the "Great Captain", was the second son of Alexios I, the first emperor of Trebizond, and Theodora Axuchina. He succeeded his brother, John I Axouchos...
.