George VII (died February 22, 1720), of the Bagrationi Dynasty

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 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...

) in the periods of 1707-11, 1712-13, 1713-16, and 1719–1720.

An illegitimate son of Alexander IV of Imereti

Alexander IV of Imereti

Alexander IV , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti 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...

, he was declared, with the approval of 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...

 government, a rightful king of Imereti by the loyal party of nobles in 1702, though it was not until 1707 that he was able to wrest the crown from the usurper 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....

 (George VI). In October 1711, a noble revolt deposed him in favor of Mamia III Gurieli

Mamia III Gurieli

Mamia III "the Great", of the Gurieli, also known as the Black Gurieli was Prince of Guria from 1689 to 1714 and King of Imereti in 1701-02, 1711 and 1713....

 who forced George to retire to 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...

, eastern Georgia. Later, with the support of the Turkish pasha

Pasha

Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...

 of Akhaltsikhe

Akhaltsikhe

Akhaltsikhe is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south. The name of the city translates from Georgian as "new fortress".- History...

, he defeated Mamia at the Battle of Chkhara in June 1712. Deposed again in November 1713, George resumed the throne upon Mamia’s death in January 1714, only to be forced, in 1716, by the rebellious nobles led by Prince Bejan Dadiani into exile to Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

. George succeeded in garnering the Ottoman support, and regained the crown in 1719. Yet, his reign proved to be short-lived; in February 1720, he was assassinated by the plotters led by Prince Simon 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...

.