Kldekari (duchy)
Encyclopedia
Kldekari was a duchy
(saeristavo) in the mediaeval Georgia
. Ruled by a powerful dynasty
of Baghvashi
, the duchy existed from 876 to 1103 in the southern Kvemo Kartli
province
, and, despite its small size, created particular problems to the Bagrationi kings who sought to bring all Georgian lands into a single state.
n kings from his fiefdom of Argveti
in Upper Imereti
.
Liparit had found a shelter in the Trialeti
province where he was allowed by the Iberian
ruler (kourapalates) David I
(876-881) to mount a strong fort called Kldekari (literally, the rocky gates) to control the roads cut through the cliff connecting the regions of Eastern Georgia with the southern neighboring countries and the Byzantine Empire
. Having seized this key place, the Baghvashi family used their to contest borders with the neighbouring principalities
.
The rivalry between the Baghvashi and the Bagrationi House of Georgia
erupted immediately after the creation of the unified Georgian kingdom under Bagrat III
. The latter prevailed and, in 989, forced the Kldekarian duke (eristavi
) Rati I to abdicate in favour of his son, Liparit II. A descendant, Liparit IV, became a regent for the young Georgian king Bagrat IV
in the early 1030s. Subsequently, relations between the two men deteriorated and flared into an armed conflict. With the military support from the Byzantine Empire
, Liparit defeated Bagrat at the Battle of Sasireti
(1042) and became a virtual ruler of Georgia, but eventually he was forced out by his own subjects in 1059. His son and heir, John, was allowed by the Georgian crown to succeed Liparit IV as a duke.
In 1074, John revolted against King George II of Georgia
, and attempted to get Seljuk support. However, a Seljuk invasion force temporarily occupied the duchy and captured the ducal family. David IV
, a new and perhaps the most successful king of Georgia, forced the Baghvashi into submission in 1093, and checked their subsequent attempts to revolt. In 1103, he took advantage of the death of the last Kldekarian duke Rati III and abolished the duchy incorporating the area directly into a royal domain.
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
(saeristavo) in the mediaeval 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...
. Ruled by a powerful dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
of Baghvashi
Baghvashi
The Liparitids , also known as Baghuashi , were a noble house in medieval Georgia, with notable members from the 9th to 12th centuries and famed for their powerful resistance to the consolidation of the Bagratid royal authority in the Kingdom of Georgia...
, the duchy existed from 876 to 1103 in the southern Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli is a historic province and current administrative region in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is a regional capital. The population is mixed between Azeris and Georgians .The current governor is Davit Kirkitadze.- External links :* *...
province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
, and, despite its small size, created particular problems to the Bagrationi kings who sought to bring all Georgian lands into a single state.
History
The duchy was established in 876 by Liparit I of the Baghvashi, who had been expelled by the AbkhaziaAbkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
n kings from his fiefdom of Argveti
Argveti
Argveti , also Argwet’i or Margweti , is a historic district in Imereti, western Georgia.The area lay on the historic Iberian-Lazican frontier, i.e., between what are now eastern and western parts of Georgia...
in Upper 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...
.
Liparit had found a shelter in the Trialeti
Trialeti
Trialeti is a mountainous area in central Georgia. In Georgian its name means "a place of wandering". The Trialeti Range is a part of the greater Trialeti Region....
province where he was allowed by the Iberian
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
ruler (kourapalates) David I
David I Kuropalates
David I was a Georgian Bagratid Prince and curopalates of Iberia/Kartli from 876 to 881.The eldest son and successor of Bagrat I, he was baptised by the influential Georgian monk Grigol Khandzteli. David shared the Bagratid hereditary lands in Tao-Klarjeti with his uncles and cousins, his fiefdom...
(876-881) to mount a strong fort called Kldekari (literally, the rocky gates) to control the roads cut through the cliff connecting the regions of Eastern Georgia with the southern neighboring countries and the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. Having seized this key place, the Baghvashi family used their to contest borders with the neighbouring principalities
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
.
The rivalry between the Baghvashi and the Bagrationi House of 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...
erupted immediately after the creation of the unified Georgian kingdom under Bagrat III
Bagrat III of Georgia
Bagrat III , of the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty, was King of the Abkhazians from 978 on and King of Georgia from 1008 on. He united these two titles by dynastic inheritance and, through conquest and diplomacy, added some more lands to his realm, effectively becoming the first king of what is...
. The latter prevailed and, in 989, forced the Kldekarian duke (eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
) Rati I to abdicate in favour of his son, Liparit II. A descendant, Liparit IV, became a regent for the young Georgian king Bagrat IV
Bagrat IV of Georgia
Bagrat IV , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the King of Georgia from 1027 to 1072. During his long and eventful reign, Bagrat sought to repress the great nobility and to secure Georgia's sovereignty from the Byzantine and Seljuqid empires...
in the early 1030s. Subsequently, relations between the two men deteriorated and flared into an armed conflict. With the military support from the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, Liparit defeated Bagrat at the Battle of Sasireti
Battle of Sasireti
The Battle of Sasireti took place in 1042 at the village of Sasireti in the present day Shida Kartli region, not far from the town of Kaspi, during the civil war in the Kingdom of Georgia...
(1042) and became a virtual ruler of Georgia, but eventually he was forced out by his own subjects in 1059. His son and heir, John, was allowed by the Georgian crown to succeed Liparit IV as a duke.
In 1074, John revolted against King George II of Georgia
George II of Georgia
George II , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Georgia from 1072 to 1089. He was a son and successor of Bagrat IV and his wife Borena of Alania...
, and attempted to get Seljuk support. However, a Seljuk invasion force temporarily occupied the duchy and captured the ducal family. David IV
David IV of Georgia
David IV "the Builder", also known as David II , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Georgia from 1089 until his death in 1125....
, a new and perhaps the most successful king of Georgia, forced the Baghvashi into submission in 1093, and checked their subsequent attempts to revolt. In 1103, he took advantage of the death of the last Kldekarian duke Rati III and abolished the duchy incorporating the area directly into a royal domain.
Rulers
- Liparit I (876-?)
- Liparit II (940-960)
- Rati I (960-988)
- Liparit III (988-1005)
- Rati II (1005-1021)
- Liparit IVLiparit IV, Duke of KldekariLiparit IV, sometimes known as Liparit III , was an 11th-century Georgian general and political figure who was at times the most valuable support of King Bagrat IV of Georgia and his most dangerous rival...
(1021-1059)
- John (Ioane) (1059-1074)
- Liparit V (1074-1095)
- Rati III (1095-1102)