Rostom (1571–1605), 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 a king 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...

 in the periods of 1588–1589 and 1590–1605. A son of Constantine, sometime claimant to the crown of Imereti, he was raised to the throne through the support of Mamia IV Dadiani, prince of Mingrelia, who had deposed King Leon of Imereti

Leon of Imereti

Leon , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from 1585 to 1588. He succeeded on the death of his father, George II, in 1585 when he was twelve years old. With his ascend to the throne, Leon faced a revolt by his own uncle, Constantine, who defied the royal authority and took control of...

 in 1588. Rostom’s authority was defied, however, by his ostensible vassal George II Gurieli, prince of Guria

Principality of Guria

The Principality of Guria was a historical state in Georgia. Centered on modern-day Guria, a southwestern region in Georgia, it was located between the Black Sea and Lesser Caucasus, and was ruled by a succession of twenty-two princes of the House of Gurieli from the 1460s to 1829. The...

, who employed an 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...

 force to dethrone the king in favor of Rostom’s relative Bagrat II. Rostom fled to Mingrelia, from where he continued struggle for the crown. The eastern Georgian king Simon I of Kartli

Simon I of Kartli

Simon I also known as Svimon , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgian king of Kartli from 1556 to 1569 and again from 1578 to 1599...

 exploited the situation and brought most of Imereti under his control. However, the reassertion of Kartlian power was resented by the nobles of Mingrelia, who surprised and ousted Simon from Imereti in 1590. Rostom was reinstated as king of Imereti and made peace with Simon. His authority was largely nominal though, and the power was effectively held by an aristocratic élite, notably by the prince of Mingrelia. Rostom died childless in 1605 and was succeeded by his half-brother George III

George III of Imereti

George III , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from 1605 to 1639. George succeeded on the death of his brother, Rostom of Imereti, but his authority was seriously challenged by the energetic prince of Mingrelia, Levan II Dadiani, whose increasing influence over the western Georgian...

.