Alastaneli
Encyclopedia
Alastaneli was a title of the Georgian
dynastic princes ruling over the province of Javakheti
from their castle at Alastani in the 13th and 14th centuries. According to traditional Georgian genealogy, this dynasty was a branch of the royal house of Bagrationi, stemming from King David VIII of Georgia
(died 1311). Their status of "provincial kings" was rooted in the political fragmentation of the centralized Georgian monarchy under the Mongol hegemony
. This line became extinct in the early 15th century.
, became a centre of the domain of crown princes of Georgia early in the 13th century. Lasha-George
, son of Queen Tamar the Great
and the future king George IV of Georgia, is thought to have been the first in possession of this entity. The line of Alastani was founded by David VIII, who withdrew in Javakheti in 1302 after losing struggle for the Georgian throne to his younger brother, Vakhtang III
. His descendants flourished as "provincial kings", i.e., provincial rulers with a royal title, but more or less dependent on the kings of Georgia. These were David's purported sons of his first marriage to Oljat-Khatun, daughter of Abaqa Khan
: Melchizedek (d. 1320) and Andronicus (d. 1354); and Andronicus’s sons: David (d. 1382) and George the Great (d. 1373). The line of "kings" of Alastani terminated with the death of the latter in the battle with the Turks
in 1373.
of Georgetown University
advanced a hypothesis not accepted by the mainstream Georgian scholarship, identifying the dynasty of Alastani (c. 1230–1348) with the Georgian noble family Andronikashvili
, who claimed descent from Alexios Komnenos
(c. 1170–1199), the illegitimate son of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos
(ruled 1183-1185) by his mistress and relative Theodora Komnene
, Queen Dowager
of Jerusalem
. Toumanoff attempted to reconstruct the early pedigree of these Alastaneli-Andronikashvili:
(VostLit.info)
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...
dynastic princes ruling over the province of Javakheti
Javakheti
Javakheti is a historical region of the nation of Georgia, in the southeastern part of the country's Samtskhe-Javakheti province. Today it comprises the Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda municipal territories. It was historically bordered in the west with both sides of the Mtkvari river, in the north,...
from their castle at Alastani in the 13th and 14th centuries. According to traditional Georgian genealogy, this dynasty was a branch of the royal house of Bagrationi, stemming from King David VIII of Georgia
David VIII of Georgia
David VIII , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1293–1311.Eldest son of Demetre II the Self-sacrificing, he was appointed by the Ilkhan ruler Gaikhatu as king of Georgia as reward for his military service during the Rümelian uprising in 1293...
(died 1311). Their status of "provincial kings" was rooted in the political fragmentation of the centralized Georgian monarchy under the Mongol hegemony
Mongol invasions of Georgia
The Mongol invasions reached the kingdom of Georgia and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in 1234, forcing Georgia into submission by 1238....
. This line became extinct in the early 15th century.
History
Alastani, north of modern-day town of AkhalkalakiAkhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians...
, became a centre of the domain of crown princes of Georgia early in the 13th century. Lasha-George
George IV of Georgia
George IV Lasha of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Georgia from 1213 to 1223....
, son of Queen Tamar the Great
Tamar of Georgia
Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
and the future king George IV of Georgia, is thought to have been the first in possession of this entity. The line of Alastani was founded by David VIII, who withdrew in Javakheti in 1302 after losing struggle for the Georgian throne to his younger brother, Vakhtang III
Vakhtang III of Georgia
Vakhtang III , of the dynasty of Bagrationi, was the king of Georgia from 1302 to 1308. he ruled during the Mongol dominance of Georgia....
. His descendants flourished as "provincial kings", i.e., provincial rulers with a royal title, but more or less dependent on the kings of Georgia. These were David's purported sons of his first marriage to Oljat-Khatun, daughter of 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...
: Melchizedek (d. 1320) and Andronicus (d. 1354); and Andronicus’s sons: David (d. 1382) and George the Great (d. 1373). The line of "kings" of Alastani terminated with the death of the latter in the battle with the Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
in 1373.
Andronikashvili?
Professor Cyril ToumanoffCyril Toumanoff
Cyril Leo Heraclius, Prince Toumanoff was an United States-based historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armenia, the Byzantine Empire, and Iran...
of Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
advanced a hypothesis not accepted by the mainstream Georgian scholarship, identifying the dynasty of Alastani (c. 1230–1348) with the Georgian noble family Andronikashvili
Andronikashvili
The Andronikashvili sometimes known as Endronikashvili was a princely family in Georgia which claimed their descent from the Byzantine Comnenid dynasty and played a prominent role in political, military and religious life of Georgia...
, who claimed descent from Alexios Komnenos
Alexios Komnenos (son of Andronikos I)
Alexios Komnenos was a natural son of Andronikos I Komnenos, the Byzantine Emperor by his relative and mistress Theodora Komnene, Queen Dowager of Jerusalem....
(c. 1170–1199), the illegitimate son of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos
Andronikos I Komnenos
Andronikos I Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1183 to 1185). He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and grandson of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.-Early years:...
(ruled 1183-1185) by his mistress and relative Theodora Komnene
Theodora Komnene
Theodora Komnene or Comnena was a niece of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus, and wife of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem.-Family:Theodora was a daughter of the sebastokratōr Isaac Komnenos by his second wife, Eirene Synadene...
, Queen Dowager
Queen Dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
. Toumanoff attempted to reconstruct the early pedigree of these Alastaneli-Andronikashvili:
External links
Грамота царя Андронике Цитлосану Квенипневели (1348 г.) (The Charter of King Andronicus to Tsitslosan Kvenipneveli [1348]), in: Kakabadze, Saurmag (ed., 1982), Грузинские документы IX-XV вв. в собрании ленинградского Института Востоковедения АН СССР (Georgian Documents of the 9th-15th Centuries in the Collection of Leningrad Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR). NaukaNauka
Nauka is a Russian publisher of academic books and journals. Established in the USSR in 1923, it was called USSR Academy of Sciences Publisher until 1963. Until 1934 the publisher was based in Leningrad, then moved to Moscow. Its logo depicts an open book with Sputnik 1 above it.Nauka was the main...
(VostLit.info)