Alexander Amilakhvari
Encyclopedia
Prince Alexander Amilakhvari (October 20, 1750 – 1802) was a Georgian
nobleman and author known as a theoretical supporter of enlightened absolutism
, and also for his opposition to King Erekle II
’s rule.
A member of one of the leading noble families of Georgia, that of Amilakhvari
, he was involved, together with his father, in a 1765 coup plot aimed at deposing Erekle II in favor of Prince Paata, a pretender to the Georgian throne. After the plot collapsed, he was arrested and mutilated (his nose was cut). In 1771, however, he staged a prison break and fled to the Russian Empire
where he joined Prince Alexander
, another Georgian pretender-in-exile. With the Russo-Georgian rapprochement, Amilakhvari was arrested by the Russian government at Erekle’s request and cast in the Vyborg
prison in 1783. The 1801 amnesty granted Amilakhvari freedom and allowed him to return to Georgia. He died on his way back at Astrakhan
, however.
Amilakhvari’s political pamphlet – A Georgian History – published in St. Petersburg in 1779 relates his own story and describes Georgia’s political and social life of the latter half of the 18th century. At the same time, the author overtly attacks the Georgian autocracy and unleashes criticism on Erekle II, every aspect of whose rule is portrayed extremely negatively. Another of his works The Sage of the Orient (ბრძენი აღმოსავლეთისა) is influenced by some ideas of the contemporaneous French Enlightenment and is essentially a project of the reformed Kingdom of Georgia
based on decentralization of royal authority.
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...
nobleman and author known as a theoretical supporter of enlightened absolutism
Enlightened absolutism
Enlightened absolutism is a form of absolute monarchy or despotism in which rulers were influenced by the Enlightenment. Enlightened monarchs embraced the principles of the Enlightenment, especially its emphasis upon rationality, and applied them to their territories...
, and also for his opposition to King Erekle II
Erekle II
Erekle II was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi Dynasty, reigning as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762, and of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 until 1798. In the contemporary Persian sources he is referred to as Erekli Khan, while Russians knew him as Irakli...
’s rule.
A member of one of the leading noble families of Georgia, that of Amilakhvari
Amilakhvari
The Amilkhvari was a noble house of Georgia which rose to prominence in the fifteenth century and held a large fiefdom in central Georgia until the Imperial Russian annexation of the country in 1801. They were hereditary marshals of Georgia from c. 1433, from which the family takes its name...
, he was involved, together with his father, in a 1765 coup plot aimed at deposing Erekle II in favor of Prince Paata, a pretender to the Georgian throne. After the plot collapsed, he was arrested and mutilated (his nose was cut). In 1771, however, he staged a prison break and fled to the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
where he joined Prince Alexander
Alexander, son of Bakar of Georgia
Alexander, son of Bakar or Aleksandr Bakarovich Gruzinsky ) was a Russian-born Georgian prince of the Mukhrani branch of the Bagrationi royal dynasty. He was the last of the Mukhranians to have attempted, unsuccessfully, to reclaim the crown of Georgia which had been lost to the Kakheti branch of...
, another Georgian pretender-in-exile. With the Russo-Georgian rapprochement, Amilakhvari was arrested by the Russian government at Erekle’s request and cast in the Vyborg
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
prison in 1783. The 1801 amnesty granted Amilakhvari freedom and allowed him to return to Georgia. He died on his way back at Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
, however.
Amilakhvari’s political pamphlet – A Georgian History – published in St. Petersburg in 1779 relates his own story and describes Georgia’s political and social life of the latter half of the 18th century. At the same time, the author overtly attacks the Georgian autocracy and unleashes criticism on Erekle II, every aspect of whose rule is portrayed extremely negatively. Another of his works The Sage of the Orient (ბრძენი აღმოსავლეთისა) is influenced by some ideas of the contemporaneous French Enlightenment and is essentially a project of the reformed Kingdom of Georgia
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia was a medieval monarchy established in AD 978 by Bagrat III.It flourished during the 11th and 12th centuries, the so-called "golden age" of the history of Georgia. It fell to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by 1327...
based on decentralization of royal authority.