Alexander II of Kakheti
Encyclopedia
Alexander II (1527 – March 12, 1605), of the Bagrationi Dynasty
, was a king of Kakheti
in eastern Georgia
from 1574 to 1605. In spite of a precarious international situation, he managed to retain relative economic stability in his kingdom and tried to establish contacts with the Tsardom of Russia
. Alexander fell victim to the Iran-sponsored coup led by his own son, Constantine I
.
by his first wife T’inat’in née Gurieli
. Upon Levan’s death in 1574, Alexander secured his succession in a power struggle with his half-brothers – El-Mirza and Kaikhosro – and their party. He was aided by his kinsman and western neighbor, Daud Khan of Kartli, who sent auxiliary troops under the princes Bardzim Amilakhvari
and Elizbar of the Ksani, and helped Alexander crush the opponents at the Battle of Torgi.
Alexander II continued a traditional policy of his predecessors aimed at keeping peace with the neighbors of Kakheti. This, for the time being, secured the economic stability and prosperity in the kingdom. However, he faced a difficult task of maneuvering between the Ottomans
and Saffavid Iran as both empires vied for the hegemony in the Caucasus
. Although Alexander was initially a vassal, at least nominally, of the Saffavids, he repudiated his allegiance to the Shah of Iran
and accepted the Ottoman suzerainty when the latter empire gained the upper hand in 1578. The move did not prevent, however, Kakheti from being attacked by the mountainous subjects of the shamkhal
of Tarki
who was apparently instigated by the Ottoman agents. Alexander decided to resume his father’s efforts to establish alliance with the Tsardom of Russia
. After exchanging ambassadors in 1586–1587, Alexander received the protection of Tsar
Feodor I of Russia
, signing the Book of Pledge in 1589. Russian troops were sent against the shamkhal in a brief campaign of 1592. Little else came of the Russian promises, leading to a series of complaints by Alexander to the tsar’s ambassadors.
, revolted from the royal authority and sized the crown, forcing his father to retire to a monastery. David died a year later, on October 2, 1602, and Alexander was able to resume the throne. Meanwhile, Iran started to regain what had earlier been lost to the Ottomans. The energetic Shah Abbas I laid a siege to the Ottoman-held fortress of Erivan in November 1603 and summoned Alexander to his headquarters. After months of hesitation, Alexander acceded and arrived at Erivan in April 1604. Early in 1605, Shah Abbas sent him back with orders to raid Shirvan
. He was accompanied by his son, Constantine, who had been raised at the Saffavid court as a convert to Islam
.
Back in Kakheti, Alexander found a new Russian embassy requesting his support in a projected campaign against the shamkhal. The Russian envoys had already been favorably received by Alexander’s son, George
, who ran the kingdom in his father’s absence. Dissatisfied by this maneuver, Constantine demanded the loyal execution of the shah’s orders. On March 12, 1605, Alexander summoned a council at the Dzegami Palace. Within hours, Constantine led his Qizilbash entourage into a bloody coup against his own father; Alexander, George and several of their nobles were massacred. Constantine was made by the shah king of Kakheti, and the Saffavid suzerainty was, for the time being, reasserted in the kingdom.
, who bore him five sons and two daughters:
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 Kakheti
Kingdom of Kakheti
The Kingdom of Kakheti was a late medieval/early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centered at the province of Kakheti, with its capital first at Gremi and then at Telavi...
in eastern 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...
from 1574 to 1605. In spite of a precarious international situation, he managed to retain relative economic stability in his kingdom and tried to establish contacts with the Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
. Alexander fell victim to the Iran-sponsored coup led by his own son, Constantine I
Constantine I of Kakheti
Constantine I or Constantine Khan , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from March to October 1605....
.
Early reign and political alliances
Alexander was a son of King Levan of KakhetiLevan of Kakheti
Levan also known as Leon , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1518/1520 to 1574. He presided over the most prosperous and peaceful period in the history of the Kingdom of Kakheti.- Biography :...
by his first wife T’inat’in née Gurieli
Gurieli
Gurieli was a Georgian noble family and a ruling dynasty of the southwestern Georgian province of Guria which was autonomous and later for a few centuries independent, as well as a few ducal rulers of the dynasty rose in the 17th-18th centuries to be kings of the whole western Caucasus in place...
. Upon Levan’s death in 1574, Alexander secured his succession in a power struggle with his half-brothers – El-Mirza and Kaikhosro – and their party. He was aided by his kinsman and western neighbor, Daud Khan of Kartli, who sent auxiliary troops under the princes Bardzim 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...
and Elizbar of the Ksani, and helped Alexander crush the opponents at the Battle of Torgi.
Alexander II continued a traditional policy of his predecessors aimed at keeping peace with the neighbors of Kakheti. This, for the time being, secured the economic stability and prosperity in the kingdom. However, he faced a difficult task of maneuvering between the Ottomans
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...
and Saffavid Iran as both empires vied for the hegemony in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. Although Alexander was initially a vassal, at least nominally, of the Saffavids, he repudiated his allegiance to the Shah of Iran
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
and accepted the Ottoman suzerainty when the latter empire gained the upper hand in 1578. The move did not prevent, however, Kakheti from being attacked by the mountainous subjects of the shamkhal
Shamkhal
Shamkhal is the title for the rulers of Kumukh in Dagestan during the 8th-17th centuries. In 1642 the Shamkhalate of Kazi-Kumukh broke up into several independent states. Afterwards Shamkhal moved his capital from Kazi-Kumukh to Tarki, where he formed Shamkhalate of Tarki....
of Tarki
Tarki
Tarki is an urban locality under the administrative jurisdiction of Sovetsky City District of the city of Makhachkala in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, situated on the Tarkitau Mountain. Population:...
who was apparently instigated by the Ottoman agents. Alexander decided to resume his father’s efforts to establish alliance with the Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
. After exchanging ambassadors in 1586–1587, Alexander received the protection of Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Feodor I of Russia
Feodor I of Russia
Fyodor I Ivanovich 1598) was the last Rurikid Tsar of Russia , son of Ivan IV and Anastasia Romanovna. In English he is sometimes called Feodor the Bellringer in consequence of his strong faith and inclination to travel the land and ring the bells at churches. However, in Russian the name...
, signing the Book of Pledge in 1589. Russian troops were sent against the shamkhal in a brief campaign of 1592. Little else came of the Russian promises, leading to a series of complaints by Alexander to the tsar’s ambassadors.
Downfall
In October 1601, Alexander’s son, DavidDavid I of Kakheti
David I , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from October 1601 until his death in October 1602....
, revolted from the royal authority and sized the crown, forcing his father to retire to a monastery. David died a year later, on October 2, 1602, and Alexander was able to resume the throne. Meanwhile, Iran started to regain what had earlier been lost to the Ottomans. The energetic Shah Abbas I laid a siege to the Ottoman-held fortress of Erivan in November 1603 and summoned Alexander to his headquarters. After months of hesitation, Alexander acceded and arrived at Erivan in April 1604. Early in 1605, Shah Abbas sent him back with orders to raid Shirvan
Shirvan
Shirvan , also spelled as Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both Islamic and modern times...
. He was accompanied by his son, Constantine, who had been raised at the Saffavid court as a convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
Back in Kakheti, Alexander found a new Russian embassy requesting his support in a projected campaign against the shamkhal. The Russian envoys had already been favorably received by Alexander’s son, George
George, Crown Prince of Kakheti
George , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a crown prince of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia.He was a son of Alexander II, king of Kakheti , who was temporarily dispossessed of the crown by his oldest son David I in 1601. George revolted against David, who managed to pacify his defiant brother...
, who ran the kingdom in his father’s absence. Dissatisfied by this maneuver, Constantine demanded the loyal execution of the shah’s orders. On March 12, 1605, Alexander summoned a council at the Dzegami Palace. Within hours, Constantine led his Qizilbash entourage into a bloody coup against his own father; Alexander, George and several of their nobles were massacred. Constantine was made by the shah king of Kakheti, and the Saffavid suzerainty was, for the time being, reasserted in the kingdom.
Family
Alexander II was married to T'inat'in, Princess AmilakhvariAmilakhvari
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...
, who bore him five sons and two daughters:
- Erekle (1568–1586)
- David I of KakhetiDavid I of KakhetiDavid I , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from October 1601 until his death in October 1602....
(1569–1602) - George (1570–1605)
- Constantine I (1571–1605)
- Rostom (died 1579)
- Anna; married Bagrat VII of KartliBagrat VII of KartliBagrat Khan also known as Bagrat VII , was king of Kartli, eastern Georgia, effectively serving as a khan for the Persian shah Abbas I from 1615 to 1619....
- Nestan-Darejan (died 1597); married Manuchar II DadianiDadianiDadiani was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Samegrelo.- The House of Dadiani :...
, Prince of MingreliaPrincipality of MingreliaThe Principality of Mingrelia was a historical state in Georgia ruled by the Dadiani dynasty. Established as an independent Principality in 1557 by Levan I Dadiani as a hereditary mtavari , it remained independent until it became subject to Imperial Russia in 1803...