David Bagrationi
Encyclopedia
David Bagrationi also known as David the Regent (1 July 1767, Tbilisi
, Georgia
— 13 May 1819, St Petersburg, Russia
) was a Georgian
prince (batonishvili
), writer and scholar, was a regent
of the Kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti
, eastern Georgia, from December 28, 1800 to January 18, 1801.
The eldest son of the last Kartl-Kakhetian, King George XII
by his first wife Ketevan Andronikashvili, he was educated in Russia
(1787–1789), and served there as a colonel of the Russian army
from 1797 to 1798. He was proclaimed as Heir Apparent
by his father on February 22, 1799 and confirmed by the Russian Tsar
Paul I
, an official protector of Georgia, on 18 April 1799. In 1800, he attempted to modernize the law and administration.
On his father’s death in December 1800, David became the head of the Royal House of Bagrationi but was not allowed to ascend the throne of Kartl-Kakheti. David ruled briefly between the time of his father’s death (December 28, 1800) and the arrival of General Knorring (May 24, 1801). In November 1800 the Russian Tsar had prohibited him from doing that without Russian consent. On January 18, 1801 he was surprised by a decree of Paul I declaring the annexation of the Kingdom to the Russian Empire
. He tried to remain in power as de facto head of state. In May 1801 Russian General Carl Heinrich Knorring removed him from power and established a provisional government headed by General Ivan Petrovich Lasarev. Prince David was brought to St Petersburg under a military escort on February 18, 1803. From 1812 to 1819, he held a seat in the Senate
of the Russian Empire.
He married in 1800 Princess Elene Abamelik
(1770—1836), and died childless in 1819. He was buried at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.
Influenced by the ideas of French
Enlightenment
, he was the first Georgian translator of Voltaire
. He was also an author of a research on Georgian history (Georgian
, 1814), Review of the Georgian Law (Russian
, 1811—1816), Abridged Manual of Physics (Georgian, 1818), and several poems.
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, 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...
— 13 May 1819, St Petersburg, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
) was a Georgian
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...
prince (batonishvili
Batonishvili
Batonishvili was a title for princes and princesses of the blood royal in the Transcaucasian kingdom of Georgia, and was suffixed to the Christian name e.g., Alexandre Batonishvili, Ioane Batonishvili...
), writer and scholar, was a regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the Kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti
Kartl-Kakheti
The Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti was created in 1762 by the unification of two eastern Georgian kingdoms, which had existed independently since the disintegration of the united Georgian Kingdom in the 15th century....
, eastern Georgia, from December 28, 1800 to January 18, 1801.
The eldest son of the last Kartl-Kakhetian, King George XII
George XII of Georgia
George XII , sometimes known as George XIII , of the House of Bagrationi, was the last king of Georgia from 1798 until his death in 1800...
by his first wife Ketevan Andronikashvili, he was educated in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(1787–1789), and served there as a colonel of the Russian army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
from 1797 to 1798. He was proclaimed as Heir Apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
by his father on February 22, 1799 and confirmed by the Russian 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...
Paul I
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
, an official protector of Georgia, on 18 April 1799. In 1800, he attempted to modernize the law and administration.
On his father’s death in December 1800, David became the head of the Royal House of Bagrationi but was not allowed to ascend the throne of Kartl-Kakheti. David ruled briefly between the time of his father’s death (December 28, 1800) and the arrival of General Knorring (May 24, 1801). In November 1800 the Russian Tsar had prohibited him from doing that without Russian consent. On January 18, 1801 he was surprised by a decree of Paul I declaring the annexation of the Kingdom 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...
. He tried to remain in power as de facto head of state. In May 1801 Russian General Carl Heinrich Knorring removed him from power and established a provisional government headed by General Ivan Petrovich Lasarev. Prince David was brought to St Petersburg under a military escort on February 18, 1803. From 1812 to 1819, he held a seat in the Senate
Governing Senate
The Governing Senate was a legislative, judicial, and executive body of Russian Monarchs, instituted by Peter the Great to replace the Boyar Duma and lasted until the very end of the Russian Empire. It was chaired by the Ober-Procurator...
of the Russian Empire.
He married in 1800 Princess Elene Abamelik
Abamelik
Abamelik was a noble family of Armenian origin in the Kingdom of Georgia, and then in the Russian Empire.The Abamelik were a non-dynastic patrician family in Tbilisi, claiming descent from the Kurdish princes of Agsend that settled in Georgia in 1421...
(1770—1836), and died childless in 1819. He was buried at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.
Influenced by the ideas of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, he was the first Georgian translator of Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
. He was also an author of a research on Georgian history (Georgian
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
, 1814), Review of the Georgian Law (Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, 1811—1816), Abridged Manual of Physics (Georgian, 1818), and several poems.