David VII Ulu
Encyclopedia
David VII Ulu from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia
in 1247–1270. He reigned over the eastern part of the country from 1259 to 1270.
held him prisoner at the court of her son-in-law, the sultan Kaykhusraw II
for nearly seven years, and sent her son David to the Mongol court
to get his official recognition as heir apparent. Following Kaykhusraw’s defeat by the Mongols, David, son of Giorgi, was set free in 1242. In 1246, he was selected as king by the Georgian
nobles who believed that his cousin David VI
, son of Rusudan, had died in 1244. Following the coronation at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
, Mtskheta
, he was sent to the Great Khan Güyük Khan
to receive an official recognition. Held at Karakorum
for five years, he met his cousin David there. Finally, Güyük Khan
recognized David (Lasha Giorgi’s son) as senior joint sovereign and appointed another David (Rusudan’s son) junior co-ruler. Thereafter known as David VII Ulu (i.e. "the senior") and David VI Narin (i.e. "the junior"), the cousins ruled jointly for years.
In 1256, David Ulu with the Georgian auxiliaries took part in Mongol conquest of Alamut
. In 1259, David Narin rose, unsuccessfully, against the Mongol yoke
and, then, fled to Kutaisi
, from whence he reigned over western Georgia (Imereti
) as an independent ruler. In 1260, Hulagu Khan
requested that David Ulu supported him in the war against Egypt
. David, remembering the Georgian losses at Baghdad
(1258) refused to comply and revolted. A huge army of Mongols led by Arghun Noyan attacked the southern Georgian province of Samtskhe, defeated the king and his spasalar (general) Sargis Jakeli
of Samtskhe, but could not capture the rebels’ main strongholds and left the country in June 1261. Nevertheless, the forces were unequal and David Ulu had to take refuge at his cousin, David VI Narin
’s court at Kutaisi
. His family was captured and David’s wife Gvantsa
killed by the Mongols. In 1262, he had to make peace with the Mongols and returned to Tbilisi
, eastern Georgia
. Thus, Georgia
effectively split into two parts. However, both rulers continued to be titled as kings of Georgia.
By the Ilkhan
request, David Ulu’s army was dispatched to defend the fortifications of Siba against the Golden Horde
in 1263. In 1265, the Georgian forces serving as a vanguard of the Ilkhan
army, defeated Berke
, Khan of the Golden Horde
, and expelled his troops from Shirvan
. A heavy burden of Mongol dominance led to a political and economic crisis in the kingdom. As a result of a dispute with the royal court, the province of Samtskhe seceded and submitted directly to the Ilkhan rule in 1266. Thus, Georgia further disintegrated to form three separate political entities.
David VII Ulu died of a bowel infection at the age of 55 in the spring of 1270. He was buried at Mtskheta
.
He was succeeded by his son Demetre II
.
, died in 1252. During his second marriage he bigamously contracted an union with Althun, 1249/50, who repudiated in 1252. David's third wife Gvantsa, widow of the Georgian noble Avag Mkhargrdzeli and daughter of Kakhaber, eristavi (duke) of Racha
and Tavkveri, was executed on the orders of Hulagu Khan
in 1262. In 1268, David married Isukhan, daughter of the Mongol prince Tehormaghan Noyan.
He had two sons and two daughters, including:
A genealogical theory also considers him father to Rusudan of Georgia
, wife of Manuel I of Trebizond
.
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...
in 1247–1270. He reigned over the eastern part of the country from 1259 to 1270.
Life
David was an illegitimate son of King Giorgi IV Lasha by a non-noble woman. Fearing that he would pretend to the throne, his aunt, Queen RusudanRusudan of Georgia
Queen Rusudan , from the Bagrationi dynasty, ruled Georgia in 1223–1245.- Life :Daughter of Queen Tamar of Georgia by David Soslan, she succeeded her brother George IV of Georgia on January 18, 1223. George’s untimely death marked the beginning of the end of the Georgian “golden age”...
held him prisoner at the court of her son-in-law, the sultan Kaykhusraw II
Kaykhusraw II
Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw II was the sultan of the Seljuqs of Rûm from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Babai uprising and the Mongol invasion of Anatolia. He led the Seljuq army with its Christian allies at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243...
for nearly seven years, and sent her son David to the Mongol court
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
to get his official recognition as heir apparent. Following Kaykhusraw’s defeat by the Mongols, David, son of Giorgi, was set free in 1242. In 1246, he was selected as king by the 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...
nobles who believed that his cousin David VI
David VI Narin
David VI Narin , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1245–1293. From 1259 to 1293, he ruled the kingdom of Imereti under the name David I as a vassal state of Georgia.-Life:...
, son of Rusudan, had died in 1244. Following the coronation at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in the historical town of Mtskheta, Georgia, northwest of the nation's capital of Tbilisi....
, Mtskheta
Mtskheta
Mtskheta , one of the oldest cities of the country of Georgia , is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Tbilisi at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. The city is now the administrative centre of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region...
, he was sent to the Great Khan Güyük Khan
Güyük Khan
Güyük was the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. As the eldest son of Ögedei Khan and a grandson of Genghis Khan, he reigned from 1246 to 1248...
to receive an official recognition. Held at Karakorum
Karakorum
Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, and of the Northern Yuan in the 14-15th century. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the Övörkhangai Province of Mongolia, near today's town of Kharkhorin, and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu monastery...
for five years, he met his cousin David there. Finally, Güyük Khan
Güyük Khan
Güyük was the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. As the eldest son of Ögedei Khan and a grandson of Genghis Khan, he reigned from 1246 to 1248...
recognized David (Lasha Giorgi’s son) as senior joint sovereign and appointed another David (Rusudan’s son) junior co-ruler. Thereafter known as David VII Ulu (i.e. "the senior") and David VI Narin (i.e. "the junior"), the cousins ruled jointly for years.
In 1256, David Ulu with the Georgian auxiliaries took part in Mongol conquest of Alamut
Alamut
Alamut was a mountain fortress located in the South Caspian province of Daylam near the Rudbar region in Iran, approximately 100 kilometres from present-day Tehran, Iran...
. In 1259, David Narin rose, unsuccessfully, against the Mongol yoke
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
and, then, fled to Kutaisi
Kutaisi
Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
, from whence he reigned over western Georgia (Imereti
Imereti
Imereti is a province in Georgia situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni river. It consists of the following Georgian administrative-territorial units:#Kutaisi #Baghdati region#Vani region#Zestafoni region...
) as an independent ruler. In 1260, Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü, Hulegu , was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia...
requested that David Ulu supported him in the war against Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. David, remembering the Georgian losses at Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
(1258) refused to comply and revolted. A huge army of Mongols led by Arghun Noyan attacked the southern Georgian province of Samtskhe, defeated the king and his spasalar (general) Sargis Jakeli
Sargis I Jaqeli
Sargis I Jaqeli was a Georgian nobleman of the House of Jaqeli who became the first sovereign Prince of Samtskhe in 1268.Sargis was the son of Bek’a Jaqeli, duke of Samtskhe in southwest Georgia, and served as eristavi and amirspasalar under King David VII of Georgia...
of Samtskhe, but could not capture the rebels’ main strongholds and left the country in June 1261. Nevertheless, the forces were unequal and David Ulu had to take refuge at his cousin, David VI Narin
David VI Narin
David VI Narin , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1245–1293. From 1259 to 1293, he ruled the kingdom of Imereti under the name David I as a vassal state of Georgia.-Life:...
’s court at Kutaisi
Kutaisi
Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
. His family was captured and David’s wife Gvantsa
Gvantsa
Gvantsa was a Queen Consort of Georgia as the second wife of King David VII “Ulu” .She was the daughter of Kakhaber IV Kakhaberidze, Duke of Racha and Takveri, who married Gvantsa off to Prince Avag Mkhargrdzeli, Lord High Tutor and Lord High Constable of Georgia with whom she begot a daughter...
killed by the Mongols. In 1262, he had to make peace with the Mongols and returned to Tbilisi
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...
, 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...
. Thus, 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...
effectively split into two parts. However, both rulers continued to be titled as kings of Georgia.
By the Ilkhan
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
request, David Ulu’s army was dispatched to defend the fortifications of Siba against the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
in 1263. In 1265, the Georgian forces serving as a vanguard of the Ilkhan
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
army, defeated Berke
Berke
Berke Khan was the ruler of the Golden Horde who effectively consolidated the power of the Blue Horde and White Hordes from 1257 to 1266. He succeeded his brother Batu Khan of the Blue Horde and was responsible for the first official establishment of Islam in a khanate of the Mongol Empire...
, Khan of the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
, and expelled his troops from 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...
. A heavy burden of Mongol dominance led to a political and economic crisis in the kingdom. As a result of a dispute with the royal court, the province of Samtskhe seceded and submitted directly to the Ilkhan rule in 1266. Thus, Georgia further disintegrated to form three separate political entities.
David VII Ulu died of a bowel infection at the age of 55 in the spring of 1270. He was buried at Mtskheta
Mtskheta
Mtskheta , one of the oldest cities of the country of Georgia , is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Tbilisi at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. The city is now the administrative centre of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region...
.
He was succeeded by his son Demetre II
Demetre II of Georgia
Saint King Demetrius II the Self-sacrificer , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1270–1289.-Life:...
.
Marriage and children
He was married four times. His first wife, Jigda Khanum, daughter of the Sultan of RümRûm
Rûm, also Roum or Rhum , an indefinite term used at different times in the Muslim world to refer to the Balkans and Anatolia generally, and for the Byzantine Empire in particular, for the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm in Asia Minor, and referring to Greeks living outside of Greece or non-muslims...
, died in 1252. During his second marriage he bigamously contracted an union with Althun, 1249/50, who repudiated in 1252. David's third wife Gvantsa, widow of the Georgian noble Avag Mkhargrdzeli and daughter of Kakhaber, eristavi (duke) of Racha
Racha
Racha is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains...
and Tavkveri, was executed on the orders of Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü, Hulegu , was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia...
in 1262. In 1268, David married Isukhan, daughter of the Mongol prince Tehormaghan Noyan.
He had two sons and two daughters, including:
- Prince Giorgi (1250–1268) (by Jigda Khanum), heir apparent, died before his father’s death in 1268,
- Prince DemetreDemetre II of GeorgiaSaint King Demetrius II the Self-sacrificer , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1270–1289.-Life:...
(by Gvantsa) succeeded him in 1270, - Princess Tamar (by Jigda Khanum) was married twice: a Mongol prince, son of Arghun Khan, and later the Georgian noble Sadun of Mankaberdi, regent of the kingdom in 1269-1278.
A genealogical theory also considers him father to Rusudan of Georgia
Rusudan of Georgia, Empress of Trebizond
Rusudan of Georgia, Empress of Trebizond was the second Empress consort of Manuel I of Trebizond.-Family:Rusudan was a member of the Bagrationi dynasty, but there are at least two theories concerning the identities of her parents....
, wife of Manuel I of Trebizond
Manuel I of Trebizond
Manuel I Megas Komnenos , Emperor of Trebizond from 1238 to 1263, surnamed the "Great Captain", was the second son of Alexios I, the first emperor of Trebizond, and Theodora Axuchina. He succeeded his brother, John I Axouchos...
.
External links
| Preceded by: Rusudan Rusudan of Georgia Queen Rusudan , from the Bagrationi dynasty, ruled Georgia in 1223–1245.- Life :Daughter of Queen Tamar of Georgia by David Soslan, she succeeded her brother George IV of Georgia on January 18, 1223. George’s untimely death marked the beginning of the end of the Georgian “golden age”... |
King of Georgia with David VI Narin David VI Narin David VI Narin , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1245–1293. From 1259 to 1293, he ruled the kingdom of Imereti under the name David I as a vassal state of Georgia.-Life:... |
Succeeded by: Demetre II Demetre II of Georgia Saint King Demetrius II the Self-sacrificer , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1270–1289.-Life:... |