Simon II of Kartli
Encyclopedia
Simon II also known as Svimon or Semayun Khan (born c. early 1610s – died 1630 or 1631), was a Persian-appointed king
(actually, khan
) of Kartli
, eastern Georgia
, from 1619 to 1630/1631.
A son of Bagrat Khan
, Simon was a Georgian convert
to Islam
. He was brought up Muslim
in Isfahan
, Persia.
On the death of his father in 1619, Simon, still in his minority, was installed by Shah
Abbas I
as a khan of Kartli. A Georgian noble, also a convert, Giorgi Saakadze
, was appointed as a vekil (regent
) and vizier
to him. Largely unpopular with his Christian
subjects, Simon's "khanate" never stretched beyond the capital Tbilisi
and the Lower Kartli province, where the districts of Somkhiti
and Sabaratiano were occupied by Persian forces.
In March 1625, Saakadze sided with the opposition in Kartli and the neighbouring Kakheti
. He led Georgian forces that destroyed a Persian army at the Battle of Martqopi
. Simon and his Persians fled from Tbilisi to the fortress of Aghjakala
in Lower Kartli: the rebels gave Kartli to king
Teimuraz I of Kakheti
. On July 1 of 1625, the Persians defeated the Georgians at the Battle of Marabda
. A Persian general, Isa Khan, reinstated Simon in Tbilisi, but significant parts of Kartli remained under the control of Teimuraz and Saakadze. Shah Abbas utilised the rivalry among the rebel leaders to divide them.
Soon after 1626, one of the rebel nobles and a powerful mountain lord, Zurab, Duke of Aragvi defected to Simon. Zurab later made a secret alliance with the insurgents. In 1630 (or 1631), he murdered the sleeping khan. Zurab sent Simon's severed head to Teimuraz, who later regained authority in Kartli.
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
(actually, khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
) of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
, 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 1619 to 1630/1631.
A son of Bagrat Khan
Bagrat VII of Kartli
Bagrat 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....
, Simon was a Georgian convert
Convert
The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...
to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He was brought up Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
in Isfahan
Isfahan (city)
Isfahan , historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 km south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609, Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad...
, Persia.
On the death of his father in 1619, Simon, still in his minority, was installed by Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
Abbas I
Abbas I of Persia
Shāh ‘Abbās the Great was Shah of Iran, and generally considered the greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son of Shah Mohammad....
as a khan of Kartli. A Georgian noble, also a convert, Giorgi Saakadze
Giorgi Saakadze
Giorgi Saakadze was a Georgian politician and military commander who played an important but contradictory role in the politics of the early 17th-century Georgia...
, was appointed as a vekil (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...
) and vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
to him. Largely unpopular with his Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
subjects, Simon's "khanate" never stretched beyond the capital 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...
and the Lower Kartli province, where the districts of Somkhiti
Somkhiti
Somkhiti was an ambiguous geographic term used in medieval and early modern Georgian historical sources to refer to Armenia on one hand and to the Armeno-Georgian marchlands along the river valleys of Debed and Khrami on the other hand...
and Sabaratiano were occupied by Persian forces.
In March 1625, Saakadze sided with the opposition in Kartli and the neighbouring Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
. He led Georgian forces that destroyed a Persian army at the Battle of Martqopi
Battle of Martqopi
The Battle of Martqopi was a 1625 military confrontation between Georgia and Iran. The Georgians 15 000 men strong force, led by general Giorgi Saakadze, anhilated a 30 000 men strong Iranian detachment of Shah-Abbas I....
. Simon and his Persians fled from Tbilisi to the fortress of Aghjakala
Aghjakala
Gagi, also known as Aghjakala, is a historic fortress in Marneuli district, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia....
in Lower Kartli: the rebels gave Kartli to king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Teimuraz I of Kakheti
Teimuraz I of Kakheti
Teimuraz I , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a Georgian monarch who ruled, with intermissions, as King of Kakheti from 1605 to 1648 and also of Kartli from 1625 to 1633...
. On July 1 of 1625, the Persians defeated the Georgians at the Battle of Marabda
Battle of Marabda
The Battle of Marabda , when the Iranian army defeated a Georgian force. This battle occurred after the Battle of Martqopi in the same year, when the Iranian army was routed.-References:...
. A Persian general, Isa Khan, reinstated Simon in Tbilisi, but significant parts of Kartli remained under the control of Teimuraz and Saakadze. Shah Abbas utilised the rivalry among the rebel leaders to divide them.
Soon after 1626, one of the rebel nobles and a powerful mountain lord, Zurab, Duke of Aragvi defected to Simon. Zurab later made a secret alliance with the insurgents. In 1630 (or 1631), he murdered the sleeping khan. Zurab sent Simon's severed head to Teimuraz, who later regained authority in Kartli.