Solomon I of Imereti
Encyclopedia
Solomon I (1735 – April 23, 1784), of the Bagrationi Dynasty
, was King of Imereti (western Georgia
) from 1752 to 1766 and again from 1768 until his death in 1784.
Solomon was a son of Alexander V of Imereti
by his second wife Tamar née Abashidze
and succeeded upon his father's death in 1752. He immediately launched a series of stringent measures against the renegade nobles and slave trade from which they profited in conjunction with the Ottoman authorities
. In 1752, the aristocratic opposition staged a coup, but Solomon quickly regain the crown and began a program of reforms aimed at stabilizing the kingdom torn apart by chronic civil wars. The Ottomans, which saw Imereti as the sphere of their influence, sent in an army, but Solomon succeeded in mobilizing his nobles around him and defeated the invaders at the Battle of Khresili
in 1757. The same year, he forged an alliance with his kinsman, Heraclius II, who ruled in eastern Georgia. The Ottoman raid continued into the 1760s until they drove Solomon from his capital at Kutaisi
in 1765 and placed his cousin, Teimuraz
on the throne. In 1768, Solomon managed to stage a comeback, but his kingdom remained occupied by the Turks. The same year, another Russo-Turkish broke out, and in May 1769, Solomon traveled to Tbilisi
to meet with Heraclius II. The two kings decided to request five Russian
regiments and join the war with the Ottoman Empire in exchange of the guarantee that Georgian interests would be protected in the final Russo-Turkish peace deal. The Russians sent a small force under General Gottlieb Heinrich Totleben
who helped Solomon to recover Kutaisi in August 1770, but the general's rudeness and condescension alienated the Georgians; Totleben was quickly recalled from Georgia, but his successor failed to take the Ottoman-held Georgian port of Poti
on the Black Sea
. After the war was over, Solomon was able to forced his autonomist vassals, princes of Mingrelia
and Guria
, into submission, and continued antagonizing the Ottoman hegemony in the region. Having crushed the Ottoman-sponsored invasion from Abkhazia
in 1779, he made a series of forays into the Turkish-controlled southwestern Georgian lands. He died in March 1784 and was buried at the Gelati Monastery
.
He was married three times; first, to Princess Tinatin Shervashidze
, second to Princess Mariam Dadiani
and third, Princess Gulkan Tsulukidze
. He had three children, one son 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 King of Imereti (western 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 1752 to 1766 and again from 1768 until his death in 1784.
Solomon was a son of Alexander V of Imereti
Alexander V of Imereti
Alexander V of Imereti , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was King of Imereti from 1720 to 1741 and again from 1742 until his death in March 1752....
by his second wife Tamar née Abashidze
Abashidze
Abashidze is a Georgian family and a former princely house. Appearing in the 15th century, they achieved prominence in the Kingdom of Imereti in western Georgia in the late 17th century and branched out in eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kakheti and Kartli as well as the then-Ottoman-held...
and succeeded upon his father's death in 1752. He immediately launched a series of stringent measures against the renegade nobles and slave trade from which they profited in conjunction with the Ottoman authorities
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...
. In 1752, the aristocratic opposition staged a coup, but Solomon quickly regain the crown and began a program of reforms aimed at stabilizing the kingdom torn apart by chronic civil wars. The Ottomans, which saw Imereti as the sphere of their influence, sent in an army, but Solomon succeeded in mobilizing his nobles around him and defeated the invaders at the Battle of Khresili
Battle of Khresili
-References:...
in 1757. The same year, he forged an alliance with his kinsman, Heraclius II, who ruled in eastern Georgia. The Ottoman raid continued into the 1760s until they drove Solomon from his capital 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:...
in 1765 and placed his cousin, Teimuraz
Teimuraz of Imereti
Teimuraz , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was King of Imereti from 1766 to 1768. A son of Prince Mamuka, sometime claimant to the crown of Imereti, he was enthroned by the Ottoman government after the deposition of his cousin, King Solomon I. He ruled under the Turkish protection until Solomon...
on the throne. In 1768, Solomon managed to stage a comeback, but his kingdom remained occupied by the Turks. The same year, another Russo-Turkish broke out, and in May 1769, Solomon traveled 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...
to meet with Heraclius II. The two kings decided to request five Russian
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...
regiments and join the war with the Ottoman Empire in exchange of the guarantee that Georgian interests would be protected in the final Russo-Turkish peace deal. The Russians sent a small force under General Gottlieb Heinrich Totleben
Gottlieb Heinrich Totleben
Gottlob Curt Heinrich Graf von Tottleben, Herr auf Tottleben, Zeippau und Hausdorf im Saganschen was a Saxon-born Russian Empire general known for his adventurism and contradictory military career.- Early career :Totleben was born in Tottleben, Thuringia, and served at the court of Augustus III,...
who helped Solomon to recover Kutaisi in August 1770, but the general's rudeness and condescension alienated the Georgians; Totleben was quickly recalled from Georgia, but his successor failed to take the Ottoman-held Georgian port of Poti
Poti
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. After the war was over, Solomon was able to forced his autonomist vassals, princes of Mingrelia
Principality of Mingrelia
The 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...
and Guria
Principality of Guria
The Principality of Guria was a historical state in Georgia. Centered on modern-day Guria, a southwestern region in Georgia, it was located between the Black Sea and Lesser Caucasus, and was ruled by a succession of twenty-two princes of the House of Gurieli from the 1460s to 1829. The...
, into submission, and continued antagonizing the Ottoman hegemony in the region. Having crushed the Ottoman-sponsored invasion from Abkhazia
Principality of Abkhazia
The Principality of Abkhazia emerged as a separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries, amid the civil wars in the Kingdom of Georgia that concluded with the dissolution of the unified Georgian monarchy...
in 1779, he made a series of forays into the Turkish-controlled southwestern Georgian lands. He died in March 1784 and was buried at the Gelati Monastery
Gelati Monastery
The Monastery of Gelati is a monastic complex near Kutaisi, Imereti, western Georgia. It contains the Church of the Virgin founded by the King of Georgia David the Builder in 1106, and the 13th-century churches of St George and St Nicholas....
.
He was married three times; first, to Princess Tinatin Shervashidze
Shervashidze
Shervashidze was a noble family in Abkhazia which, according to later sources, can be traced at least as far back as the twelfth century.Although this is quite clearly a Georgian form , the family is said to have derived from the Shirvanshahs, a dynasty of Shirvan in what is now Azerbaijan...
, second to Princess Mariam Dadiani
Dadiani
Dadiani was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Samegrelo.- The House of Dadiani :...
and third, Princess Gulkan Tsulukidze
Tsulukidze
Tsulukidze is a Georgian surname.Tsulukidze may also mean:*Tsulukidze , a noble family in Georgia- Persons :*Alexander Tsulukidze, Marxist activist*Giorgi Tsulukidze, general*Varden Tsulukidze, general...
. He had three children, one son and two daughters:
- Prince AlexanderAlexander, son of Solomon I of ImeretiAlexander was a Georgian prince of the Bagrationi house of Imereti and the only son of King Solomon I of Imereti by his second wife Mariam née Dadiani....
(1760-1780) - Princess Darejan (1756-1827); married, in 1768, Prince Kaikhosro Abashidze
- Princess Mariam (1769-1845); married Prince Elizbar Eristavi (1738-1813)