Kingdom of Imereti

The Kingdom of Imereti (Georgian: იმერეთის სამეფო, romanized: imeretis samepo) was a Georgian monarchy established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagrationi when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Imereti was considered a separate kingdom within the Kingdom of Georgia, to which a cadet branch of the Bagrationi royal family held the crown. This started in 1260 after David VI revolted against Mongolian rule and fled to Abkhazia. This was the result of the Mongolian conquest of Georgia during the 13th century which decentralized and fragmented Georgia, forcing the relocation of governmental centres to the provinces.

Kingdom of Imereti იმერეთის სამეფო
1260–1810
18th century coat of arms according to Vakhushti
The Kingdom of Imereti in 1490
Status	Kingdom, Part of Kingdom of Georgia (1330–1387, 1412–1446, 1453–1455, 1465–1478), vassal of Ottoman Empire (1555–1810), vassal of Russia (1804–1810)
Capital	Kutaisi
Common languages	Georgian
Religion	Orthodox Christianity
Government	Monarchy
King
• 1260–1293	David I (first)
• 1789–1810	Solomon II (last)
History
• Coronation of David I	1260
• Re-Annexation to Georgia	1330
• Restoration	1387
• Independence from Georgia	1455
• Vassal of the Ottoman Empire	29 May 1555
• Vassal of the Russian Empire	25 April 1804
• Russian Annexation	20 February 1810
Preceded by Succeeded by Georgia Russia Abkhazia Svaneti Mingrelia Guria
Today part of	Georgia

Imereti was conquered by Giorgi the Brilliant, who was subject to the Mongols, and united Imereti with the east Kingdom of Georgia.[1] From 1455 onward, however, the kingdom became a constant battleground between Georgian, Persian and Turkish forces. Between 1555 and 1804 it was a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. On 25 April 1804 Solomon II of Imereti accepted Russian vassalage and in 1810 he was removed from the throne. During the time that Imereti was a vassal state, the Mingrelia, Abkhazia and Guria princedoms declared their independence from Imereti and established their own governments. In Persian - Azeri nomenclature the name of the region was changed to "baş açıq" which literally means "without a head scarf".[2]

Coat of arms of the Imereti Kingdom during the reign of King Solomon II, 1803

Kings of Imereti

First House of Imereti

• David I (1258–1293)
• Constantine I (1293–1326)
• Michael (1326–1329)
• Bagrat I (1329–1330)
• Vacant (1330–1387)
• Alexandre I (1387–1389)
• George I (1389–1396)
• Constantine II (1396–1401)
• Demetrius I (1401–1455), only recognized as Duke by Alexander I of Georgia

Second House of Imereti

• Demetrius II (1446–1452)
• Bagrat II (1463–1478)
• Alexander II (1478–1510)
• Bagrat III (1510–1565)
• George II (1565–1585)
• Leon (1585–1588)
• Rostom (1588–1589, 1590–1605)
• Bagrat IV (1589–1590)
• George III (1605–1639)
• Alexander III (1639–1660)
• Bagrat V (1660–1661, 1663–1668, 1669–1678, 1679–1681)
• Vakhtang Tchutchunashvili (1661–1663)[3]
• Archil (1661–63, 1678–79, 1690–91, 1695–96, 1698)
• Demetre (1663–1664)[3]
• George IV (1681–1683)[3]
• Alexander IV (1683–1690, 1691–1695)
• Simon (1699–1701)
• George V (1696–1698)[3]
• Mamia (1701–02, 1711, 1713)[3]
• George VI (1702–1707)[3]
• George VII (1707–11, 1712–13, 1713–16, 1719–1720)
• George VIII (1716)[3]
• Alexander V (1720–1741, 1741–1746, 1749–1752)
• George IX (1741)
• Mamuka (1746–1749)
• Solomon I (1752–1766, 1768–1784)
• Teimuraz (1766–1768)
• David II (1784–1789, 1790–1791)
• Solomon II (1789–1790, 1792–1810)

Heads of House of Imereti after 1815

Since Solomon II of Imereti had no sons, he proclaimed Prince Constantine, son of king David II of Imereti, and his male-line senior descendants as heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Imereti.

• Hereditary Prince Constantine (I) (1815–1844), son of king David II
• Constantine (II) (1844–1885), son of Prince Constantine (I)
• Mikheil (1885–1888), son of Prince Constantine (II)
• George (I) (1888–1932), son of Prince Mikheil
• George (II) (1932–1972), son of Prince George (I), had no issue
• Constantine (III) (1972-1978), young brother of George (II)
• Princess Thamar (would have been Head of House from 1978), daughter of Prince Mikheil Imeretinsky (1900-1975), younger brother of Constantine (III)

After the death of Hereditary Prince Constantine (III) (1898–1978), because the male-offspring of this branch came to end, the headship of the House of Bagrationi-Imereti transmitted to Prince Irakli Bagrationi (1925–2013), son of Prince Grigol, the male-line descendant of Prince Bagrat, younger brother of King Solomon I of Imereti (1752–1784).

• Irakli Bagrationi (1925–2013)
• David Bagrationi (born 1948) (2013–2017), transmitted his headship to his son
• Irakli Bagrationi (born 1982) (from 2017)

References

1. D.M.Lang - Georgia in the Reign of Giorgi the Brilliant (1314-1346), Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 17, pp. 74-91
2. Vladimir Minorsky , La Perse au XV siècle entre la Turquie et Venice, Translation to Persian language , page 36
3. Non-Bagrationi monarch.