Alexander II of Kakheti
Alexander II | |
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King of Kakheti | |
1st Reign | 1574–october 1601 |
Predecessor | Levan of Kakheti |
Successor | David I of Kakheti |
2nd Reign | 21 october 1602 - 12 march 1605 |
Predecessor | David I of Kakheti |
Successor | Constantine I of Kakheti |
Born | 1527 |
Died | 12 March 1605 Dzegami |
Spouse | Tinatin Amilakhvari |
Issue | David I of Kakheti Constantine I of Kakheti |
Dynasty | Bagrationi dynasty |
Father | Levan of Kakheti |
Mother | Tinatin Gurieli |
Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church |
Khelrtva |
Alexander II (
Early reign and political alliances
Alexander was a son of King Levan of Kakheti by his first wife Tinatin Gurieli. Upon Levan's death in 1574, Alexander secured his succession in a power struggle with his half-brothers – El-Mirza and Kaikhosro – and their party. He was aided by his kinsman and western neighbor, David XI of Kartli (Daud Khan), who sent auxiliary troops under the princes Bardzim Amilakhvari and Elizbar of the Ksani, and helped Alexander crush the opponents at the Battle of Torgi.
Alexander II continued a traditional policy of his predecessors aimed at keeping peace with the neighbors of Kakheti. This, for the time being, secured the economic stability and prosperity in the kingdom. However, he faced a difficult task of maneuvering between the Ottomans and Safavid Iran as both empires vied for the hegemony in the Caucasus. Although Alexander was initially a vassal, at least nominally, of the Safavids, he repudiated his allegiance to the Shah of Iran and accepted the Ottoman suzerainty when the latter empire gained the upper hand in 1578. The move did not prevent, however, Kakheti from being attacked by the mountainous subjects of the Shamkhal of Tarki who was apparently instigated by the Ottoman agents. Alexander decided to resume his father's efforts to establish alliance with the Tsardom of Russia. After exchanging ambassadors in 1586–1587, Alexander received the protection of Tsar Feodor I of Russia, signing the Book of Pledge in 1589. Russian troops were sent against the shamkhal in a brief campaign of 1592. Little else came of the Russian promises, leading to a series of complaints by Alexander to the tsar's ambassadors.[1]
Between 1596 and 1597, envoys of Alexander II, Simon I of Kartli, and Manuchehr of Samtshke arrived at the Safavid court, including slave boys and girls, who were entertained by Prince Constantine (also known as Kunstandil), the son of Alexander II himself, who had been brought up at the Safavid court.[2]
Downfall
In October 1601, Alexander's son,
Back in Kakheti, Alexander found a new Russian embassy requesting his support in a projected campaign against the shamkhal. The Russian envoys had already been favorably received by Alexander's son,
Family
Alexander II was married to Tinatin, daughter of Prince Bardzim Amilakhvari, who bore him five or six sons and two daughters:
- Erekle (1568–1586)
- David I of Kakheti (1569–1602)
- George (1570–1605)
- Constantine I (1571–1605)
- Rostom (died 1579)
- Anton (died 1590), not mentioned in Cyril Toumanoff's traditional genealogy
- Anna; married Bagrat VII of Kartli
- Nestan-Darejan (died 1591); married Manuchar I Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia
- Tinatina, married in 1579 Sultan Hamza Mirza (1566–1586), a son of Shah Mohammad Khodabanda.[citation needed]
Ancestry
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References
- ^ ISBN 0-253-20915-3
- ISBN 1780769903p 481
- ^ Blow 2009, p. 78.
- Вахушти Багратиони (Vakhushti Bagrationi) (1745)."История царства грузинского. Возникновение и жизнь Кахети и Эрети. Ч.1". Archived from the original on 2010-09-05. Retrieved 2010-09-05.) . Accessed October 5, 2007.
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Sources
- Blow, David (2009). Shah Abbas: The Ruthless King Who became an Iranian Legend. London, UK: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. LCCN 2009464064.