George I of Imereti

King of Western Georgia

George I

King of Western Georgia
Reign| 1389-1392
Predecessor| Alexander I
Successor| Annexation by Georgia
in 1396 Constantine II

Died| 1392
Dynasty| Bagrationi
Father| Bagrat I
Religion| Georgian Orthodox Church

George I (Georgian: გიორგი I, Giorgi I; died 1392), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Western Georgia from 1389 to 1392.

George was born into the family of Bagrat I, the duke (and ex-king) of Imereti, and his wife, of the Jaqeli family of Samtskhe. He succeeded as king of Imereti on the death of his elder brother, Alexander I, who had proclaimed himself king in opposition to King Bagrat V of Georgia during Timur's invasion of the country. Unlike his predecessor, George initially enjoyed more success in consolidating his power over Imereti; more fortresses were seized from Bagrat's loyalists and his protégé, Arsen, was installed as catholicos of the church in 1390. In 1392, he led his army to subdue Vameq I Dadiani, Duke of Mingrelia, but he suffered a crushing defeat and was killed on the battlefield. At Vameq's invitation, Bagrat V's son, George VII, occupied Imereti, reuniting it with the Kingdom of Georgia. George's brother, Constantine, and nephew, Demetrius, son of Alexander, fled to the North Caucasus, in the Balkar lands (Basiani of the Georgian sources).[1][2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Bagrationi, Vakhushti (1976). Nakashidze, N.T. (ed.). История Царства Грузинского [History of the Kingdom of Georgia] (PDF) (in Russian). Tbilisi: Metsniereba. p. 41.
2. ^ Toumanoff, Cyril (1949–51). "The Fifteenth-Century Bagratids and the Institution of Collegial Sovereignty in Georgia". Traditio. 7: 183.

Preceded by

Alexander I

|  King of Imereti
1389–1392  | Succeeded by

Annexation by Georgia

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