Archil Mukhranbatoni ( ka, არჩილ მუხრანბატონი; – 25 November 1582) was a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

nobleman of the

House of Mukhrani The House of Mukhrani is a Georgian princely family that is a branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi, from which it sprang early in the 16th century, receiving in appanage the domain of Mukhrani, in the Kingdom of Kartli. The family � ...

, a collateral branch of the royal

Bagrationi dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is som ...

. Archil was a son of

Bagrat I, Prince of Mukhrani Bagrat, Prince of Mukhrani ( ka, ბაგრატ I მუხრანბატონი, ''Bagrat I Mukhranbatoni''), (c. 1487 – c. 1540) was the third son of King Constantine II of Georgia, of the Bagrationi dynasty, and the founder of the Ho ...

, son of

Constantine II of Georgia Constantine II ( ka, კონსტანტინე II, tr) (c. 1447 – 1505), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a 23rd king and last of United Georgia from 1478 until his death. Early in the 1490s, he had to recognise the independence of h ...

, by his wife Elene. After Bagrat's resignation, Archil's elder brothers, Ashotan and Vakhtang, succeeded as princes of

Mukhrani Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანი, originally Mukhnari ��უხნარი i.e., " oak-grove") is a historical lowland district in eastern Georgia, currently within the borders of Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, north of the town of Mtskheta. It l ...

. Archil was actively involved in contemporary war and politics. During the Safavid invasion of Georgia in 1554, Archil joined his brothers in their exile at the court of their sister,

Dedisimedi Dedisimedi ( ka, დედისიმედი; died ) was a Georgian noblewoman of the House of Mukhrani, a collateral branch of the royal Bagrationi dynasty. She was princess consort of Samtskhe as wife of Kaikhosro II Jaqeli ( r. 1545–1573) ...

, in

Samtskhe Meskheti ( ka, მესხეთი) or Samtskhe ( ka, სამცხე) ( Moschia in ancient sources), is a mountainous area in southwestern Georgia. History Ancient tribes known as the Mushki (or Moschi) and Mosiniks (or Mossynoeci) were t ...

. Back to Kartli, Archil was allied with his cousin, King

Simon I of Kartli Simon I the Great ( ka, სიმონ I დიდი), also known as Svimon ( ka, სვიმონი) (1537–1611), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgian king of Kartli from 1556 to 1569 and again from 1578 to 1599. His first tenure w ...

, and perpetually challenged the Safavid control of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

, the capital of

Kingdom of Kartli The Kingdom of Kartli ( ka, ქართლის სამეფო, tr) was a late medieval/ early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centred on the province of Kartli, with its capital at Tbilisi. It emerged in the process of a triparti ...

, frequently raiding the city's environs. In one of such forays, a Safavid force from the Tbilisi citadel assaulted and defeated Archil at Sapurtsle. The prince and his family were captured and sent to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. After Simon I himself was brought captive to the

shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He was the eldest son of Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Ascending the throne after ...

and cast in the Alamut fortress, Archil and his family were imprisoned in

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

in 1573. Both Simon and Archil were released on the death of Tahmasp and returned to Kartli in 1576. Archil once again visited his sister in Samtskhe and died in that principality, at Atskuri, on 25 November 1582. Archil had three children: * Prince Erekle (29 March 1560 – 1605), Prince of Mukhrani. * Prince Husayn Beg. His son, Bakhuta, was killed on the order of

Rostom of Kartli Rostom or Rustam Khan ( ka, როსტომი or როსტომ ხანი) (1565 – 17 November 1658) was a Georgian royal, from the House of Bagrationi, who functioned as a Safavid-appointed vali (i.e. viceroy)/king of Kartli, e ...

. * Princess Elene ( fl. 1572).

References

1582 deaths House of Mukhrani 16th-century people from Georgia (country) Year of birth unknown Prisoners and detainees of Safavid Iran 16th-century people of Safavid Iran {{Georgia-noble-stub