Constantine II ( ka, კონსტანტინე II, tr) (c. 1447 – 1505), of the
Bagrationi dynasty, was a 23rd
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and last of United
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
from 1478 until his death. Early in the 1490s, he had to
recognise the independence of his rival rulers of
Imereti
Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...
and
Kakheti
Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region (mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eigh ...
, and to confine his power to
Kartli
Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role ...
. In 1505, Constantine II died, and was succeeded by his son
David X
David X ( ka, დავით X) (1482–1526) was a king of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1505 to 1525. Life
David was the eldest son of Constantine II, whom he succeeded as king of Kartli in 1505. Although Constantine had recognised the i ...
.
Life
Constantine II was the son of
Prince Demetrius. In 1465, together with his uncle, the Georgian king
George VIII, Constantine was taken prisoner by the rebel prince
Qvarqvare II Jaqeli,
atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was wit ...
of
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 the ...
(principality in southern Georgia). He managed, however, to escape the captivity, and taking opportunity of the Imeretian king
Bagrat VI’s absence at the campaign in Kartli, vainly attempted to seize control of the Imeretian capital
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...
. Despite the failure, he considered himself king and later won some power in Kartli. However, only with Bagrat’s death in 1478 was Constantine able to drive out Bagrat’s son,
Alexander II, and become king of Georgia, though already fragmentised and torn apart with the bitter civil wars. In 1483, he was defeated by Qvarqvare II of Samtskhe at the
Battle of Aradeti. Alexander took advantage and established himself in Imereti but lost Kutaisi to Constantine again in 1484. In the winter of 1488, the
Ak Koyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu ( az, Ağqoyunlular , ) was a culturally Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''Military Transition in Early Modern Asia, 1400–1750'', (Bloomsbury, 2014), 38; "Post-Mongol Persia and Iraq were ruled by two tribal confederations: Akkoyunlu (Wh ...
Turkomans led by
Sufi Khalil Beg Mawsilu
Sufi Khalil Beg Mawsilu (died 1491) was a Turkoman military officer from the Mawsillu clan, who served the Aq Qoyunlu. He was one of the leading figures during the reign of Sultan Ya'qub Beg (), and played a pivotal role in the succession strug ...
attacked Georgia’s capital
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
, and took the city after a long-lasted siege in February 1489. Though the foreign occupation of the capital did not last long, the situation was immediately exploited by Alexander who seized control of Kutaisi and the rest of Imereti. From 1490 to 1493, Constantine was compelled to ''de jure'' recognise his cousin
Alexander I of Kakheti
Alexander I ( ka, ალექსანდრე I ) (1445 or 1456 – April 27, 1511), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1476 to 1511. Alexander's pliancy and flexible diplomacy earned him security from th ...
and Alexander II of Imereti as independent sovereigns and to grant Qvarqvare II significant autonomy. Constantine himself was left with Kartli as the extent of his kingdom. Thus, by the end of the 15th century, Georgia was divided into three independent kingdoms (
Kartli
Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role ...
,
Kakheti
Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region (mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eigh ...
, and
Imereti
Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...
) and five autonomous principalities (
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 the ...
,
Mingrelia
Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელო, tr; xmf, სამარგალო, samargalo; ab, Агырны, Agirni) is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelian ...
,
Guria
Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''mkhare'') in Georgia, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has a population of 113,000 (2016), with Ozurgeti as the regional capital.
Geography
...
,
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
, and
Svaneti
Svaneti or Svanetia (Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia (country), Georgia. It is inhabited by the Svans, an ethnic subgroup of Georgians.
Geography
Situated o ...
).
Between 1492-1496, Constantine attempted to win an international support to reunite the country and defend it against the increasingly aggressive
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
empires of
Ottoman Turkey
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
and
Safavid Iran
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
. For this purpose, Georgian ambassadors were sent to the
Burji sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
Qaitbay
Sultan Abu Al-Nasr Sayf ad-Din Al-Ashraf Qaitbay ( ar, السلطان أبو النصر سيف الدين الأشرف قايتباي) (c. 1416/14187 August 1496) was the eighteenth Burji Mamluk Sultan of Egypt from 872 to 901 A.H. (1468–14 ...
, and also to
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
and
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...
. The embassies, however, proved to be fruitless.
Upon the death of Qvargvare II's son Kaikhosro I, only two years after he ascended the throne of the Samtskhe principality, he was succeeded by his equally "pious" brother Mzechabuk. At the same time, the Iranian Safavids, led by the emerging king (
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 ...
)
Ismail I
Ismail I ( fa, اسماعیل, Esmāʿīl, ; July 17, 1487 – May 23, 1524), also known as Shah Ismail (), was the founder of the Safavid dynasty of Safavid Iran, Iran, ruling as its King of Kings (''Shahanshah'') from 1501 to 1524. His re ...
were tempted to loot the feudal state, if only to distract himself from his main quarry;
Shirvan
Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...
.
In the same year, in 1500, Ismail I baited Constantine as well as king
Alexander II of Imereti
Alexander II ( ka, ალექსანდრე II) (died April 1, 1510) was a king of Georgia in 1478 and of Imereti from 1483 to 1510.
Life
In 1478, his father Bagrat VI died and Alexander became king of Georgia, initially ruling its two ma ...
to attack Ottoman possessions located nearby
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
.
As a precaution, Ismail had Aleksander send his son Demetre to the
newly conquered region of
Shirvan
Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...
, where the prince negotiated a peace agreement. Ismail promised Constantine, that once Tabriz was captured, he would cancel the tribute Constantine still paid to the Ak Koyunlu Turcomans. Each Georgian ruler contributed 3,000 men to the existing Ismail's own 7,000,
and by 1503 they enabled him to recapture
Nakhchivan from the Ottomans. However, Ismail I broke his promise, and made Kartli and Kakheti his vassals.
Death
Constantine II died in 1505, leaving the throne to his son,
David X
David X ( ka, დავით X) (1482–1526) was a king of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1505 to 1525. Life
David was the eldest son of Constantine II, whom he succeeded as king of Kartli in 1505. Although Constantine had recognised the i ...
. As indicated by surviving church records, he might have abdicated the throne and retired to monastery under the name of Cyril in 1503 or 1504.
Marriage and children
Constantine II married in 1473 Tamar (died c. 1492). He had the following children:
*
David X of Kartli
David X ( ka, დავით X) (1482–1526) was a king of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1505 to 1525. Life
David was the eldest son of Constantine II, whom he succeeded as king of Kartli in 1505. Although Constantine had recognised the i ...
*
George IX of Kartli
George IX (Georgian: გიორგი IX, ''Giorgi IX'') (died 1539) was a king of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1525 to 1527 (or 1534).
The second son of the Georgian king Constantine II, he succeeded on the abdication of his elder brot ...
*
Bagrat I 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 ...
*Dimitri, co-king 1488–1490
*Vakhtang, fl. 1526
*Alexander, fl. 1526–1556, ancestor of the
Gochashvili The Gochashvili ( ka, გოჩაშვილი) were a Georgian noble family, a collateral branch of the royal Bagrationi dynasty of Kartli, which flourished from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century. It is now extinct.
History
The fa ...
family
*
Melchizedek II of Georgia Melchizedek II ( ka, მელქისედეკ I, tr; died 1553) was the Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia in the years of 1538–1541 or in the periods of 1528-1529, 1540-1545, and 1548-1552. He was a son of King Constantine II of Kartli
Con ...
,
Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia
''Catholicos-Patriarch'' has been the title of the heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1010. The first Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia was Melkisedek I (1010–1033). In the 15th century the Georgian Orthodox Church was divided into th ...
*Targamos, fl. 1517–1525
*Gulshar, married Prince Kakhaber
Chijavadze
Chijavadze ( ka, ჩიჯავაძე) or Chizhavadze (ჩიჟავაძე) were a Georgian noble family (''tavadi''), prominent in the western kingdom of Imereti in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Chijavadze of Imereti share origin wit ...
*Astandar, married Prince Manuchar N.
*Martha
References
Sources
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine 02 of Georgia
Kings of Georgia
Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Georgia
1440s births
1505 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Kartli
Eastern Orthodox monarchs
15th-century people from Georgia (country)
16th-century people from Georgia (country)