Constantine I ( ka, კონსტანტინე I, ''Konstantine I''; died 1327), from the House of Bagrationi, was king of the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti from 1293 to 1327.

Accession and civil war

A son of the Georgian king

David VI Narin David VI Narin ( ka, დავით VI ნარინი, tr) (also called ''the Clever'') (1225–1293), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1245–1293. From 1259 to 1293, he ruled the kingdom of Imereti under the name David ...

and his wife, Tamar Amanelisdze, or a Palaeologian princess. Constantine succeeded to the throne of Imereti upon his father's death in 1293. Unlike his eastern Georgian counterparts, Constantine remained independent from the Ilkhanid hegemony, but he faced serious internal unrest as his younger brother

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

opposed his accession and seized control of the regions of

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

, Lechkhumi, and Argveti. In vain did the nobles of Imereti try to reconcile the brothers and internecine conflict continued to upset the country. The great nobles took advantage of the situation to assert their autonomy.

Giorgi I Dadiani Giorgi I Dadiani ( ka, გიორგი I დადიანი; died 1323) was a member of the House of Dadiani and ''eristavi'' ("duke") of Odishi in western Georgia from the late 13th century until his death. The principal source on Giorgi Dad ...

, Duke of Mingrelia, subjugated much of the duchy of Tskhumi and expanded his possessions up to

Anacopia New Athos or Akhali Atoni ( ka, ახალი ათონი, ''Akhali Atoni''; ab, Афон Ҿыц, ''Afon Ch'yts''; russian: Новый Афон; ''Novy Afon'', gr, Νέος Άθως, ''Neos Athos'') is a town in the Gudauta ''raion'' of ...

. The Shervashidze entrenched in Abkhazia, the Gurieli in

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 ...

, and Vardanidze in Svaneti, showing little subservience to the royal authority. Constantine died amid these disturbances in 1327, having had no children, and his brother Michael succeeded him as king.

Culture

Constantine is known to have restored Monastery of the Cross in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to the Georgian ownership in 1305. He also had the monastery refurbished and repainted. His contributions are emphasized in a document instituting the

Agape feast An agape feast or lovefeast (also spelled love feast or love-feast, sometimes capitalized) is a communal meal shared among Christians. The name comes from ''agape'', a Greek term for 'love' in its broadest sense. The lovefeast custom originat ...

, in his own lifetime, on 21 May, the

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

. Constantine might have been an unidentified royal person depicted on a fresco in Ienashi in

Upper Svaneti Svaneti or Svanetia (Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia. It is inhabited by the Svans, an ethnic subgroup of Georgians. Geography Situated on the southern slop ...

. His links to that region is also known from a charter issued by Constantine to the Svan Goshkoteliani clan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine 01 Of Imereti Kings of Imereti 1327 deaths Year of birth unknown Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Imereti Eastern Orthodox monarchs 13th-century people from Georgia (country) 14th-century people from Georgia (country)