Levan ( ka, ლევანი) (1573–1590), of the

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 ...

, was a

king of Imereti The Kingdom of Imereti ( ka, იმერეთის სამეფო, tr) was a Georgian monarchy established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagrationi when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Im ...

from 1585 to 1588.

Life

Levan succeeded on the death of his father,

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

, in 1585 when he was twelve years old. With his ascend to the throne, Leon faced a revolt by his own uncle, Constantine, who defied the royal authority and took control of Upper Imereti. Leon made an alliance with the Mingrelian prince Mamia IV Dadiani, married his sister Marekhi, and forced Constantine to surrender in 1587. A year later, Imereti was invaded by Simon I, the resurgent king of

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 rol ...

in eastern Georgia, who sought to reunify all Georgian lands under his crown. Leon was forced to flee to the highland province of

Lechkhumi Lechkhumi (Georgian language, Georgian: ლეჩხუმი, ''Lečxumi'') is a historic province in northwestern Georgia (country), Georgia which comprises the area along the middle basin of the Rioni river, Rioni and Tskhenistskali and also th ...

, but was soon able to resume the throne after Simon had to return to Kartli. However, Leon soon quarreled with his brother-in-law Mamia IV Dadiani who defeated the king and imprisoned him at Fort Shkheti, Mingrelia, where he died in 1590.

References

* Вахушти Багратиони (Vakhushti Bagrationi) (1745)
История Царства Грузинского: Жизнь Имерети
1573 births 1590 deaths Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Imereti Kings of Imereti Eastern Orthodox monarchs {{Georgia-royal-stub