Nugzar Aragvis Eristavi ( ka, ნუგზარ არაგვის ერისთავი) 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 ...

duke (''

eristavi ''Eristavi'' (; literally, "head of the nation") was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine ''strategos'' and normally translated into English as "prince" or less commonly as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, i ...

'') of the

Duchy of Aragvi The Duchy of Aragvi ( ka, არაგვის საერისთავო) was an important fiefdom in medieval and early modern Georgia, strategically located in the upper Aragvi valley, in the foothills of the eastern Greater Caucasus cres ...

from 1600 to 1611. He was the nephew of the previous duke, Avtandil I. Nugzar was a boy when his uncle died, and he was still young as well when he got control over the duchy from his "illegitimate cousins". In his early years as duke, Nugzar managed to force

Mtiuleti Mtiuleti ( ka, მთიულეთი; literally, "the land of mountains") is a historical province in eastern Georgia, on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. It primarily comprises the White Aragvi Valley, and is bordered by ...

into submission. In 1578,

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 wa ...

(Shahnavaz Khan) was released from captivity by his

Safavid 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 ...

overlords in order to fight the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

during the Ottoman–Safavid War of 1578–1590. Some months after however, he took revenge on allies of Nugzar – the ''eristavi'' of

Ksani The Ksani (, , ''Ĉysandon'') is a river in central Georgia, which rises on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in South Ossetia and flows into the Kura (''Mtkvari''). It is long, and has a drainage basin of .

as well as the Amilakhori family, in retaliation for their behavior during Simon I's first tenure as ruler of Kartli. In 1580, Simon I defeated

Alexander II of Kakheti Alexander II ( ka, ალექსანდრე II) (1527 – March 12, 1605) of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1574 to 1605. In spite of a precarious international situation, he managed to retain relative ...

, whom Nugzar was dependent on, but Nugzar himself apparently managed to evade Simon I's wrath. During

David I David I may refer to: * David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399 * David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741) * David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881) * David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048) * David I of Scotland (di ...

's brief usurpation of the Kakhetian kingdom (1601-1602), Nugzar was defeated by David. Soon after however, Nugzar switched his allegiance to

George X of Kartli George X ( Georgian: გიორგი X, ''Giorgi X'') (c. 1561 – 7 September 1606), of the Bagrationi royal dynasty, was a king of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1599 until his death. Life George was the eldest son of Simon I ...

. The latter had promised Nugzar a daughter in marriage to his eldest son, Baadur (Bahadur). During the Ottoman–Safavid War of 1603–1618, Safavid king Abbas I (r. 1588-1629) summoned George X and Nugzar, but he later sent them both back to Kartli in order to bolster their defences. In 1610, when Nugzar received his son-in-law

Giorgi Saakadze Giorgi Saakadze the Grand Mouravi ( ka, გიორგი სააკაძე) (c. 1570 – October 3, 1629) was a Georgian politician and military commander who played an important but contradictory role in the politics of the early 17th-cent ...

(Mūrāv-Beg), he was reportedly the master of all lands situated between the three Aragvi streams. His last appearance in the records is in 1611. Nugzar I had two sons; Baadur and Zurab (Sohrab). Baadur succeeded Nugzar as ''eristavi'' of the duchy, who in turn was succeeded by

Zurab Zurab ( Georgian: ზურაბ) is a Georgian masculine given name. It derives from the Persian Sohrab, a name of the legendary warrior from Ferdowsi's ''Shahnameh''. It may refer to: *Zurab Adeishvili (born 1972), Georgian jurist and politicia ...

(1619–1629).

References

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* * * 16th-century people from Georgia (country) 17th-century people from Georgia (country) 17th-century deaths Nobility of Georgia (country) 16th-century people of Safavid Iran 17th-century people of Safavid Iran {{Georgia-bio-stub