Simon II ( ka, სიმონ II), also known as Svimon or Semayun Khan (born c. early 1610s – died 1630), was a

Persia 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 ...

n-appointed

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 ...

(actually,

khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

) 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 role ...

, eastern

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 1619 to 1630/1631.

Life

A son of Bagrat Khan, Simon was a Georgian

convert Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. He was brought up

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 ...

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

. On the death of his father in 1619, Simon, still in his minority, was installed by

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 ...

Abbas I as a khan of Kartli. A Georgian noble, also a convert,

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 ...

, was appointed as a ''vekil'' (

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

) and

vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

to him. Largely unpopular with his

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

subjects, Simon's "khanate" never stretched beyond the 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 the

Lower Kartli Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი, az, Aşağı Kartli) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region (mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital. Location Kvem ...

province, where the districts of

Somkhiti Somkhiti ( ka, სომხითი ) was an ambiguous geographic term used in medieval and early modern Georgian historical sources to refer to Armenia on one hand and to the Armeno-Georgian marchlands along the river valleys of Debed and Khr ...

and Sabaratiano were occupied by Persian forces. In March 1625, Saakadze sided with the opposition in Kartli and the neighbouring

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 ...

. He led Georgian forces that destroyed a Persian army at the

Battle of Martqopi The Battle of Martqopi ( ka, მარტყოფის ბრძოლა) was a 1625 military confrontation between the Georgian Kingdom of Kartli and Safavid Iran. The Georgians, led by general Giorgi Saakadze, annihilated an Iranian detachm ...

. Simon and his Persians fled from Tbilisi to the fortress of

Aghjakala Gagi Fortress ( ka, გაგის ციხე; also known as ''Aghjakala'') is an 11th-century historic fortress in Marneuli Municipality, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus ...

in Lower Kartli: the rebels gave Kartli to

Teimuraz I of Kakheti Teimuraz I ( ka, თეიმურაზ I) (1589–1663), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a Georgian monarch who ruled, with intermissions, as King of Kakheti from 1605 to 1648 and also of Kartli from 1625 to 1633. The eldest son of David I and ...

. On July 1 of 1625, the Persians defeated the Georgians at the

Battle of Marabda The Battle of Marabda took place on 30 June 1625, or July 1, 1625, "Marabda, Battle of (1625)", in ''Historical Dictionary of Georgia'', by Alexander Mikaberidze (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) p. 454 "Iranian Conflict 1609-25", in ''Early Modern War ...

. A Persian general,

Isa Khan Isa Khan (c. 1529 – September 1599) was a Muslim Rajput zamindar who was one of the Baro Bhuiyans (twelve landlords) and a Zamindar of Khizirpur in 16th-century Bengal. Throughout his reign he resisted the Mughal empire invasion. It was on ...

, reinstated Simon in Tbilisi, but significant parts of Kartli remained under the control of Teimuraz and Saakadze. Shah Abbas utilised the rivalry among the rebel leaders to divide them. Soon after 1626, one of the rebel nobles and a powerful mountain lord, Zurab, Duke of Aragvi defected to Simon. Zurab later made a secret alliance with the insurgents. In 1630, he murdered the sleeping khan. Zurab sent Simon's severed head to Teimuraz, who later regained authority in Kartli.

Family

Simon was married to Jahan Banu Begum, granddaughter of Shah Abbas I by his daughter Fatima Sultan Begum.Willem Floor,Edmund Herzig
''Iran and the World in the Safavid Age''
I.B.Tauris, 2015 p 484 They probably had one daughter Princess Izz-i-Sharif Begum, who was married off to the Safavid prince Sayyid Abdullah al-Husaini al- Marashi, son of Mirza Muhammad Shafi. Their eldest son in turn, Sayyid Mirza Muhammad Daud al-Husaini al-Marashi (Isfahan, 25 January 1655 - 1715), Mutawali of the Shrine of the Imam Reza at Mashhad, married Princess Shahr Banu Begum, the daughter of Safavid king Suleiman I.

References

External links

Svimon II (In Georgian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon 02 Of Kartli 1610s births 1630 deaths Converts to Shia Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy Former Georgian Orthodox Christians Safavid appointed kings of Kartli Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Kartli 17th-century murdered monarchs Iranian people of Georgian descent Shia Muslims from Georgia (country) People from Isfahan 17th-century people of Safavid Iran Murder in 1630