Simon ( ka, სიმონი) (died 1701), 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

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 1699 to 1701. An illegitimate son of

Alexander IV of Imereti Alexander IV ( ka, ალექსანდრე IV, ''Alek'sandre IV'') (died 1695), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti (western Georgia) from 1683 to 1690 and again from 1691 to 1695. Reign A natural son of Bagrat V of Imereti, h ...

, he was brought up at the court of Erekle I of Kartli, while Imereti was embroiled in the civil war among several claimants to the throne. In 1699, the Ottoman government sponsored a coup against King

Archil of Imereti Archil ( ka, არჩილი) (1647 – April 16, 1713), of Bagrationi dynasty, king of Imereti in western Georgia (1661–1663, 1678–1679, 1690–1691, 1695–1696, and 1698) and of Kakheti in eastern Georgia (1664–75). After a series of ...

and installed Simon as king. The latter married Anika, daughter of the powerful prince

Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze ( ka, გიორგი-მალაქია აბაშიძე, died October 15, 1722) was a Georgian nobleman and King of Imereti as George VI (or George V) from 1702 to 1707. He was a member of the prominent Abas ...

, but soon the prince and his second daughter Tamar (widow of Alexander IV) expelled Simon back 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 rol ...

. With the support of

Mamia III Gurieli Mamia III Gurieli ( ka, მამია III გურიელი), also known as Mamia the Great Gurieli (დიდი გურიელი, ''Didi Gurieli'') or the Black Gurieli (შავი გურიელი, ''Shavi Gurieli'') (died 5 J ...

prince of Guria The Principality of Guria ( ka, გურიის სამთავრო, tr) was a historical state in Georgia. Centered on modern-day Guria, a southwestern region in Georgia, it was located between the Black Sea and Lesser Caucasus, and was r ...

, Simon managed to stage a comeback and married Mamia's sister. However, Prince Abashidze promised Mamia the Imeretian crown and had Simon assassinated in his palace in 1701. Simon's death and the continuing power struggle in Imereti would trigger an Ottoman invasion of western Georgia in 1703.

References

* Вахушти Багратиони (Vakhushti Bagrationi) (1745)
История Царства Грузинского: Жизнь Имерети
*

David Marshall Lang David Marshall Lang (6 May 1924 – 20 March 1991), was a Professor of Caucasian Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was one of the most productive British scholars who specialized in Georgian, Armenian and ...

, ''The Last Years of the Georgian Monarchy, 1658-1832''. New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

, 1957. 17th-century births 1701 deaths Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Imereti Kings of Imereti Eastern Orthodox monarchs Illegitimate children of Georgian monarchs {{Georgia-royal-stub