Vakhtang V ( ka, ვახტანგ V), born Bakhuta Mukhranbatoni ( ka, ბახუტა მუხრანბატონი) (1618 – September 1675), was the
King of Kartli (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 1658 until his death, who ruled as a vassal
wali
A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...
for the
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
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 ...
. He is also known under the name of Shah Nawaz, which he assumed on being obliged outwardly to conform to
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 ...
.
Life
The son of
Teimuraz I, Prince of Mukhrani Teimuraz I ( ka, თეიმურაზ I მუხრანბატონი, ''T'eimuraz I Mukhranbatoni'') (16 July 1572 – 1 July 1625) was a Georgian ''tavadi'' ("prince") of the House of Mukhrani, a collateral branch of the royal Bagratio ...
, Vakhtang was the first Georgian ruler of the
Mukhrani
Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანი, originally Mukhnari უხნარი i.e., " oak-grove") is a historical lowland district in eastern Georgia, currently within the borders of Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, north of the town of Mtskheta. It l ...
an branch of the
House of Bagrationi, and succeeded his cousin, David, as the Lord of Mukhrani (''Mukhranbatoni'') in 1629. He was adopted, in 1653, by the childless ruler of Kartli,
Rostom Khan, as his heir and successor to the throne. Vakhtang went to Persia, in 1654, to be confirmed by
Abbas II, accepted Islam and took the name Shah Nawaz. He lived for some time in Persia at the court of Abbas, with whom he enjoyed great favour. As regent, he actually ran the government in the last years of Rostom, succeeding him as wali/king of Kartli in 1658.
Vakhtang V (Shahnawaz) followed the policy of his predecessor, managing to maintain a peaceful relationship with his Persian suzerains and to revive the economy of Kartli. Upon his accession, he made efforts to bring other Georgian polities under his control. In 1659, he had
Zaal of the Aragvi, an anti-Persian rebel lord and virtual ruler of 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 ...
, assassinated and confiscated a large portion of his estates. Shahnawaz then intervened in bitter power struggles in western Georgia; he allied himself with the princes of
Mingrelia
Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელო, tr; xmf, სამარგალო, samargalo; ab, Агырны, Agirni) is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelian ...
,
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
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
, and put his son,
Archil, on the throne of
Imereti
Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...
in 1661, but after the intervention of 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, ...
was to recall his son and to place him, with the shah’s permission, on the throne of Kakheti in 1664. In 1674,
Erekle I
Heraclius I ( ka, ერეკლე I, Erekle I; ) or Nazar Alī Khān (; ) (1642–1709), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgian monarch who ruled the kingdoms of Kakheti (1675–1676, 1703–1709) and Kartli (1688–1703) under the protect ...
, a grandson of the late king
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 a ...
, returned from exile in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
to claim his succession. He was soon summoned to Iran by Shah
Suleiman I. Archil thought that the shah would install Erekle as King of Kakheti and therefore attempted, though vainly, to seize the throne of Imereti. Unsuccessful in his efforts, he then fled, together with his brother,
Luarsab, to Ahiska (
Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe ( ka, ახალციხე ), formerly known as Lomsia ( ka, ლომსია), is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region (''mkhare'') of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is situated on both banks of a small river Potskhovi (a left ...
) in Ottoman territory. The shah reacted to this by ordering Shahnawaz to
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 ...
. Shahnawaz left his son,
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
, to rule Kartli and himself began his journey to Persia. He died, however, on the road at Khoskaro,
Ganja
Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: aːɲd ...
, in September 1675, and was buried in
Qum
Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...
,
Iran
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 ...
.
Family and children
Vakhtang was married twice. His first wife was Rodam
Kaplanishvili-Orbeliani, daughter of Prince Kaplan
Baratashvili
Baratashvili ( ka, ბარათაშვილი) is a Georgian noble family, appearing at the end of the 15th century as a continuation of the Kachibadze (ქაჩიბაძე), which were possibly related to the Liparitids-Orbeli.
The ...
and founder of the Orbeliani family. At the insistence of the shah of Iran, Vakhtang had to divorce, with great reluctance, Rodam on his accession to the throne of Kartli, to marry
Mariam Dadiani
Mariam Dadiani ( ka, მარიამ დადიანი; born between 1599 and 1609; died 1682) was a daughter of Manuchar I Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia, by his second wife, Tamar Jaqeli. Thrice married, successively to Simon I Gurieli, P ...
, (died 1682), widow of his adopted father Rostom. Rodam became a nun under the name of Catherine and died at Tbilisi in 1691. All of Vakhtang's children were mothered by Rodam. These were:
*
Archil (1647–1713), sometime king of Kakheti and of Imereti.
*
George XI (Gurgin Khan; 1651–1709), king of Kartli.
*
Levan (Shah-Quli Khan) (c. 1653–1709), regent of Kartli.
* Alexander (Iskander Mirza; fl. 1666 – 1697), a darogha (prefect) of the Persian capital Isfahan in 1667. Married Mehr Sharf Begum, a daughter of Izz-i-Sharf and Mirza Abdollah al-Husayni al-
Marashi.
*
Luarsab (died 1698), whose natural son,
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
(died 1711), was a Safavid commander in Afghanistan.
* Solomon (Suleiman Mirza; died 1703), who was married to Tamar, daughter of Shalva, Duke of Ksani, and had a son, Oman;
* An anonymous daughter, who married, in 1655, Zurab, Duke of Aragvi (died 1661).
* Anuka (died 1697), who was sent in the harem of
Shah Abbas II
Abbas II (; born Soltan Mohammad Mirza; 30 August 1632 – 26 October 1666) was the seventh Shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1642 to 1666. As the eldest son of Safi and his Circassian wife, Anna Khanum, he inherited the throne when he was ni ...
in 1660. After Abbas's death, his successor
Shah Suleiman I gave Anuka in marriage to
Shah Verdi Khan Shah Verdi Khan was the last atabeg of Lesser Luristan of the Khorshidi dynasty.
Shah Verdi Khan was the husband of a Safavid princess who was the daughter of Prince Badi al-Zaman Mirza who is the son of Prince Bahram Mirza who is the son of Shah ...
of
Luristan to the chagrin of Anuka's brother George XI of Kartli.
* Tamar (died 1694), who married, in 1661, Prince Givi Amilakhvari (c. 1634 – 1700) and had five children. She became a nun in her widowhood under the name of Gaiane.
* Elene.
References
Sources
*
*
Political history of Georgia 1658–1703 excerpt from
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 an ...
, The Last years of the Georgian Monarchy, 1658–1832
Vakhtang V (In Georgian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vakhtang 05 Of Kartli
1618 births
1675 deaths
17th-century people from Georgia (country)
House of Mukhrani
Regents of Georgia
Safavid appointed kings of Kartli
Converts to Shia Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy
Former Georgian Orthodox Christians
Muslims from Georgia (country)
Iranian people of Georgian descent
Burials in Iran
17th-century people of Safavid Iran