Vameq II Dadiani (also Vamiq; ka, ვამეყ ��ამიყII დადიანი; died 1482) was a member of the

House of Dadiani The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Mingrelia. The House of Dadiani Th ...

and ''

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 hierarch ...

'' ("duke") of

Odishi Odishi ( ka, ოდიში) was a historical district in western Georgia, the core fiefdom of the former Principality of Mingrelia, with which the name "Odishi" was frequently coterminous. Since the early 19th century, this toponym has been su ...

( Mingrelia) in western Georgia from 1474 until his death. Vameq was the younger son of Mamia II Dadiani, brother of Liparit I, and a paternal uncle of Shamadavle, on whose death he succeeded as duke of Mingrelia in 1474. The circumstances of Vameq's accession are not specifically mentioned in the Georgian sources, but the Venetian patrician Ambrogio Contarini, arriving in Mingrelia in July 1475, found the country in troubles occasioned by the death of its ruler. According to

Prince Vakhushti Vakhushti ( ka, ვახუშტი, tr) (1696–1757) was a Georgian royal prince (''batonishvili''), geographer, historian and cartographer. His principal historical and geographic works, '' Description of the Kingdom of Georgia'' and the ''G ...

's chronicle, Vameq's status was confirmed by his royal suzerain, King Bagrat II of Imereti. As Bagrat grew stronger by expanding his sway into eastern Georgia, over

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 ...

, Vameq was anxious to protect his autonomy from the crown. In 1477, he took advantage of Bagrat's absence in Kartli and, in alliance with the Abkhazians and Gurians, attacked Imereti. Defeated by the returning king, Vameq sued for peace and begged Bagrat to leave him as duke in exchange of an oath of loyalty. Bagrat granted his pardon and had Vameq accompany him in a renewed campaign in Kartli. Bagrat's death in 1478 provided Vameq with the opportunity to avenge his humiliation by undermining an attempt by the late king's 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 ...

, to seize the crown and aiding the rival monarch,

Constantine II of Kartli Constantine II ( ka, კონსტანტინე II, tr) (c. 1447 – 1505), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a 23rd List of the Kings of Georgia, king and last of United Georgia (country), Georgia from 1478 until his death. Early in the 1 ...

, in taking hold of Imereti in 1479. Vameq died in 1482 and was succeeded by his grandnephew, Liparit II Dadiani.

References

{{s-end 15th-century people from Georgia (country) House of Dadiani 1482 deaths