Archil Mukhranbatoni ( ka, არჩილ მუხრანბატონი; – 25 November 1582) was a Georgian nobleman of the

House of Mukhrani The House of Mukhrani is a Georgia (country), Georgian princely family that is a branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi, from which it sprang early in the 16th century, receiving in appanage the domain of Mukhrani, in the Kingdom of Kart ...

, a collateral branch of the royal

Bagrationi dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal family, royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia (country), Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christianity, Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In ...

. Archil was a son of Bagrat I, Prince of Mukhrani, son of Constantine II of Georgia, by his wife Elene. After Bagrat's resignation, Archil's elder brothers, Ashotan and Vakhtang, succeeded as princes of

Mukhrani Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანი, originally Mukhnari ��უხნარი i.e., "oak-grove") is a historical lowland district in eastern Georgia (country), Georgia, currently within the borders of Mtskheta-Mtianeti mkhare, region, north o ...

. Archil was actively involved in contemporary war and politics. During the

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

invasion of Georgia in 1554, Archil joined his brothers in their exile at the court of their sister, Dedisimedi, in

Samtskhe Meskheti ( ka, მესხეთი ) or Samtskhe ( ka, სამცხე ), also known as Moschia in ancient sources, is a mountainous area in southwestern Georgia. History Ancient tribes known as the Mushki (or Moschi) and Mosiniks (or Mo ...

. Back to Kartli, Archil was allied with his cousin, King

Simon I of Kartli Simon I the Great ( ka, სიმონ I დიდი, tr), also known as Svimon ( ka, სვიმონი, tr; 1537 – 1611), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgia (country), Georgian List of monarchs of Georgia, king (''mepe'') of Kingd ...

, and perpetually challenged the Safavid control of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

, the capital of

Kingdom of Kartli The Kingdom of Kartli ( ka, ქართლის სამეფო, tr) was a late medieval and early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centred on the province of Kartli, with its capital at Tbilisi. It emerged in the process of a tripar ...

, frequently raiding the city's environs. In one of such forays, a Safavid force from the Tbilisi citadel assaulted and defeated Archil at Sapurtsle. The prince and his family were captured and sent to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. After Simon I himself was brought captive to the

shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 until his death in 1576. He was the eldest son of Shah Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Tahmasp ascended the throne after the ...

and cast in the

Alamut Alamut () or Rudbar () is a region in Iran including western and eastern parts on the western edge of the Alborz (Elburz) range, between the dry and barren plain of Qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of the Mazandaran provin ...

fortress, Archil and his family were imprisoned in

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

in 1573. Both Simon and Archil were released on the death of Tahmasp and returned to Kartli in 1576. Archil once again visited his sister in Samtskhe and died in that principality, at Atskuri, on 25 November 1582. Archil had three children: * Prince Erekle (29 March 1560 – 1605), Prince of Mukhrani. * Prince Husayn Beg. His son, Bakhuta, was killed on the order of

Rostom of Kartli Rostom or Rustam Khan ( ka, როსტომი or როსტომ ხანი; c. 1565 – 17 November 1658) was a Georgian royal, from the House of Bagrationi, who functioned as a Safavid-appointed vali (i.e. viceroy)/king ('' mepe'') ...

. * Princess Elene (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1572).

References

1582 deaths House of Mukhrani 16th-century people from Georgia (country) Year of birth unknown Prisoners and detainees of Safavid Iran 16th-century people from Safavid Iran {{Georgia-noble-stub