Mamuka ( ka, მამუკა მუხრანბატონი; ''Mamuka Mukhranbatoni''; died 1751) was a Georgian prince and the head of the

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

. He was Prince ('' batoni'') of

and ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

'' commander of the

Banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

Shida Kartli Shida Kartli ( ka, შიდა ქართლი, , ; "Inner Kartli") is a landlocked administrative region (''Mkhare'') in eastern Georgia. It comprises a central part of the historical-geographic province of Shida Kartli. With an area of , S ...

from 1730 and 1735. Having taken part in a rebellion against

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

's Persia, Mamuka had to take refuge in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, where he pursued a military career. He was known as Mehmed Bek to the Persians and as Mamuka Davydov () to the Russians. Mamuka was a son of Erekle II, Prince of Mukhrani. He assumed the headship of the house of Mukhrani in 1730 or 1734, when the Kingdom of Kartli was in a state of turmoil and occupied by the Ottoman army. As the Persians began to gain an upper hand in eastern Caucasia, the Georgian nobility became divided on how to deal with the reemerging regional power. Mamuka joined the dignitaries such as

Givi Amilakhvari Givi Amilakhvari ( ka, გივი ამილახვარი) (1689–1754) was a Georgia (country), Georgian nobleman (''tavadi'') with a prominent role in the politics of eastern Georgia in the first half of the 18th century. He waged a le ...

Shanshe, Duke of the Ksani Shanshe, Duke of Ksani ( ka, შანშე ქსნის ერისთავი) (born end of 17th century – died 1753), was a nobleman and politician from Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. From 1718 was Duke of Ksani. In 1719 he rebelled agai ...

, and

Vakhushti Abashidze Vakhushti Abashidze ( ka, ვახუშტი აბაშიძე; fl. 1709 – died 1751) was a Georgia (country), Georgian nobleman, prominent in the politics of the Kingdom of Kartli and one of the leaders of an insurrection against the Iran ...

in opposition to the Persian hegemony, but he was taken prisoner and sent to fight in the Persian ranks against the

Afghans Afghans (; ) are the citizens and nationals of Afghanistan, as well as their descendants in the Afghan diaspora. The country is made up of various ethnic groups, of which Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks are the largest. The three main lan ...

in 1735. He managed to escape and fled to the Russian Empire, where he adopted the surname Davydov, a reference to his family's claim of Davidic descent. In 1738, Mamuka and his fellow Georgian exiles opted for joining the Russian service and formed a Georgian Hussar Company, which was later reorganized into a regiment. Mamuka was appointed the unit's first commander with the rank of a captain and rewarded with an estate in what is now

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. He took part in the concluding phase of the 1735–39 war with the Ottoman Empire and retired in 1741. Mamuka was married to a daughter of King

George VII of Imereti George VII ( ka, გიორგი VII; alternatively known as George VI) (died February 22, 1720), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was king (''mepe'') of Imereti (western Georgia) in the periods of 1707–11, 1712–13, 1713–16, and 1719–1720. ...

; no children of his are known.

References

{{authority control 1751 deaths House of Mukhrani 18th-century people from Georgia (country) Expatriates from Georgia (country) in Russia 18th-century military personnel from the Russian Empire