Teimuraz I ( ka, თეიმურაზ I მუხრანბატონი, ''T'eimuraz I Mukhranbatoni'') (16 July 1572 – 1 July 1625) was a Georgian ''

tavadi ''Tavadi'' ( ka, თავადი, "prince", lit. "head/chief" an from ka, თავი ''tavi'', "head", with the prefix of agent ''-di'') was a feudal title in Georgia (country), Georgia first applied in the Late Middle Ages usually trans ...

'' ("prince") 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 ...

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 ...

, and Prince ('' Mukhranbatoni'') 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 ...

from 1580 until his death. At the same time, he was an ''

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 ...

and regent of Kartli, from 1623 to 1625, during the rebellion against

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 ...

Iran. Teimuraz was killed at the battle of Marabda against the Iranian punitive army.

Early life

Teimuraz was the eldest son of Vakhtang I by his wife, Khvaramze. Vakhtang's other known sons were Kaikhosro (died 3 October 1629) and Bagrat (born 16 July 1572). According to

Cyril Toumanoff Cyril Leo Toumanoff ( ka, კირილ თუმანოვი; ; 10 October 1913 – 4 February 1997) was a Georgian-American historian, and academic genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armen ...

's hypothesis, Teimuraz and Bagrat were the same person, the latter being a name adopted by the prince on his accession to the lordship of Mukhrani. When his father died in 1580, the lordship of Mukhrani passed to the late prince's nephew and Teimuraz's uncle, Erekle I (died 1605), apparently, in the capacity of a regent for the underage Prince Teimuraz. During this period of time, Kartli was a battleground between the rivaling Muslim empires, the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

and the Safavids. In 1582, Mukhrani itself became the scene of a major confrontation in which 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 ...

inflicted defeat on the invading Ottoman army.

War and death

In 1609, Teimuraz was in person present at the battle of Tashiskari, in which the Kartlians under Giorgi Saakadze annihilated an Ottoman-allied Crimean Tatar force, saving the young king Luarsab II of Kartli. After the Safavid shah Abbas I militarily subjugated eastern Georgia in 1615, a succession of puppet Muslim rulers was installed to rule Kartli, but their authority was shaky in the areas other than the heavily Iranian-garrisoned capital,

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 ( ...

, and the districts of Lower Kartli. That vacuum of power was temporarily filled by the nobility of Kartli by appointing Teimuraz as regent in 1623. In 1625, Teimuraz joined an uprising against the Safavid hegemony led by Giorgi Saakadze. Shah Abbas dispatched a large punitive army which clashed with the united forces of Kartlians and Kakhetians at Marabda on 1 July 1625. According to the 18th-century chronicler

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

, Teimuraz was killed while gallantly fighting the enemy. A word spread out that the fallen Teimuraz was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, turning the Georgians into flight and their initial success into a rout.

Marriage and children

Teimuraz I married Ana (died 1624), daughter of Nugzar, Duke of Aragvi of the

House of Sidamoni The House of Sidamoni ( ka, სიდამონი) was a noble family (tavadi) in Georgia (country), Georgia, their principal line known as Aragvis Eristavi (არაგვის ერისთავი) by virtue of being eristavi (“dukes� ...

. They had six children: * Vakhtang V (1618–1675), adopted son of King Rostom and his successor to the throne of Kartli. *

Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

(fl. 1622 – 1667), Prince of Mukhrani. * Archil (fl. 1637). * Erakle (fl. 1676). * Davit (fl. 1631). * Luarsab (died 1629). * Darejan, who was married to Prince Kaikhosro Baratashvili, a high courtier killed on the order of King Rostom in 1647.

References

{{s-end 1572 births 1625 deaths House of Mukhrani Regents of Georgia 16th-century people from Georgia (country) 17th-century people from Georgia (country)