Sua Altezza Reale il Principe Irakli David Bagrationi di Imereti (Imeretinsky), indiscusso Capo della Casa Reale dell’antico Regno di Imerezia e legittimo pretendente al Trono della Georgia unita, è stato ricevuto da Sua Santità il Catholicos Elia II, Patriarca della Chiesa Apostolica Ortodossa di Georgia, che ha ufficialmente riconosciuto il suo ruolo, benedicendo anche i nuovi statuti del riorganizzato Ordine del Giuramento (Oath), ordine cavalleresco nobiliare cristiano, sistema premiale della dinastia Bagrationi di Imereti.
Il giovane principe Irakli, persona molto seria e religiosa, è, da tempo, indicato quale migliore erede al trono della Georgia, dalla stragrande maggioranza dei nobili e dei monarchici georgiani, ed ora, ha ricevuto anche la simbolica benedizione ed il riconoscimento ufficiale della potente Chiesa Ortodossa che, da sempre, sostiene il ripristino della monarchia.
La storia della Georgia ortodossa, dei suoi regni e dei suoi sovrani, dei suoi cavalieri e della sua nobiltà, è molto complessa, poco conosciuta e decisamente diversa dai canoni classici del sistema cavalleresco feudale dell’Europa occidentale, sia cattolica che protestante. Come nella antica Russia, in Georgia non esistevano altri titoli che quello principesco e di semplice nobile (Aznauri), le gerarchie erano regolate da un complicato sistema di parentele e precededenze (simile a quello dei klan scozzesi), ed i Bagrationi erano una grande e nuerosa famiglia allargata, con più rami, di cui ben cinque sovrani autonomi di piccoli stati. Non esistevano ordini cavallereschi veri e propri, tantomeno onorificenze, ma gruppi di cavalieri sotto giuramento, che, dai loro sovrani, ricevevano non medaglie ma terre, cavalli e spade.
The
House of the Bagratids (early forms – Baghadat – Bivritian) originated in from region Speri ( now is Ispir region in Turkey). During
different historical periods, Speri was under political and cultural influence
of Kingdoms of Urartu, Colkhida, Iberia, Armenia, Roman and Iranian Empires.
The
earliest Georgian forms of the dynastic name are Bagratoniani, Bagratuniani and
Bagratovani, changed subsequently into Bagrationi.
In ancient Armenian
Kingdom the Bagratid princes held the hereditary Armenian titles of Aspet,
which means Master of the Horse, and T'agatir, which means Coronant of the
King.
Before the second
half of the 9th century the Bagratids were presiding princes in Iberia and
Armenia. In Armenia and Georgia the Bagratids were elevated to the kings in the 9th century.
After 1045 the last
kingdom of Armenian Bagratids ceases to exist. And Georgian Bagratids besides
“Georgian” titles also take the title of “king of Armenians”.
In Armenian
historiography the Georgian branch of Bagratids Dynasty is called as “Northern Branch” (“Bagratids
of Tao”, “Bagratids of Artanuji”), unlike the Armenian branches of dynasty -
“Bagratids of Ani” , “Bagratids of Kars” and “Bagratids of Lori” ( Kvirikyans).
Two branches of
Bagratids are considered in Georgia. The first branch ruled over the princedom
of Odzrkhe (southern Georgia) in 5-6 centuries during the reign of Iberian king
Vakhtang Gorgasali. The second line of Bagratids- restored the Georgian royal
authority in 888 and Presiding prince Adarnase takes title of “king of
Iberians/Georgians”.
In 11th century
also exists the “Alanian/Ossetian branch” of Georgian Bagratids. David Soslan -
the second husband of the king Tamar of Georgia (1184-1213) is representative
of this branch.
The legend of the
Davidic origin of the Georgian Bagratids was a further development of the
earlier claim entertained by the Armenian dynasty, as given in the work of the
Armenian author Moses of Khorene.
The dynasty claimed
descent from the biblical king and prophet David and came from Palestine around
530 AD. The tradition had it that of seven refugee brothers of the Davidic
line, three of them settled in Armenia and the other four arrived in Kartli
(also known as Iberia), where they intermarried with the local ruling houses
and acquired some lands in hereditary possession.
King Bagrat III (975-1014)
becomes the first king of united Georgian kingdom – united realm of Abasgia
(Abkhazia) and Kartli (Iberia).
The Golden Age in
Georgian history is connected with Kings David the Builder (1089-1125), Tamar the
Great (1184-1213), George V the Brilliant (1299-1302, 1314-1346).
George VIII
(1417–1476), son of the King Alexander I
(1412-1442) was the last king of
the united Georgia, though his kingdom was already fragmentized and dragged
into a fierce civil war, from 1446 to 1465.
Defeated by his
rivals, he was left with an eastern province Kakheti alone, where he reigned as
George I from 1465 until his death, founding a Kakhetian branch of the
Bagrationi royal house.
Constantine II (1478-1505)
- son of the Royal Prince Demetrius, grandson of Royal Prince David, uncle’s of
King Aleksander I of united Georgia (1412-1442), was a king of Georgia since
1478. He unsuccessfully attempted to reunite the kingdom under his ruling.
Bagrat VI (1466-1478)
– son of Royal Prince George, the young brother of King Aleksander I of united
Georgia (1412-1442), was proclaimed as king of Georgia in 1465, but remained
mostly in western Georgia. He founded the Imeretian cadet branch of the
Bagrationi royal house.
In the 1490s, he had
to recognize the independence of his rival relatives - kings of Imereti and
Kakheti, and to confine his power to Kartli. In 1505, Constantine II died, and
was succeeded by his son David X.
The young son of Constantine
II (1478-1505) Bagrat, Prince of Mukhrani is the founder of Princely House of
Mukhrani. In 1646 the childless King
(Khan) Rostom of Kartli had adopted Bakhuta from House of Mukhrani as his heir
and successor to the throne, known as
Vakhtang V (Shakh- Navaz).
Regarding the
descendents of Bagrat VI (I) (1466-1478) from the “Imeretian branch” :
After Bagrat VI (I) (1466-1478),
his son Alexander II (1484-1510) succeeded to the throne after struggle against
rival king Constantine II.of Kartli ;
After Alexander II
(1484-1510) his son Bagrat II of Imereti (1510-1565) succeeded to the throne.
After Bagrat II of
Imereti (1510-1565) his son George II of Imereti (1565-1583) succeeded to the
throne.
After George II of
Imereti (1565-1583) his son Levan of
Imereti (1583-1590) succeeded to the throne.
After Levan of
Imereti (1583-1590), Rostom (1590-1604) - grandson of Bagrat II of Imereti
(1510-1565), son of Royal prince Constantine took the throne.
After Rostom of
Imereti (1590-1604) his son George III of Imereti (1604-1639) succeeded to the
throne.
After George III of
Imereti (1604-1639) his son Alexander III of Imereti (1639-1660) succeeded to
the throne.
After Alexander III
of Imereti (1639-1660) his son Bagrat III of Imereti (1660-61; 1663-68; 1669-78;
1679-81) succeeded to the throne.
All period of reign
of Bagrat III, his son Alexander, grandson Simon and grand grandson George was
marked by extreme instability and feudal anarchy in the kingdom.
Alexander IV of
Imereti (1683-90; 1691-95) – natural son of Bagrat III seized the Crown.
Simon of Imereti
(1698-1701) - son of Alexander IV of Imereti (1683-90; 1691-95) seized the
Crown.
George VI of Imereti
(1703-11; 1712-13; 1714-16; 1719-20) – son of Simon of Imereti (1698-1701)
seized the Crown.
After George VI of
Imereti (1703-11; 1712-13; 1714-16; 1719-20) his son Alexander V of Imereti
(1720-52) succeeded to the throne.
In 1741 Alexander V
was outset in the Ottoman-sponsored coup and his brother George VII was seized
the Crown. After one year, the Crown was regained by Alexander V.
George VII’s son –
David ( David II) also ruled the kingdom in 1784-89; 1790-91. Russian Emperor
bestowed the title of “Serene Prince” to descendents of this line. This branch
of Bagrationi of Imereti is now-extinct.
After Alexander V of
Imereti (1720-52) his son Solomon I of Imereti (1752-84) succeeded to the
throne.
Solomon I of Imereti
named his heir David, his brother’s -
Archil’s son ( the last king of Imereti Solomon II (1789-1810)).
****
HRH Bagrat (1741–1800) was
a Georgian royal prince (batonishvili) of the Bagrationi dynasty of Imereti. He
was the common ancestor of all male-line descendants of the kings of Imereti,
surviving into the 21st century.
Royal Prince Bagrat was a young son of King Alexander V of Imereti by his
wife, Tamar née Abashidze. He was, thus, a younger brother of King Solomon I of
Imereti and an uncle of Solomon II, the last reigning monarch of Imereti. Royal
Prince Bagrat was married to Mariam
(1741–1820), daughter of Prince Giorgi, Eristavi of Guria. He had two children:
Prince Simon (born 1771) a natural son and David
(1781-1820), a son by Princess Mariam.
According to the
charter of Royal Prince Bargat all his patrimony inherited to Simon, his
elder son and other descendents of Royal Prince Bagrat (at the time of writing of charter, Prince David was not
yet born). Charters of Kings Solomon I and Solomon II testifies that Prince
Simon unless his natural origin was recognized in status of Royal Prince and
descendant of Kings
****
Simon (born 1771) was an elder son of Royal Prince Bagrat. Supposedly,
after death of Simon, the documents regarding the leadership between the
descendants of Bagrat were falsificated
by his young brother David.
Simon had one son, Rostom, whose
descendants, in contrast to the scions of the Imeretian royals, were not
recognized in princely rank by the Russian Empire after its annexation of
Imereti in 1810. Instead, they were reduced to the rank of untitled nobility
(aznauri) with the surname of Bagrationi and are mentioned as such in the list
of the Imeretian nobility confirmed by the tsar in 1850. Rostom and his
descendants had a several attempts to regain their rank as descendants of kings
of Imereti.
The familial village
is Gvankiti, in Imereti.
***
Rostom (1791 – c. 1840) was a son of
Prince Simon. In 1819, Rostom, aged
20, joined his cousins, David and Vakhtang, in a revolt against the Russian
Empire, which had absorbed Imereti in 1810. Rostom was captured and, together with his family, sent in exile to
Russia proper, where he was enlisted as a private in the Sumsky Hussar
Regiment.
Rostom was married to Princess Elisabed Mkheidze (1794–1862) and had 5
children: with her:
Simon (born 1812); Mzekhatun (born 1814);Irine (born 1816); Ephrosine (born
1818); Anastasia (Pakhua) (born 1820).
Rostom is sometimes confused with his namesake Imeretian prince, who was a
natural son of David II of Imereti and ancestor of the Imeretian family of
Bagration-Davydov.
***
Simon Bagrationi (born 1812) was a son of Royal Prince Rostom of Imereti and Princess Mkheidze.
He was eight years old, when his father Rostom joined an anti-Russian rebellion of the
Imeretian nobles and Simon had to
share with Rostom a deportation to
Russia proper.
He married Princess
Tatia Tsereteli (born 1813) and had 3 children with her:
Olga (born 1843); Rostom Bagrationi (born 1845); Mariam
(born 1848).
***
Rostom Bagrationi (born 1845) was son of Simon
Bagrationi and Princess Tatia Tsereteli.
Prince Rostom had 8 children: Ana; Mariam; Pepo;
Nodar (born 1874); Simon (1875-1951);Nino (born 1878); Grigol Bagrationi (1885-1937); Agraphina (1885-1989).
***
Grigol Bagrationi (1885-1937) was a seventh child of Rostom Bagrationi. He married Nadezhda Asatiani (1890-1944) and
they had 4 children:
Aleksandre
(1918-1940); Mery (born 1921); Irakli
Bagrationi (1925–2013);Tsiala (born 1928). Grigol
was killed by Bolsheviks in 1937.
***
Irakli Bagrationi (1925-2013) was the head of the Imeretian Bagrations
from 1937 after his father was killed by Bolsheviks. Irakli married Zinaida
Maskharashvili (born 1926) and they have 3 children: Nargiz Bagrationi (born
1946); David Bagrationi (born 1948);
Maia Bagrationi (born 1953).
***
HRH David Bagrationi (born 1948) is
the elder member of the House of Bagrationi of Imereti. David married Irina Kobakhidze (born
1951) and they have 3 children: HRH Ketevan Bagrationi (born 1979);HRH Tamar
Bagrationi (born 1981) and HRH Irakli
Bagrationi (born 1981), future successor and head of House of Imereti.
***
HRH Irakli Bagrationi (born 1981)
is the current head of the House of Bagrationi of Imereti. After extinct of
male-line of descendants of the main branch ( Kakhetian) of Bagrationi, HRH
Irakli Bagrationi becomes the crown-prince
of the Kingdom of all Georgia.
HRH Irakli finished school in Ghvankiti, Terjola Municipality.
He has BA and MA from Georgian Technical University in automotive engineering.
