Abuleti ( ka, აბულეთი) was a Georgian feudal lord of the

Abuletisdze The Abuletisdze family ( ka, აბულეთისძე) was a Georgian noble family – eristavs – with its most prominent members in the 12th and 13th century. The family held appanages in the valleys of Aragvi and Tedzami in the eastern ...

family and commander under the kings

David IV David IV, also known as David IV the Builder ( ka, დავით IV აღმაშენებელი, tr; 1073 – 24 January 1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th List of monarchs of Georgia, king (''mepe'') of the Kingdom of Ge ...

and Demetrius I. He was also governor of Ani from 1124 to 1126.

Biography

Abuleti was a loyal nobleman from

Kakheti Kakheti (; ) is a region of Georgia. Telavi is its administrative center. The region comprises eight administrative districts: Telavi, Gurjaani, Qvareli, Sagarejo, Dedoplistsqaro, Signagi, Lagodekhi and Akhmeta. Kakhetians speak the ...

, the founder of the

family, and a commander under the Georgian King

. In 1110, Abuleti, alongside

George of Chqondidi George of Chqondidi ( ka, გიორგი ჭყონდიდელი, ''Giorgi Chqondideli'') (died c. 1118) was a Georgia (country), Georgian churchman and court minister best known as a tutor and the closest adviser of King David IV (r. 1 ...

, Theodore, and Ivane I Orbeli, launched a successful retaliation against the

Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

settlement, recapturing the city of

Samshvilde Samshvilde ( ka, სამშვილდე, ) is a ruined fortified city and archaeological site in Georgia, in the country's south, near the homonymous modern-day village in the Tetritsqaro Municipality, Kvemo Kartli region. The ruins of the ...

, which was subsequently incorporated into the royal dominions without any significant battle. Following this victory, the Seljuks withdrew from much of their occupied territories, enabling Georgian forces to seize . In 1124, King David IV captured Ani and exiled Emir Abu'l-Aswar and his eight sons to

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

. King David IV then appointed Abuleti and his son Ivane as governors of Ani. In 1126,

Fadl Fazl () is an Arabic word meaning ''grace'' or ''virtue''. It may also be transliterated as Fadl, or with the addition of an extra vowel. It is used as a given name, and also as a constituent of several compound names.{{cite book, title=A Dictionar ...

, the son of Abu'l-Aswar, gathered troops from the Seljuk Sultan

Ahmad Sanjar Sanjar (, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (6 November 1086 – 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118,Demetrius I, did not send reinforcements to relieve the city, Abuleti, having learned of David IV's death and fearing the Turkish threat, surrendered Ani to Fadl. After the surrender of Ani, Abuleti and Ivane fled to

Dmanisi Dmanisi ( ka, დმანისი, tr, , ) is a town and archaeological site in the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia (country), Georgia approximately 93 km southwest of the nation’s capital Tbilisi in the river valley of Mashavera. Abandoned i ...

. The last mention of him is in 1131, when Abuleti's son Ivane conspired with King Demetrius' pretender half-brother,

Vakhtang Vakhtang ( ka, ვახტანგ) is a masculine Georgian given name of Persian language, Persian origin. Originally from "vahrka-tanū," meaning "wolf-bodied." Some sources argue that the meaning of the name could possibly be a representation ...

, to assassinate the king. Abuleti denounced his own son to the king, who responded decisively: Ivane was beheaded, and Vakhtang was blinded, ultimately leading to his death.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{Cite book , last=Baumer , first=Christoph , title=History of the Caucasus , publisher=Bloomsbury , year=2023 , isbn=9780755636303 Nobility of Georgia (country) Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 12th-century people from Georgia (country)