Beka I Jaqeli ( ka, ბექა I ჯაყელი) (c. 1240 – 1306) was a Georgian ruling prince ('' mtavari'') of

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 ...

(1285–1306).

Biography

His principality included Samtskhe, Adjara, Shavsheti, Klarjeti, Lazia (Chaneti),

Tao The Tao or Dao is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. T ...

, Kola, Artaani and most of Javakheti. His

realm A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire. Etymo ...

stretched from Tashiskari (modern Khashuri District) to Karnu-kalaki (now

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

) and the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. During his reign, Samtskhe-Saatabago existed as a politically independent entity from the Georgian Kingdom. Beka was a vassal of the

Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

, paid regular tributes and participated in their campaigns. Despite being independent, Samtskhe still maintained some kind of relations with Georgia and Beka himself was given a title of Mandaturukhutsesi (the elder - ''first in rank'' - Mandator) by Georgian king. Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, Volume 2, page 345-346, Tbilisi, 1977 At the time of Beka's rule, the Turks became more active the Southwest borders, from the

Sultanate of Rum The Sultanate of Rum was a culturally Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim state, established over conquered Byzantine territories and peoples (Rum) of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks following their entry into Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. ...

. After a series of invasions, he managed to fend off the attacks. Beka was a supporter of maintaining Georgian political influence over the

Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond or the Trapezuntine Empire was one of the three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire that existed during the 13th through to the 15th century. The empire consisted of the Pontus, or far northeastern corner of A ...

. For this cause, he married off his daughter Jiajak to the Trapezuntine Emperor Alexios II. Another daughter of Beka, - Natela, became the consort of Demetrius II of Georgia and bore him a son and the successor to the throne. After the execution of his father Demetrius by Mongols, future king

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

was raised by his grandfather at his court.

References

{{Authority control Atabegs of Samtskhe Nobility of Georgia (country) 13th-century people from Georgia (country) 14th-century people from Georgia (country) Military personnel from Georgia (country) House of Jaqeli 1240s births 1306 deaths