Constantine II ( ka, კონსტანტინე II, ''Konstantine II'') (died 1401), of the

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 ...

, was king of

Western Georgia West Georgia may refer to: *University of West Georgia, a public university in Carrollton, Georgia, U.S. **West Georgia Wolves, athletic teams of the University of West Georgia * West Georgia Technical College, a community college in Waco, Georgia, ...

from 1396 until his death in 1401.

Biography

Constantine was born sometime after 1358 into the family of Bagrat I, then duke (and ex-king) of Imereti, and his wife, a

Jaqeli The House of Jaqeli ( ka, ჯაყელი) was an old Georgian princely family ('' mtavari'') and a ruling dynasty of the Principality of Samtskhe, an offshoot of the House of Chorchaneli. History "Jaqeli", literally meaning "of/from Jaqi ...

noblewoman 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 ...

. He was a younger brother of two successive kings of Imereti,

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

and

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George of Beltan (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

, who had broken away from the

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...

during Timur's invasions of that country. After the death of George I in the battle with Vameq I Dadiani, Duke of Mingrelia, in 1392, Constantine and his nephew, Demetrius, son of Alexander, fled to the

Caucasian mountains The Caucasus Mountains * * Azerbaijani: , * * * * * * * * * * * is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...

, while Imereti was reintegrated by

George VII of Georgia George VII ( ka, გიორგი VII, tr) (died 1405 or 1407) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was king (''mepe'') of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1393 until his death in 1407 (alternatively, from 1395 to 1405). Early life George born in the 1360s, ...

. In 1396, Constantine took advantage of George VII's continuous war with Timur—in which a great number of Imeretians died—and the death of Vameq Dadiani and returned to Imereti. He conquered a number of fortresses in the country and proclaimed himself king. Subsequently, he attempted to win over the dukes of Mingrelia and

Guria Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''mkhare'') in Georgia (country), Georgia, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has a population of 104,338 (2023), with Ozurgeti as the regional cap ...

, and the

Svans , native_name = , native_name_lang = , image = File:Kartvelian languages.svg , caption = Distribution of the Svan language in relation to other Kartvelian (South Caucasian) languages. , population = –80,000 ...

, but he was killed in 1401. As Constantine was childless, the crown of Imereti was to be passed on to his young and weak nephew, Demetrius, but Imereti was reconquered by George VII of Georgia.

References

Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Imereti 1401 deaths Year of birth unknown 14th-century people from Georgia (country) Kings of Imereti 15th-century people from Georgia (country) {{Georgia-royal-stub