Constantine I ( ka, კონსტანტინე I, ''Konstantine I''; died 1327), from 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 from 1293 to 1327.

Accession and civil war

A son of the Georgian king David VI Narin and his wife, Tamar Amanelisdze, or a Palaeologian princess. Constantine succeeded to the throne of Western Georgia upon his father's death in 1293. Unlike his eastern Georgian counterparts, Constantine remained independent from the

Ilkhanid 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 ...

hegemony, but he faced serious internal unrest as his younger brother

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

opposed his accession and seized control of the regions of

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

Lechkhumi Lechkhumi ( ) is a historic province in northwestern Georgia (country), Georgia which comprises the area along the middle basin of the Rioni river, Rioni and Tskhenistskali and also the Lajanuri river valley. Now part of the Racha-Lechkhumi and K ...

, and Argveti. In vain did the nobles of Imereti try to reconcile the brothers and internecine conflict continued to upset the country. The great nobles took advantage of the situation to assert their autonomy. Giorgi I Dadiani, Duke of Mingrelia, subjugated much of the duchy of Tskhumi and expanded his possessions up to Anakopia. The Sharvashidze entrenched in

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 ...

, the

Gurieli The House of Gurieli () was a Georgia (country), Georgian princely (''mtavari'') family and a ruling dynasty (dukes) of the southwestern Georgian province of Guria, which was autonomous and later, for a few centuries, independent. A few ducal ru ...

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 Vardanidze in

Svaneti Svaneti (Svan language, Svan: შუ̂ან, ლემშუ̂ანიერა; ''shwan, lemshwaniera'', and Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia (country), Georg ...

, showing little subservience to the royal authority. Constantine died amid these disturbances in 1327, having had no children, and his brother Michael succeeded him as king.

Culture

Constantine is known to have restored Monastery of the Cross in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

to the Georgian ownership in 1305. He also had the monastery refurbished and repainted. His contributions are emphasized in a document instituting the

Agape feast (; ) is "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for uman beingsand of uman beingsfor God". This is in contrast to , brotherly love, or , self-love, as it embraces a profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists regar ...

, in his own lifetime, on 21 May, the

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

Constantine the Great 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 ...

. Constantine might have been an unidentified royal person depicted on a fresco in Ienashi in Upper Svaneti. His links to that region is also known from a charter issued by Constantine to the Svan Goshkoteliani clan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine 01 Of Imereti Kings of Imereti 1327 deaths Year of birth unknown Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Imereti 13th-century people from Georgia (country) 14th-century people from Georgia (country)