George X ( ka, გიორგი X, tr; 1561 – 7 September 1606), of the Bagrationi royal dynasty, was a

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

(''

mepe ''Mepe'' (Old Georgian: ႫႴ; ka, მეფე ; ) is a royal title used to designate the Georgian monarch, whether it is referring to a king or a queen regnant. The title was originally a male ruling title. Etymology The word is derived from ...

'') of the eastern Georgian kingdom of

Kartli Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial rol ...

from 1599 until his death.

Life

George was the eldest son of

Simon I of Kartli Simon I the Great ( ka, სიმონ I დიდი, tr), also known as Svimon ( ka, სვიმონი, tr; 1537 – 1611), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgia (country), Georgian List of monarchs of Georgia, king (''mepe'') of Kingd ...

and his wife, Nestan-Darejan of Kakheti. George fought alongside his father against the Ottoman occupation forces since 1598. He held power after Simon was taken captive by the Turks at the Battle of Nakhiduri in 1599. George attempted several times, though vainly, to ransom his father (who would die as a prisoner in 1612) from captivity and even offered to the

Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...

his son as hostage. He soon returned to his struggle against the Ottomans and recovered Lorri in 1601. In 1602, when the

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Abbas I resumed a war against the Ottomans, George sided with the Persians and led the Georgian auxiliary troops which took part in the conquest of

Erivan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

in 1603/1604. As a reward, Abbas I granted Giorgi X a minor possession in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. In exchange, the shah asked for an area in the

Debed River The Debed () or Debeda ( ka, დებედა) is a river in Armenia and Georgia (country), Georgia. It also serves as a Armenia–Georgia border, natural boundary between Armenia and Georgia at the village Sadakhlo, Georgia. The Debed is lon ...

valley in the strategic Lorri district. Abbas I populated this territory with members of the

Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...

tribe

Borchali The Borchaly ''uezd'' was a county (''uezd'') of the Tiflis Governorate of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, and later of the independent and Soviet republics of Georgia. Its administrative center was the town of Shulavery (present- ...

. Finally, the Shah permitted Giorgi X to return to Kartli. He was the first king of Kartli who attempted to establish diplomatic ties with the northern co-religionist power of

Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 *Muscovy duck (''Cairina mosch ...

. George decided even to give his daughter Elene to the

Czar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...

in marriage. However, unstable political situation in both countries terminated these contacts. According to Georgian chronicles, George X died suddenly, from a sting on his tongue, after biting into a cake with a

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

in it, at Mejvriskhevi, 1606. There have also been some speculations that the king was poisoned on the orders of the Persian Shah Abbas I. He was buried at

Mtskheta Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა} ) is a city in the Mkhare, region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia (country), Georgia. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is locat ...

Family

George married on 15 September 1578, Mariam (Tamar) (died c. 1614), daughter of Giorgi I Lipartiani, of the

Dadiani The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Mingrelia. The House of Dadiani T ...

dynasty. Their children were: #

Luarsab II Luarsab II the Holy Martyr ( ka, ლუარსაბ II; 1592 – 21 June ( O.S.), 1 July ( N.S.), 1622) was a Georgian monarch who reigned as king (''mepe'') of Kartli (eastern Georgia) from 1606 to 1615. He was a member of the Bagrationi dyna ...

(1592-1622, r. 1606-1615), King of Kartli. #David (born c. 1595), who disappeared while on a mission to rescue Simon I from the Turkish captivity. #

Elene ''Elene'' is a poem in Old English, that is sometimes known as ''Saint Helena Finds the True Cross''. It was translated from a Latin text and is the longest of Cynewulf's four signed poems. It is the last of six poems appearing in the Vercelli ma ...

(1591-?), affianced to

Feodor II of Russia Feodor II Borisovich Godunov (; 1589 – ) was Tsar of all Russia from April to June 1605, at the beginning of the Time of Troubles. Life Fyodor II was born in Moscow, the son and successor to Boris Godunov. His mother Maria Grigorievna Skura ...

. # Khorashan (died 1658), second wife of

Teimuraz I of Kakheti Teimuraz I ( ka, თეიმურაზ I; 1589–1663), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgian monarch ('' mepe'') who ruled, with intermissions, as King of Kakheti from 1605 to 1648 and also of Kartli from 1625 to 1633. The eldest son of ...

. #Tinatin (Lela; known as Fatma Sultan Begum and possibly as Gulchara in Iran) was given in marriage in 1604 to Shah Abbas I, who divorced her after the execution of her brother Luarsab II and married her of to Paykar Khān Igīrmī Dūrt, Khan of Barda and governor of Kakheti (1620–1625).

References

Sources

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External links

Giorgi X (In Georgian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:George 10 Of Kartli Kings of Kartli Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Kartli 1560s births 1606 deaths Burials at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral 16th-century people from Safavid Iran 17th-century people from Safavid Iran