Darejan or Darya ( ka, დარეჯანი; , ''Darya Archilovna''; c. 1670 – 6 October 1740) was a daughter of Archil, sometime king of Imereti and of

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 ...

in western and eastern parts of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, respectively, by his wife Ketevan of Kakheti. In the 1680s, Darejan followed her parents and brothers into exile in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, where she lived a semi-secluded life, mostly at her family estate of

Vsekhsvyatskoye Vsekhsvyatskoye (), formerly a village outside Moscow, Russia; now a city neighbourhood in Sokol District, is known for its historic Brotherly Cemetery of Russian soldiers who died in World War One. The cemetery is also known for its mass graves ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, occupied in local charity and benevolence.

Engagement

At the age of 7, Darejan was affianced to the boy-prince Manuchar, a son of

Levan III Dadiani Levan III Dadiani ( ka, ლევან III დადიანი), born Shamadavle (შამადავლე) (died 1680) was Prince of Mingrelia, of the House of Dadiani, from 1661 to 1680. His reign unfolded against the background of a series ...

Prince of Mingrelia Principalities Princes and dukes of Guria *Kakhaber I Gurieli c. 1385–1410 * Mamia Gurieli c. 1450–1469 * Kakhaber II Gurieli 1469–1483 * Giorgi I Gurieli 1483–1512 * Mamia I Gurieli 1512–1534 * Rostom Gurieli 1534–1564 * Giorgi II Gu ...

. On this occasion, Manuchar arrived at the court of Darejan's grandfather, King Vakhtang V of Kartli, but, before the marriage could be consummated, the Mingrelians abducted him and brought back to his father upon being informed by

Bagrat V of Imereti Bagrat V ( ka, ბაგრატ V) (1620–1681), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king (''mepe'') of Imereti, whose troubled reign in the years of 1660–61, 1663–68, 1669–78, and 1679–81, was marked by extreme instability and feudal anarc ...

that Vakhtang V allegedly planned to send Manuchar as a hostage to

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 ...

Life in Russia

Darejan's family moved in Russia in 1684 and her father Archil finally established himself at Moscow after giving up all his claims to the crown of Imereti in 1699. Darejan succeeded in 1711 on the death of her brother Prince Alexander, a Russian army artillery commander, in the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

captivity, to the stewardship of the village of Vsekhsvyatskoye, now part of Moscow's

Sokol District Sokol District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the sixteen in Northern Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia.Law #13-47 The area of the district is As of the 2010 Census, the total population of the distri ...

, which had been granted upon the Georgian family by the Russian government in 1686. Darejan spent most of her subsequent life in this estate, turning it into a Georgian émigré colony in Russia. She never married and had no children. She refrained from the courtly life and even declined in 1722

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

's personal offer to take part in the celebrations on the occasion of the

treaty of Nystad The Treaty of Nystad, or the Treaty of Uusikaupunki, was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of Russia and the Swedish Empire on in the then Swedish town of Nystad (, in th ...

with Sweden. Yet, in the 1720s, she played a role in the diplomacy between her cousin,

Vakhtang VI of Kartli Vakhtang VI ( ka, ვახტანგ VI), also known as Vakhtang the Scholar, Vakhtang the Lawgiver and Ḥosaynqolī Khan (; 15 September 1675 – 26 March 1737), was a Georgian monarch (''mepe'') of the royal Bagrationi dynasty. He ru ...

, and the Russian government. Her estate hosted Grand Duchess Natalya Alexeyevna, who died there of measles in 1728, and

Anna Ioannovna Anna Ioannovna (; ), also russified as Anna Ivanovna and sometimes anglicized as Anne, served as regent of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Much of her administratio ...

, preparing for a stately entry into Moscow upon her selection as the empress of Russia in 1730. From 1733 to 1736, she sponsored the construction of the Church of All the Saints in Vsekhsvyatskoye, which is still extant. Darejan died in 1740 and was buried at the

Donskoy Monastery Donskoy Monastery () is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from the threat of an invasion by the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey. Commanding a highway to the Crimea, the monastery was intended to def ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darejan, Princess of Imereti 1670s births 1740 deaths House of Mukhrani (royal line) Princesses from Georgia (country) Expatriates from Georgia (country) in Russia 17th-century people from Georgia (country) 18th-century people from Georgia (country)