![]() ![]() The Russians were too preoccupied with the Seven Years' War to seriously consider Teimuraz’s idea. In 1760, he visited the Russian court himself to gain a support for his project of a Georgian expedition to Persia to put a Russian candidate on the shah’s throne. He sent an embassy to St Petersburg in 1752, but nothing came of this mission. ![]() Like several previous Georgian rulers, he hoped that the expanding Russian Empire would be the only protector for the Christians of Caucasus against the Ottoman and Persian aggressions. He fought then against the Dagestani clansmen who frequently raided the Georgian marchlands, but without complete success. From 1749 to 1750, they checked several attempts of Persian pretenders to create their powerbase in the eastern Transcaucasia, and made the neighbouring khanates of Yerevan, Ganja, and Nakhichevan their tributaries. The rulers of Kartli and Kakheti took advantage of the situation and expelled all Persian garrisons from their kingdoms. The shah was, however, murdered in 1747, and his empire became engulf into complete chaos. Nader Shah ordered 30,000 Persian troops to move into Georgia and entrusted a Georgian convert (and a former anti-Persian leader) Amilakhvari with the punitive operation. ![]() With their power growing increasingly stronger, Teimuraz and Erekle soon repudiated their allegiance to the Persian suzerain. Both monarchs were crowned at the Cathedral of the Living Pillar ( Svetitskhoveli) at Mtskheta on October 1, 1745. Most importantly, they were recognised as Christian kings for the first time since 1632. For his service against the Ottomans and an anti-Persian revolt, in 1744, Teimuraz was confirmed by the shah as king of Kartli, and his son Erekle was given a Kakhetian crown, thus laying the ground for the eventual reunification of these Georgian kingdoms. As a reward, the shah abolished, in 1742, a heavy tribute laid upon Kakheti, and helped Teimuraz to subdue autonomous duchies of the Aragvi and the Ksani in 17 respectively. Teimuraz, aided by his son Erekle II, was able to crush the rebels led by Givi Amilakhvari. The uprising now turned into a brutal civil war between pro- and anti-Persian factions. In 1738, the shah had to release Teimuraz to counter the Georgian opposition, and made him governor of Kakheti, while his son Erekle II campaigned with Nader in India. In October 1735, Teimuraz escaped to the mountains of Kakheti and fomented unrest against the Persian rule, but he was captured by the close of 1736.ĭuring these years, part of Georgian nobles staged a powerful rebellion against the Persian regime. Kakheti was placed under the nominal government of Teimuraz's Muslim nephew Ali Mirza. Nader summoned Teimuraz to his headquarters at Erivan and, upon his refusal to convert to Islam, had him detained. In July 1735, the resurgent Persian ruler Nader Shah Afshar invaded Kakheti and forced the Turks out of most of eastern Georgia. His successor, Teimuraz, fled to the mountains of Pshavi and fought the occupants from there. In 1732, the Turks killed the next king and Teimuraz’s other brother, Constantine, and took control of his kingdom. Together with his mother, Teimuraz ruled as regent for his absent brother David II (Imam Quli-Khan) from 1709 to 1715. He was a son of Erekle I and his wife Anna. Teimuraz II ( Georgian: თეიმურაზ II) (1680/1700–1762) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kakheti, eastern Georgia, from 1732 to 1744, then of Kartli from 1744 until his death. Ascension Cathedral in the Astrakhan Kremlin, Astrakhan, Russian Empire ![]()
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