David VI of Georgia

David VI Narin (also called the Clever) (1225–1293), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was joint king (mepe) of Georgia with his cousin David VII from to 1246 to 1256. He made secession in 1259, and from 1259 to 1293, ruled a Kingdom of Western Georgia under the name David I, while his cousin David VII continued to rule in a reduced Kingdom of Georgia (1256–1329) in eastern Georgia, under Mongol control.

Life

The son of Queen Rusudan by her Seljuk husband, Ghias ad-din, David was crowned at Kutaisi, as joint sovereign by his mother in 1230. Fearing that her nephew David would claim the throne at her death, Rusudan held the latter prisoner at the court of her son-in-law, the Seljuk sultan Kaykhusraw II, and in 1243 sent her son David to the Mongol court of Batu Khan in Karakorum to get official recognition as heir apparent. She died in 1245, still waiting for her son to return. He was retained for three years at the Mongol court in Karakorum, until he was able to attend the enthronement of Guyuk Khan with his cousin David VII in August 1246.

He developed friendly relations with the Golden Horde and the Bahri dynasty of Egypt, and repulsed the Ilkhanate attacks. In 1269, David gave shelter to Teguder, relative of the Chagatai Baraq Khan, who had rebelled against the Ilkhan ruler Abaqa Khan. When Teguder's force began terrorizing the Georgian population, David sided with Abaqa's general Shiramun Noyan. Despite this, Abaqa attempted to overthrow David with the help of the renegade lord of Racha Kakhaber Kakhaberisdze, and sent two expeditions against Imereti in the 1270s. Nevertheless, David VI Narin succeeded in retaining his independence and attempted to restore Georgian influence in the Empire of Trebizond. For this purpose, he marched to Trebizond during Emperor John II Comnenus’ absence at Constantinople in April 1282; and although he failed to take the city, the Georgians occupied several provinces.

In 1282, during John's absence from Trebizond, David VI tried to restore Georgian influence in the empire, David invaded the empire in April 1282 and captured many provinces (including the historical Chaneti) and besieged the capital. Though David failed to take the city, the Georgians succeeded in annexing the eastern part of the empire. to seize the crown from her half-brother. She became empress for a few months, though soon in 1285 John II returned to the empire and regained power, and Queen Theodora took refuge in Georgia.

He died at Kutaisi in 1293. David was succeeded by his son, Constantine I. David is buried within the chapel (eukterion) of St. Andrew at the Cathedral of Nativity of the Theotokos of Gelati, east of the southern entrance to the church.

Family Coin representing Theodora Palaiologos, wife of King David VI. David was married first to Tamar Amanelisdze. Their children were: Vakhtang II (died 1292), King of Georgia Constantine I of Imereti (died 1327), King of Western Georgia Michael of Imereti (died 1329), King of the Western Georgia

In 1254, he married Theodora, daughter of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. and they had one child: Prince Alexander.