Givi Amilakhvari

Givi Amilakhvari (; 1689–1754) was a Georgian nobleman (tavadi) with a prominent role in the politics of eastern Georgia in the first half of the 18th century. He waged a lengthy struggle against the Ottoman and Iranian encroachments, changing sides and forging various alliances as he tried to preserve autonomy for his native kingdom of Kartli as well as to prevent the ascendant Bagrationi dynasty of the neighboring Georgian kingdom of Kakheti from seizing the throne of Kartli. In the closing years of his turbulent life, Amilakhvari stood by his erstwhile Kakhetian foes and sponsored several construction projects across the country.

Early career

Givi, son of Prince Andukapar, was born of the prominent noble family of Amilakhvari, with family links to the ruling house of Bagrationi of Mukhrani. Givi's paternal grandmother was Tamar, daughter of king Vakhtang V. His name "Givi" is derived from the Persian Giv, a name of the hero from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. He inherited from his father a large fiefdom in Inner Kartli (Upper Kartli) called Saamilakhoro and the office of governor (mouravi) of Gori. He first appeared on the political scene of Kartli in 1722. The following year saw the overthrow of his overlord and relative, King Vakhtang VI, by the Ottomans whose occupation of Kartli would last until 1735. During these years, Givi Amilakhvari intermittently fought and cooperated with the Ottoman regime. In 1726, he used his influence to save the principal Georgian Orthodox cathedral of Sioni in Tbilisi, the Ottoman-occupied capital of Kartli, from being converted to a mosque. In 1727, he became a sanjak-bey of Upper Kartli. He then joined the Ottoman expeditions against the rebellious Georgian nobility of Kakheti and the marauding Dagestani clansmen.

Revolt against the Ottoman Empire

In 1734 the Ottoman fortunes began to reverse in the Caucasus as the resurgent Iranians under Tahmasp Qoli Khan (the future shah Nader) gained an upper hand. Givi Amilakhvari quickly switched the side. He seized Gori from the Ottoman garrison in a surprise attack, rode to join Nader before Ganja and helped expel the Ottoman forces from Tbilisi. Later in 1741 he took part in the Nader's difficult campaign against Dagestan which cost Nader thousands of his troops and undermined the situation in Georgia. A series of battles were fought at Gori and along the Aragvi river in which, despite initial setback, Teimuraz and his son Heraclius, with the Iranians, defeated Amilakhvari and his Turks. In 1742, the troops of Imam-Quli Khan established a camp near Kvemo Chala castle, and Givi decided to attack, causing Iranians to retreat. In another successful battle, Givi fought against united forces of Fatali Khan and Kerim Khan in the mountains near his castle. After the decisive battle at Achabeti in 1744, Amilakhvari surrendered to Teimuraz's wife, Tamar, at Surami and was treated by the victors with much consideration.

Anduqapar (died 1742); Tamar, who was forcibly married to Nader Shah in 1735. Before that, she had been betrothed to Prince Teimuraz (Anton I of Georgia); Giorgi (Gogia) , who married Ephemia , daughter of Prince Dimitri Orbeliani; David (Datuna) (died 1800); Ioane ; Mariam, who married Elizbar Taktakishvili. Ancestry