Rostom Gurieli

Rostom Gurieli (; died 1564), of the House of Gurieli, was Prince of Guria from 1534 until his death in 1564. Alongside his royal suzerain, Bagrat III of Imereti, Rostom fought against the expanding Ottoman Empire to which he lost parts of his principality. Rostom's relations with Bagrat III subsequently deteriorated over his support to the king's defiant vassal, Levan I Dadiani.

Accession Rostom was a son of Mamia I Gurieli by his wife Ketevan. In 1533, Mamia was taken captive during his disastrous expedition against the Circassians in which Rostom's brother George was killed. Rostom had to ransom his father, on whose death he succeeded as Prince of Guria a year later. By that time, Guria, a principality on Georgia's southwestern Black Sea coast, had been menaced by the resurgent Ottoman Empire, then being in war with Safavid Iran over hegemony in the Caucasus. Rostom stood by the side of his official royal suzerain, King Bagrat III of Imereti, in his struggle against the Ottoman encroachment.

Ottoman wars In 1535, Rostom joined forces with Bagrat in an invasion of the Samtskhe-Saatabago, ruled by the pro-Ottoman Atabeg Qvarqvare III Jaqeli. At the battle of Murjakheti, the atabag was defeated, captured by Gurieli's cup-bearer Isak Artumeladze, and eventually delivered to Bagrat. Qvarqvare died in prison, while Rostom was awarded his share of Samtskhe: Adjara and Chaneti, long sought after by the Gurieli dynasty. The Ottomans retaliated with a major invasion: Bagrat and Rostom were victorious at Karagak in 1543, but decisively defeated, in 1545, at Sokhoista, where Rostom's son Kaikhosro was killed. Rostom died in 1564 and was buried at the Shemokmedi Monastery. He was succeeded by his son, George II Gurieli.

Family Rostom Gurieli was married twice, first to Princess Tinatin , a member of the Imeretian royal family, and secondly, to Princess Tamar . His children were: Possibly, Vakhtang I Gurieli (died 1587), Prince-regnant of Guria .