David II of Imereti


David II , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was King of Imereti from 1784 to 1789 and from 1790 to 1791.

Life

He was the son of George IX of Imereti, who had briefly ruled in 1741. After the death of his cousin, King Solomon I, he became a regent but prevented the rival princes David and George from being crowned. With the support of Katsia II Dadiani, prince of Mingrelia, he seized the throne and proclaimed himself king on May 4, 1784. He attempted to establish a contact with Imperial Russia and to restrict the powers of great nobles. In 1787 David sent the poet Besiki ostensibly to negotiate with the Russians. Besiki lingered in the Ukraine until 1789, forbidden to proceed to St Petersburg, and eventually dying in Iaşi. David's policy drew many leading aristocrats, including the Mingrelian prince Grigol Dadiani, into opposition. In 1789, King Heraclius II of Georgia sent his army into Imereti and helped David-Solomon to expel David II into Akhaltsikhe in the Ottoman-held Georgian province. In 1790, he returned with a Turkish force and deposed Solomon II, but was eventually defeated and fled Imereti. Later, through the mediation of Heraclius, David was allowed to return to Imereti and granted a fiefdom. Between 1792 and 1794, he attempted, with the Dagestan mercenaries, to reclaim the crown, but suffered a defeat and withdrew from Imereti. In January 1795, David died of smallpox while in exile at Akhaltsikhe.

Family

David married to Ana Orbeliani, daughter of Prince Mamuka Orbeliani. They were the parents of:
David also had natural children:
ალ. ხახანაშვილი, მეფე იმერეთისა სოლომონ II, ტფ., 1910