George VII of Imereti


George VII , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was King of Imereti in the periods of 1707–11, 1712–13, 1713–16, and 1719–1720.

Reign

An illegitimate son of Alexander IV of Imereti, George was declared, with the approval of the Ottoman government, a rightful king of Imereti by the loyal party of nobles in 1702, though it was not until 1707 that he was able to wrest the crown from the usurper Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze. In October 1711, a noble revolt deposed him in favor of Mamia III Gurieli who forced George to retire to Kartli, eastern Georgia. Later, with the support of the Turkish pasha of Akhaltsikhe, he defeated Mamia at the Battle of Chkhara in June 1712. Deposed again in November 1713, George resumed the throne upon Mamia’s death in January 1714, only to be forced, in 1716, by the rebellious nobles led by Prince Bejan Dadiani into exile to Constantinople. George succeeded in garnering the Ottoman support, and regained the crown in 1719. Yet, his reign proved to be short-lived; in February 1720, he was assassinated by the plotters led by Prince Simon Abashidze.

Family

George VII was married four times. His first wife was Rodam, daughter of George XI of Kartli whom he married in 1703 and divorced in 1712. George then married his second wife, Tamar, a daughter of Giorgi-Malakia Abashidze, ex-wife of Prince Giorgi Nizharadze, and repudiated the union in 1713. He was then briefly married to Tamar, daughter of Papuna II, Duke of Racha, until her death in 1714. In 1716, George married his fourth and last wife Tamar, daughter of Mamia III Gurieli.
George VII was the father of four sons and four daughters: