Archil of Imereti

Archil
King Archil byNicolaes Witsen
King of Imereti
Reign	1661–1663 1678–1679 1690–1691 1695–1698
King of Kakheti
Reign	1664–1675
Successor	Heraclius I of Kakheti
Born	1647
Died	16 April 1713(1713-04-16)(aged 65–66) Moscow
Burial	Donskoy Monastery
Issue	Prince Alexander of Imereti (1674–1711)
Dynasty	Bagrationi dynasty
Father	Vakhtang V of Kartli
Mother	Rodam Kaplanishvili-Orbeliani
Religion	Georgian Orthodox Church
Khelrtva

Archil(Georgian:არჩილი) (1647 – April 16, 1713), ofBagrationi dynasty,king(mepe) ofImeretiin western Georgia (1661–1663, 1678–1679, 1690–1691, 1695–1696, and 1698) and ofKakhetiin eastern Georgia (1664–75). After a series of unsuccessful attempts to establish himself on the throne of Imereti, Archil retired toRussiawhere he spearheaded the cultural life of a local Georgian community. He was also alyric poet.

Political career

Archil was the son ofVakhtang V ShahnawazofKartli,who, under thePersianprotection, attempted to reunify a fragmentedKingdom of Georgiaunder his crown. Having brought the neighboring eastern kingdom of Kakheti under his control, Vakhtang marched into western Georgia in 1661, deposed KingBagrat V of Imereti,and crowned his fourteen-year-old son Archil king atKutaisi,capital of Imereti. TheOttomangovernment strongly objected to what it considered a Persian-inspired incursion into the Turkish zone of influence. A Turkish ultimatum was soon received inIsfahan,threatening a declaration of war if Shahnavaz maintained his son on the throne of western Georgia. Shahnavaz was forced to recall Archil from Kutaisi in 1663 and to restore the rightful king, Bagrat. Instead, Vakhtang installed Archil as king of Kakheti in 1664. To gain the shah's consent, Archil was prevailed upon, much against his will, to become a nominal convert toIslam,assuming the title of Shah-Nazar-Khan. In 1664, Archil defeated an attempt by the rival Kakhetian prince and his brother-in-law,Erekle,to regain his father's crown, and achieved a degree of stability and prosperity in Kakheti.

In 1675, however, due largely to the intrigues by the Persiangrand vizierShaykh' Ali Khan,Archil abandoned Kakheti and, with his brotherLuarsab,defected to the Turkish frontierpashaofAkhaltsikhewho promised him the crown of Imereti. He was soon reestablished in Kutaisi with the aid of the pasha of Akhaltiskhe, though without the consent of theSublime Porte.The Ottoman agents had the pasha executed, and deposed Archil in 1679. He fled to Russia, but was not allowed toMoscowuntil 1686. Encouraged by his brother, KingGeorge XI of Kartli,Archil returned to Georgia in 1690 and succeeded in regaining the Imeretian throne, only to be deposed again by the local nobility in 1691. During the next few years, he made several attempts to seize the crown, waging a guerrilla war against the Turks and the aristocratic opposition led by PrinceAbashidze.Eventually Archil gave up hope of reestablishing himself in Imereti and, in 1699, crossed theCaucasus Mountainsonce more into Russia where he settled inVsesviatskoyenear Moscow.

Life in Russia

An illuminated charter issued in Archil's name

He was on friendly terms withPeter I of Russiawho gave orders to prepare an expedition to restore Archil to the throne of Imereti. However, the plan was rendered abortive on account of the defeat inflicted by theSwedeson the Russian army atNarvain 1700. This, in addition to frustrating Archil's hopes of regaining his throne, brought tragedy into his family life.Alexander,son of Archil, who commanded Russian artillery at Narva, was taken prisoner by the Swedes, and had to spend ten years in captivity. Archil attempted to achieve the release of his son through theAustrianmediation, and later sent a personal letter toCharles XII of Sweden.It was not until 1710, however, that Alexander was released. Severely ill, he died on his way back to Russia. The death of Alexander was a bitter blow to Archil, who did not long survive his son. He died in 1713 and was buried in theDonskoy Monasteryat Moscow.

Most of Archil's Russian years were devoted to poetry and cultural activities. He was responsible for setting up the first printing press in the Georgian language in Russia and publishedThePsalmsin 1705. Archil's poetry, remarkable for its diversity, heralded the beginning of the period of Revival in Georgian literature. His chief poems –The Dialogue betweenTeimurazandRustveli(გაბაასება თეიმურაზისა და რუსთველისა),The Manners of Georgia(საქართველოს ზნეობანი), andThe Lay of Archil(Archiliani;არჩილიანი) are dedicated to the 17th-century misfortunes of Georgia. He strongly objected to the contemporaryPersianliterary influences, and called for the revival ofShota Rustaveli's traditions of Georgian poetry. Thus, Archil's poems were closer to traditional Georgian metre, and his idioms closer to Georgian speech.However, despite his efforts to "stem the tide ofPersianization",Archil's poems included" conceits, forms, and themes inspired by Persia ", and his own version of theAlexander romancewas modeled on the versions ofNizami GanjaviandJami.

Family

Archil was married twice. His first wife was a daughter of Prince NodarTsitsishvili.He married secondly toKetevan,daughter ofPrince David of Kakheti,in 1668. The couple one daughter and three sons:

• PrincessDarejan,known in Russia as Darya Archilovna (c. 1670 – 1740); she died unmarried and was buried at the Donskoy Monastery.
• PrinceAleksandre,known in Russia as Aleksandr Archilovich (1674 – 20 February 1711), a Russian army artillery commander. He was married, with one daughter.
• Prince Mamuka, known in Russia as Matfey Archilovich (1676 – 23 March 1693); he died unmarried and was buried at the Donskoy Monastery.
• Prince Davit, known in Russia as David Archilovich (2 July 1682 – 24 October 1688); he died unmarried, buried at theNovodevichy Convent,and reburied in 1711 at the Donskoy Monastery.

Sources

• (in Russian)Вахушти Багратиони (Vakhushti Bagrationi)(1745).История Царства Грузинского: Жизнь Имерети.
• Gould, Rebecca Ruth(2018). "Sweetening the Heavy Georgian Tongue: Jāmī in the Georgian-Persianate World". In d'Hubert, Thibaut; Papas, Alexandre (eds.).Jāmī in Regional Contexts: The Reception of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Jāmī's Works in the Islamicate World, ca. 9th/15th-14th/20th Century.Brill.ISBN978-9004386600.
• David Marshall Lang,The Last Years of the Georgian Monarchy, 1658-1832.New York:Columbia University Press,1957.
• Rayfield, Donald(2000),The Literature of Georgia: A History.Routledge,ISBN0-7007-1163-5.
• Rota, Giorgio (2017). "Conversion to Islam (and sometimes a return to Christianity) in Safavid Persia in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries". In Norton, Claire (ed.).Conversion and Islam in the Early Modern Mediterranean: The Lure of the Other.Routledge.ISBN978-1317159797.