Imereti
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| Capital | Kutaisi | ||||
| Largest city | Kutaisi | ||||
| Language | Georgian | ||||
| Religion | Orthodox Christianity | ||||
| Ethnic Groups main |
Georgian | ||||
| others | Megrelian, Svan, Abkhaz | ||||
| Demonym | Imeretian | ||||
| Independence | from Kingdom of Georgia | ||||
Early History
The Kingdom of Imereti (Georgian: იმერეთის სამეფო) was a Georgian monarchy established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagrationi when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Imereti was considered a separate kingdom within the Kingdom of Georgia, to which a cadet branch of the Bagration royal family held the crown beginning in 1260 by David VI after he revolted against the Mongolian rule and fled to Abkhazia. This was due to the Mongolian conquest of the 13th century which decentralized and fragmented Georgia, forcing the relocation of governmental centers to the provinces. Imereti was conquered by Giorgi the Brilliant, who was subject to the Mongols, and united with the east Kingdom of Georgia.[1] From 1455 onward, however, the kingdom became a constant battleground between Georgian, Persian, and Turkish forces.
Rise under Giorgi III
Giorgi III ascended the throne of Imereti in 1605, succeeding his Half-Brother Rostom. At the time of his crowning, Kingdom of Imereti was stuck in Period known as Feudal Anarchy, during which various subjects of Imeretian crown(Most Notoriously Dukes of Megrelia) Challenged kings authority and constantly revolted. King Giorgi III sought to end the Anarchy. His Only Loyal Vassal was Duke of Svaneti and with his help, In 1607, he had his rival, Duke of Racha assassinated and his Estates Confiscated. Duke of Megrelia, Levan II, Fearing the Same fate, Assembled and army and marched towards Imereti. Levan Began raiding western parts of Imereti, taking many hostages and laying waste to the land. As soon as news reached him, Giorgi assembled his army and traveled west to meet his rival.
Battle of Tekhuri
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Levan was informed of an Approaching menace, so he abandoned his campaign and began to retreat to his lands, He requested aid from his vassal dukes of Guria and Abkhazia, both of whom agreed. Giorgi Caught up with Levan near river of Tekhuri on 10 September and a bloody battle ensued. Giorgi seemed to have an upper hand at first but on 11 September Levan was reinforced by his Allies. Seeing that Battle was lost, Giorgi ordered his forces to retreat. Levan wanted to pursue his Enemy but his had been weakened, so he returned to his Base in Zugdidi. After this battle Giorgi realized that he had to modernize his forces in order to defeat his unruly vassals.