George II of Imereti
| George II | |
|---|---|
George II, a fresco from the Gelati Monastery
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| King of Imereti | |
| Reign | 1565–1585 |
| Predecessor | Bagrat III of Imereti |
| Successor | Levan of Imereti |
| Died | 1585 |
| Spouse | Rusudan Shervashidze Tamar Diasamidze |
| Issue | Levan of Imereti |
| Dynasty | Bagrationi dynasty |
| Father | Bagrat III of Imereti |
| Mother | Elene |
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church |
George II (Georgian: გიორგი II) (died 1585), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from 1565 to 1585.
George II succeeded on the death of his father, Bagrat III. With his ascend to the throne, George found himself involved in the civil war among the princes of western Georgia. He sided with his nominal vassal, George II Gurieli, Prince of Guria, against Levan I Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia. The latter allied himself with the king's cousin Prince Khosro, Varaz Chiladze and other Imeretian nobles, and attempted, in 1568, to oust George II in favor of Khosro. The king won a victory at Ianeti and, together with the prince of Guria, took control of Mingrelia. Levan fled to Istanbul and, with an Ottoman support, resumed the throne, forcing Gurieli to plea for peace. Later, the two princes forged an alliance and revolted against the king. The western Georgian princes became engulfed into havoc of feudal warfare, mounting and disbanding alliances, and raiding the rival fiefdoms. In addition to the civil strife, the Ottomans also increased their pressure upon the Kingdom of Imereti. Although George II was able to block the advance of the Turkish commander Lala Mustafa Pasha from eastern Georgia in 1578, he had to submit to the sultan’s order and, in 1581, at the head of a combined Imeretian-Mingrelian-Gurian army, raided the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli whose ruler, Simon I, waged a relentless guerrilla warfare against the Ottoman army.
George II was married three times. The identity of his first wife is unknown. He married secondly to Rusudan Shervashidze (died 1578) and thirdly to Tamar (died 1586), daughter of Prince Shermazan Diasamidze. He had six sons:
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