Alastaneli (
Georgian: ალასტანელი, "of/from Alastani") was a title of the
Georgian dynastic princes ruling over the province of
Javakheti from their castle at
Alastani in the 13th and 14th centuries. According to traditional Georgian genealogy, this dynasty was a branch of the royal house of
Bagrationi, stemming from King
David VIII of Georgia (died 1311). Their status of "provincial kings" was rooted in the political fragmentation of the centralized Georgian monarchy under the
Mongol hegemony. This line became extinct in the early 15th century.
History
Alastani, north of modern-day town of
Akhalkalaki, became a centre of the domain of crown princes of Georgia early in the 13th century.
Lasha-George, son of Queen
Tamar the Great and the future king George IV of Georgia, is thought to have been the first in possession of this principality. The line of Alastani was founded by David VIII, who withdrew in Javakheti in 1302 after losing struggle for the Georgian throne to his younger brother,
Vakhtang III. His descendants flourished as "provincial kings", i.e., provincial rulers with a royal title, but more or less dependent on the kings of Georgia. These were David's purported sons of his first marriage to
Oljath, daughter of
Abaqa Khan: Melchizedek (died 1320) and Andronicus (d. 1354); and Andronicus's sons: David (d. 1382) and George the Great (d. 1373). The line of "kings" of Alastani terminated with the death of the latter in the battle with the
Turks in 1373.[1][2]
George "the Great", "King" of Alastani (
fl. 1230)
David, "King" of Alastani (fl. 1270)
Melchizedek, "King" of Alastani (fl. 1300)
Andronikos, "King" of Alastani (c. 1339—1348)
George, Prince Andronikashvili-Alastaneli (d. 1431)
Princes Andronikashvili
Notes:
References
^(in Russian) Grebelsky, P. Kh., Dumin, S. V., Lapin, V. V. (1993), Дворянские роды Российской империи (Noble families of Russian Empire), vol. 3, p. 38. IPK Vesti
^(in French) Ferrand, Jacques (1983), Familles princières de Géorgie: essai de reconstitution généalogique (1880-1983) de 21 familles reconnues princières par l'Empire de Russie, pp. 77-79. Montreuil, France: J. Ferrand