David II of Imereti

David II (Georgian: დავით II) (1756–1795), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was King of Imereti (western Georgia) from 1784 to 1789 and from 1790 to 1791.

He was the son of George IX of Imereti, who had briefly ruled in 1741. After the death of his cousin, King Solomon I, he became a regent but prevented the rival princes David (the future king Solomon II) and George from being crowned. With the support of Katsia II Dadiani, prince of Mingrelia, he seized the throne and proclaimed himself king on May 4, 1784. He attempted to establish a contact with Imperial Russia and to restrict the powers of great nobles. David's policy drew many leading aristocrats, including the Mingrelian prince Grigol Dadiani, into opposition. In 1789, King Heraclius II of Georgia led his army into Imereti and helped David-Solomon to expel David II into Akhaltsikhe in the Ottoman-held Georgian province. In 1790, he returned with a Turkish force and deposed Solomon II, but was eventually defeated and fled Imereti. Later, through the mediation of Heraclius, David was allowed to return to Imereti and granted a fiefdom. Between 1792 and 1794, he attempted, with the Dagestan mercenaries, to reclaim the crown, but suffered a defeat and withdrew from Imereti. He died of smallpox while in exile at Akhaltsikhe.

References

• David Marshall Lang, The Last Years of the Georgian Monarchy, 1658-1832. New York: Columbia University Press, 1957.

Preceded by Solomon I

King of Imereti 1784-1789, 1790-1791

Succeeded by Solomon II