{{hatnote|This article is about the Georgian king. There was also a [[List of Caucasian Albanian catholicoi|Caucasian Albanian catholicos]] named David VI from 958 to 965.}} {{Infobox royalty | name = David VI<br />დავით VI | image = David Narin, Gelati Monastery, south-east chapel, west wall.jpg | caption = A 13th-century fresco of David VI from the [[Gelati Monastery]]. | succession = [[List of monarchs of Georgia|King of Georgia]] | moretext = ([[Style of the Georgian sovereign|more...]]) | reign = 1246–1259 | coronation = | predecessor = [[Rusudan of Georgia|Rusudan]] | successor = [[David VII of Georgia|David VII]] | succession1 = [[Kingdom of Western Georgia|King of Western Georgia]] | reign1 = 1259–1293 | successor1 = [[Constantine I of Imereti|Constantine I]] | reg-type = Co-monarch | regent = [[David VII of Georgia|David VII]] | spouse = Tamar Amanelisdze<br />Theodora Doukaina Palaeologina | issue = {{plainlist| * [[Vakhtang II]] * [[Constantine I of Imereti]] * [[Michael of Imereti]] * Prince Alexander}} | full name = David VI the Junior<br />David VI Narin | house = [[Bagrationi dynasty|Bagrationi]] | house-type = Dynasty | father = [[Ghias ad-din]] | mother = [[Rusudan of Georgia]] | birth_date = 1225 | death_date = {{death year and age|1293|1225}} | death_place = [[Kutaisi]] | burial_place = [[Gelati Monastery]] | religion = [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] | signature = David Narin khelrtva (vect).svg | signature_type = [[Khelrtva]] }} '''David VI Narin''' ({{lang-ka|დავით VI ნარინი|tr}}) (also called ''the Clever'') (1225–1293), from the [[Bagrationi dynasty]], was joint [[List of monarchs of Georgia|king]] (''[[mepe]]'') of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] with his cousin [[David VII]] from to 1246 to 1256. He made secession in 1259, and from 1259 to 1293, ruled a [[Kingdom of Western Georgia]] under the name '''David I''', while his cousin [[David VII]] continued to rule in a reduced [[Kingdom of Georgia (1256–1329)]] in eastern Georgia, under Mongol control.
==Life== {{See also|Georgian Rebellion of 1256}} The son of Queen [[Rusudan of Georgia|Rusudan]] by her [[Seljuk dynasty|Seljuk]] husband, [[Ghias ad-din]], David was crowned at [[Kutaisi]], as joint sovereign by his mother in 1230. Fearing that her nephew [[David VII Ulu|David]] would claim the throne at her death, Rusudan held the latter prisoner at the court of her son-in-law, the Seljuk sultan [[Kaykhusraw II]], and in 1243 sent her son David to the [[Mongol Empire|Mongol court]] of [[Batu Khan]] in [[Karakorum]] to get official recognition as [[heir apparent]].<ref name="AM254">{{cite book |last1=Mikaberidze |first1=Alexander |title=Historical Dictionary of Georgia |date=6 February 2015 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-4146-6 |page=254 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JNNQCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA254 |language=en}}</ref> She died in 1245, still waiting for her son to return. He was retained for three years at the Mongol court in [[Karakorum]], until he was able to attend the enthronement of [[Guyuk Khan]] with his cousin David VII in August 1246.<ref name="AM254"/>
Since David was believed by the Georgian nobles to have disappeared, two years later in 1245, they had proclaimed his cousin David VII Ulu, who had been freed on the death of Kaykhusraw, as king of Georgia. In 1246, David, son of Rusudan, was recognized by [[Güyük Khan]] as junior co-king to his cousin David.<ref name="AM254"/> Thereafter known as David VI Narin (i.e. “the junior”) and David VII Ulu (i.e. “the senior”), the cousins ruled jointly from 1247 to 1248 upon their return, until 1259, when the former rose, unsuccessfully, against the [[Mongol Empire|Mongol yoke]] and, then, fled to [[Kutaisi]], from whence he reigned over western Georgia ([[Imereti]]) as a separate ruler.<ref name="AM254"/>
In 1259, David VI rebelled against his suzerain, although he did not drag his royal colleague into the rebellion.{{sfn|Rayfield|2012|p=131}} The [[Ilkhanate]] soon put an end to this revolt after a few short, bloody battles, while David VI managed to take refuge in western [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]].{{Sfn|Brosset|1849|p=545}} Arriving in [[Kutaisi]], one of the largest towns in western Georgia, he declared the secession of the domains west of the [[Likhi Range|Likhi mountains]], and was proclaimed [[Kingdom of Western Georgia|King of western Georgia]] by the local nobility.{{sfn|Rayfield|2012|p=131}}
The kingdom created by David VI included a number of powerful duchies controlling several [[Black Sea]] ports, including the [[Saeristavo|duchies]] of [[Guria]], [[Mingrelia]] and [[Abkhazia]], which contained the cities of [[Batumi]] and [[Poti]]. To the north, the kingdom controlled the duchies of [[Svaneti]] and [[Racha]], thus controlling the [[Caucasus Mountains|Caucasus mountains]] against the empire of the [[Golden Horde]].{{sfn|Brosset|1849|p=546}} This situation enabled the new government of Kutaisi to maintain important trade routes with the West, notably via the [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] merchants based in Abkhazia and the [[Empire of Trebizond]], leading to a large-scale immigration of Georgian nobles and merchants from eastern Georgia.{{sfn|Rayfield|2012|p=132}}
David VI Narin even managed to shelter and share his throne with his cousin, [[David VII of Georgia|David VII Ulu]], when the latter in turn revolted against the Mongol yoke in 1261;{{sfn|Salia|1980|p=231}} this agreement was short-lived and the two sovereigns were unable to work together to protect western Georgia, leading to David Ulu's return to [[Tbilisi]], eastern [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] in 1262.{{sfn|Salia|1980|p=232}} Thus, Georgia split into two parts and both rulers continued to be titled [[List of monarchs of Georgia|king of Georgia]]. However, David Ulu surrendered to [[Hulegu Khan]] thus becoming a nominal vassal of the [[Ilkhanate|Ilkhans]] in 1262.<ref>C.P.Atwood - Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire, p.197</ref>
[[File:Coin of David VI Narin citing Great Khan Güyük as overlord (Tiflis mint).jpg|thumb|left|Coin of David VI Narin citing Great Khan Güyük as overlord (Tiflis mint), dated 1247]] He developed friendly relations with the [[Golden Horde]] and the [[Bahri dynasty]] of [[Medieval Egypt|Egypt]], and repulsed the Ilkhanate attacks.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Rayfield |first=Donald |url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/E/bo14444362.html |title=Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1780230306 |edition=Kindle |pages=132–133 |language=en}}</ref> In 1269, David gave shelter to [[Teguder (Chagatai prince)|Teguder]], relative of the [[Chagatai Khanate|Chagatai]] [[Baraq (Chagatai Khan)|Baraq Khan]], who had rebelled against the Ilkhan ruler [[Abaqa Khan]]. When Teguder's force began terrorizing the Georgian population, David sided with Abaqa's general [[Shiramun Noyan]]. Despite this, Abaqa attempted to overthrow David with the help of the renegade lord of [[Racha]] [[Kakhaberisdze|Kakhaber Kakhaberisdze]], and sent two expeditions against Imereti in the 1270s. Nevertheless, David VI Narin succeeded in retaining his independence and attempted to restore Georgian influence in the [[Empire of Trebizond]]. For this purpose, he marched to [[Trabzon|Trebizond]] during Emperor [[John II of Trebizond|John II Comnenus]]’ absence at [[Constantinople]] in April 1282; and although he [[Siege of Trebizond (1282)|failed to take the city]], the Georgians occupied several provinces.
In 1282, during [[John II of Trebizond|John's]] absence from [[Empire of Trebizond|Trebizond]], David VI tried to restore Georgian influence in the empire, David invaded the empire in April 1282 and captured many provinces (including the historical [[Lazistan|Chaneti]]) and [[Siege of Trebizond (1282)|besieged the capital]].<ref name=":1">[[William Miller (historian)|William Miller]], ''Trebizond: The last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era: 1204–1461'', 1926 (Chicago: Argonaut, 1969), p. 30</ref>{{Sfn|Rayfield|2012|p=132}} Though David failed to take the city, the [[Georgians]] succeeded in annexing the eastern part of the empire.{{Sfn|Salia|1980|p=235}}<ref name=":1" />
In 1284, David VI helped [[John II of Trebizond|John's]] half-sister [[Theodora of Trebizond|Theodora]], daughter of [[Manuel I of Trebizond|Manuel I]] and his second wife [[Rusudan of Georgia, Empress of Trebizond|Rusudan]], and possible niece of David VI,<ref>[[William Miller (historian)|William Miller]], ''Trebizond: The last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era: 1204-1461'', 1926 (Chicago: Argonaut, 1969), p. 30</ref> to seize the crown from her half-brother.<ref>[[William Miller (historian)|William Miller]], ''Trebizond: The last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era: 1204-1461'', 1926 (Chicago: Argonaut, 1969), p. 30</ref> She became empress for a few months, though soon in 1285 John II returned to the empire and regained power, and Queen Theodora took refuge in Georgia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jackson Williams |first=Kelsey |date=2007 |title=A Genealogy of the Grand Komnenoi of Trebizond |url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/8570 |journal=Foundations: The Journal of the Foundation for Mediaeval Genealogy |volume=2 |issue=3 |page=175 |issn=1479-5078 |hdl=10023/8570}}</ref>
He died at [[Kutaisi]] in 1293. David was succeeded by his son, [[Constantine I of Imereti|Constantine I]]. David is buried within the chapel (''[[eukterion]]'') of St. Andrew at the Cathedral of Nativity of the Theotokos of [[Gelati Monastery|Gelati]], east of the southern entrance to the church.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Skhirtladze|first1=Zaza|title=Fresco of the King of the South-Eastern Chapel of the Main Church of Gelati Monastery Materials for Possible Identification|journal=Humanitarian Studies|date=2011|volume=2|pages=223–255|publisher=Tbilisi State University Press}}</ref>
==Family== [[File:Theodora Doukaina Palaeologina the wife of Davit IV Narin, King of Georgia.jpg|thumb|Coin representing Theodora [[Palaiologos]], wife of King David VI.]] David was married first to Tamar [[Amanelisdze]]. Their children were: * [[Vakhtang II]] (died 1292), King of [[Kingdom of Georgia|Georgia]] ({{Reign|1289|1292}}) * [[Constantine I of Imereti]] (died 1327), King of [[Kingdom of Western Georgia|Western Georgia]] ({{Reign|1293|1327}}) * [[Michael of Imereti]] (died 1329), King of the [[Kingdom of Western Georgia|Western Georgia]] ({{Reign|1327|1329}})
In 1254, he married Theodora, daughter of Byzantine Emperor [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]]. and they had one child:<ref name=":0" /> * Prince Alexander.
==References== {{reflist}}
== Bibliography == * {{Cite book |last=Brosset |first=Marie-Félicité |url={{GBurl|hc1CAAAAcAAJ}} |title=Histoire de la Géorgie depuis l'Antiquité jusqu'au XIXe siècle. Volume I |publisher=Imperial Academy of Sciences |year=1849 |location=Saint-Petersburg |language=fr |trans-title=History of Georgia from Ancient Times to the 19th Century, Volume 1}} * {{cite book |last=Salia |first=Kalistrat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=decTAQAAMAAJ |title=Histoire de la nation géorgienne |publisher=Nino Salia |year=1980}} * {{Cite book |author-link=Donald Rayfield|last=Rayfield |first=Donald |title=Edge of Empires, a History of Georgia |publisher=Reaktion Books |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-78023-070-2 |location=London}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20040920032222/http://www.tbilisiymca.ge/index.php History of Georgia – XIII-XV centuries]
{{s-start}} {{succession box | before = [[Rusudan of Georgia|Rusudan]] | title = [[List of Georgian Kings|King of Georgia]] | after = [[David VII of Georgia|David VII]] | years = 1246–1259 }} {{succession box | before = None | title = [[Kingdom of Western Georgia|King of Western Georgia]] | after = [[Constantine I of Imereti|Constantine I]] | years = 1259–1293 }} {{s-end}} {{Kings of United Georgia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:David 06 Of Georgia}} [[Category:Kings of Georgia]] [[Category:13th-century people from Georgia (country)]] [[Category:1225 births]] [[Category:1293 deaths]] [[Category:Burials at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral]] [[Category:Sons of queens regnant]] [[Category:Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Georgia]]