Kingdom of Hereti ჰერეთის სამეფო | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 893–1020s | |||||||||
 situation in the Caucasus in 850s (Hereti's greatest extent) | |||||||||
| Status | Kingdom | ||||||||
| Capital | Shaki 41°11′31″N47°10′14″E / 41.19194°N 47.17056°E /41.19194; 47.17056 | ||||||||
| Official languages | Georgian | ||||||||
| Common languages | Georgian Caucasian Albanian | ||||||||
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
| Historical era | Early Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established | 893 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1020s | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Countries today | ||||||||
TheKingdom of Hereti (Georgian:ჰერეთის სამეფო,romanized:heretis samepo) was a medievalGeorgianmonarchy which emerged inCaucasus on theIberian-Albanian frontier. Nowadays it roughly corresponds to the southeastern corner ofGeorgia'sKakheti region and a portion ofAzerbaijan's northwestern districts.
According to traditional accounts, the name of the province originated from the legendary patriarch "Heros", the son ofThargamos, who founded the city of Hereti (later known as Khoranta) at theAlazani River.
From the earliest times, Hereti came under the rule of theCaucasian Albania.[1] With the decline of Caucasian Albania, the area was gradually incorporated into theIberian kingdom forming one of its duchies (saeristavo) in the 5th century and its peoples were eventually assimilated into theGeorgians proper. It was when the name Hereti first appeared in theGeorgian sources. Hereti was populated by Caucasian Albanians, Dagestani, Armenians, Persians andGeorgians. It had flourishing towns that traded with Persia andArmenia.[1]
As a reward for the contribution in the struggle against theArab occupation, theIberian ruler (erismtavari)Archil gave Hereti to the noble family ofBagrationi in the 740s–750s. After the death of the last Iberian princesJohn andJuansher, the Heretian lords extended their fiefdoms and, in 787, established an independent principality (samtavro) with the capital inShaki.
Its first recorded ruler,Sahl Smbatean, slaughtered theCaucasian Albanian (Mihranids) royal family in 822 and declared himself "Shah ofArran", currying favour with theCaliphate by betraying theZoroastrianBabak Khorramdin he was recognized as the ruler of Arran. Sahl later incurred Arab distrust, was arrested and sent to Baghdad; he was succeeded by his sonAdarnase I and grandson,Grigol Hamam. The principality gained significant strength and prestige by 893, allowing Prince Grigol Hamam to be crowned as the king.[2]
Alarmed by the increasing power of the Heretian kingdom,Kvirike I, the ruler of the neighbouringKakhetian principality, allied himself with KingConstantine III of Abkhazia and, in 915, campaigned against KingAdarnase II Patrikios. The allies occupied and divided the country but for a short time as Adarnase Patrikios soon reconquered what had been lost. The kingdom survived Kakhetian attacks but lost Caucasian Albania to itsSallarid (Iranian Azerbaijan) neighbour. Adarnase marriedQueen Dinar, a daughter ofAdarnase III of Tao, with whom he had a sonIshkhanik.
Ishkhanik was the son and successor of Adarnase Patrikios. Under Ishkhanik, Hereti was forced to recognize the supremacy of the stronger neighbour,Principality of Daylam, ruled by the Salarid dynasty. According toThe Georgian Chronicles,Queen Dinar, during the reign of her son Ishkhani, converted Hereti to theEastern Orthodox confession and abandoned theOriental Orthodox confession in the 10th century. In 950, Ishkhanik took advantage of the bitter power struggle in the Sallarid state, and ceased to pay tribute effectively restoring his independence.
The next Heretian ruler,John (Ioane Senekerim, 951–959), during his reign kingdom of Hereti reached a climax of power and prestige, mainly after the annexation of the right bank of Caucasian Albania. Armenian historianMovses Kaghankatvatsi calls him "restorer of the Kingdom of Albania". Later he annexed parts of Kakheti and adopted the title of "King of theTsanars". John had good relations towards the representatives of the Sallaried Dynasty and withDavid III Kuropalates ofTao. Like his father and his grandmother Queen Dinar, he contributed a lot to the conversion of his kingdom. He died in 959 without an heir.
The area then was contested between the ruler of Kakheti,David (c. 976–1010), and the Georgian kingBagrat III who sought to bring all Georgian lands into asingle monarchy. The next Kakhetian ruler, already titled as the king,Kvirike III the Great (1010–1037) finally absorbed Hereti into hisKingdom of Kakheti-Hereti in the 1020s. When the Georgian kingDavid the Builder brought the kingdom under his control in 1104, Hereti became asaeristavo (i.e. a duchy) within the Georgian realm. Georgian rule of Hereti was interrupted byAtabegs of Azerbaijan,Khwarezmid Empire andIlkhanid rule. After the final disintegration of the unified Georgian monarchy in 1466, Hereti came under theKakhetian crown. Afterwards, the name of the province itself has gradually disappeared from the historic records and public usage due to successivelyKara Koyunlu,Aq Qoyunlu,Safavid,Afsharid, andOttoman rules.
| Ruler | Reign[3] | title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Sahl Eṙanshahik | 815–840 | Prince | |
| 2.Adarnase (I) | 840–865 | Prince | |
| 3.Grigol Hamam | 865–897 | King | (King since 893) |
| 4.Adarnase (II) | 897–943 | King | |
| 5.Ishkhanik | 943–c. 965 | King | |
| 6.John Senekerim | c. 965–995 | King | became "King of theTsanars" |
| 7.Dinar | c. 1010s | Queen |
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