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| Solomon I | |
|---|---|
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| King of Imereti (more...) | |
| Reign | 1752–1784 |
| Predecessor | Alexander V of Imereti Teimuraz of Imereti |
| Successor | Teimuraz of Imereti David II of Imereti |
| Born | 1735 |
| Died | 1784 (aged 48–49) |
| Dynasty | Bagrationi dynasty |
| Father | Alexander V of Imereti |
| Mother | TamarAbashidze |
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church |
| Khelrtva |  |
Solomon I the Great, (Georgian:სოლომონ I დიდი) (1735 – April 23, 1784), of theBagrationi Dynasty, was aking (mepe) ofImereti from 1752 to 1765 and again from 1767 until his death in 1784.
Solomon was a son ofAlexander V of Imereti by his second wife Tamar néeAbashidze and succeeded upon his father's death in 1752. He immediately launched a series of stringent measures against the renegade nobles and slave trade from which they profited in conjunction with theOttoman authorities. In 1752, the aristocratic opposition staged a coup, but Solomon quickly regained the crown and began a program of reforms aimed at stabilizing the kingdom torn apart by chronic civil wars[citation needed]. The Ottomans, which saw Imereti as the sphere of their influence, sent in an army, but Solomon succeeded in mobilizing his nobles around him and defeated the invaders at theBattle of Khresili in 1757. The same year, he forged an alliance with his kinsman,Heraclius II, who ruled in eastern Georgia. He defeated two more Ottoman invasions (20,000 strong and 13,000 strong). The Ottoman instigated invasion of North Caucasus tribes, one of which succeeded, while second one was thwarted. Briefly, Ottomans took Kutaisi in 1765 and placed his cousin,Teimuraz on the throne. In 1767, Solomon managed to stage a comeback, and freed Imereti of Turks again. Next year, anotherRusso-Turkish war broke out, and in May 1769, Solomon traveled toTbilisi to meet with Heraclius II. The two kings decided to request fiveRussian regiments and join the war with the Ottoman Empire in exchange of the guarantee that Georgian interests would be protected in the final Russo-Turkish peace deal. The Russians sent a small force under GeneralGottlieb Heinrich Totleben, but the general's rudeness and condescension alienated the Georgians; Totleben was quickly recalled from Georgia. A few of the battles Solomon was involved in was the 1769siege of Şorapani and the 1770–1771siege of Poti.
After the war was over, Solomon was able to force his autonomist vassals, princes ofMingrelia andGuria, into submission, and continued antagonizing the Ottoman hegemony in the region. Ottomans had no choice but to sign a treaty with Imereti, by which Imereti was no longer Ottoman vassal, slave trade was not even mentioned, with symbolic tribute of 60 women annually (did not stipulate them to be Georgians, and Solomon never honored this clause anyway)[citation needed]. He crushed the Ottoman-sponsored insurrection inAbkhazia in 1779, and made a series of forays into the Turkish-controlled southwestern historic Georgian lands. He died in March 1784 and was buried at theGelati Monastery. He was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church on 22 December 2016, his feast day set for 23 April (NS 10 April).[1]
Solomon I was married three times; first, to Princess Tinatin Shervashidze, second to Princess Mariam, daughter ofOtia Dadiani (died 1778),Prince of Mingrelia, and third, Princess GulkanTsulukidze (1730–1800). He had five children, three sons and two daughters:
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| Preceded by | King of Imereti 1752–1766 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Teimuraz | King of Imereti 1768–1784 | Succeeded by |