Bakar of Georgia

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Bakar (Georgian: ბაქარი) (June 11, 1699 or April 7, 1700 – February 1, 1750) was a Georgian prince (batonishvili) of the Mukhrani branch of the Bagrationi dynasty.

He was the son of King Vakhtang VI of Kartli who left him in charge of the government of Kartli (eastern Georgia) during his absence at the Safavid court of Persia from September 1716 to August 1719. His position was recognized by the Shah of Persia who invested him, in 1717, with the title of janishin, a crown, sword, gold insignia, and robe of honor. At the same time, he had to nominally embrace Islam and assumed the name of Shah-Nawaz. On this occasion, he was appointed by the Shah the commander-in-chief of the Persian army and governor-general of Azerbaijan. When the Ottoman armies invaded Georgia in 1723, Bakar attempted to negotiate, but eventually followed his father in a Russian exile in July 1724. He permanently settled in Moscow where he came to be known as Tsarevich Bakar Vakhtangovich Gruzinsky (Russian: Бакар Вахтангович Грузинский). The prince engaged in cultural enterprises initiated by his father; he helped revive the Georgian printing house in Moscow and sponsored publication of The Bible in Georgian in 1743.

Bakar was also involved in the Russian diplomatic and military service. In 1724, he was granted the village Lyskovo in hereditary possession. In November 1729, Bakar was promoted to lieutenant-general and appointed commander of artillery in the Moscow region. He died in Moscow in 1750 and was interred at the Donskoy Monastery.

Bakar was married to Anna, daughter of Giorgi Eristavi, Prince of the Aragvi (1706-1779), and fathered four sons and one daughter:

  • Alexander (died 1797)
  • Dimitri (1727-1745)
  • Stephan (1729-1744)
  • Leon (1739-1763)
  • Elizabeth (1712-1786)

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This article is based on material from the public domain 1906 Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary.