Prince Aleksandre of Georgia

Who was Prince Aleksandre of Georgia?

Alexander was a Georgian royal prince of the Bagrationi family, who headed several insurrections against the Russian rule in Georgia. He was known as Eskandar Mirza in Iran, tsarevich Aleksandr Irakliyevich in Russia, and as Alexander Mirza in Western Europe.

Alexander was the son of the penultimate king of eastern Georgia, Heraclius II, who entrusted him various military and administrative tasks. After the death of Heraclius in 1798, he opposed the accession of his half-brother, King George XII, and the new king's pro-Russian policy. After the Russian annexation of Georgia in 1801, Alexander spent the rest of his life in trying to undermine the new regime by fomenting unrest in Georgia. Eventually, Alexander's reliance on the Persian military and North Caucasian mercenaries deprived him of popular support. After his last major rebellion was defeated in 1812, Alexander permanently settled in Persia, where he died in 1844.