Prince Bakar of Kartli

Who was Prince Bakar of Kartli?

Bakar was a Georgian royal prince of the Mukhrani branch of the Bagrationi dynasty and served as regent of the Kingdom of Kartli from September 1716 to August 1719.

He was the son of King Vakhtang VI of Kartli by his wife, Rusudan of Circassia. Vakhtang left him in charge of the government of Kartli 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. 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.