George III of Guria

Who was George III of Guria?

Giorgi III Gurieli, of the Georgian House of Gurieli, was a prince of Guria from 1664 to 1684 and a de facto king of Imereti from 1681 to 1683. He succeeded his father, Kaikhosro I, as prince of Guria and secured his throne through paying tribute to the Ottoman Empire. He was energetically involved in the civil wars in western Georgia. After the death of King Bagrat V of Imereti in 1681, he seized the crown of Imereti, but was deposed, in 1683, by the Ottoman agents in favor of Bagrat’s son Alexander IV. Gurieli retaliated by mounting a nobles’ revolt against Alexander, but was killed at the Battle of Rokiti in 1684.