George V Gurieli

George V Gurieli (Georgian: გიორგი V გურიელი, romanized: giorgi V gurieli) (fl. 1726–1788), of the western Georgian House of Gurieli, was Prince of Guria from 1756 to 1758 and again from 1765 to 1771 and from 1776 to 1788.

George was a son of George IV Gurieli and a younger brother of Mamia IV Gurieli. He was installed by King Solomon I of Imereti as Prince-regnant of Guria, in 1756, in place of Mamia, who had been involved in a revolt against Solomon four years earlier. Mamia was able to convince King Heraclius II of Georgia and the Ottoman Childir Eyalet to help him recover the throne and George was deposed in his favor. In 1765, Hasan Pasha of Akhaltsikhe, responding to Mamia's involvement in Solomon's anti-Ottoman endeavors, restored George in Guria. George then joined the Imeretian pretender Prince Teimuraz and duke of Racha in an Ottoman-sponsored revolt against Solomon, but they suffered defeat at Chkhari in 1768.^[1]

In 1770, Solomon took advantage of the ongoing Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), crossed into Guria, where he defeated an Ottoman force marching from Batumi to Imereti, and, in 1771, deposed George in Mamia's favor. It was not until 1776 that George, exploiting the increasingly deteriorating relations between Solomon and Mamia, staged a coup against his brother and once again seized power in Guria. He then reconciled with Solomon and joined his expedition against the Ottoman-controlled Lower Guria and Adjara, once belonging to the Gurieli in 1784. The campaign ended in disaster for the Georgian rulers in March 1784, resulting in Guria's permanent loss of the Kobuleti area to the Ottoman Empire. Later that year, following Solomon's death, George Gurieli supported David II's bid for the crown of Imereti and fought the Ottoman-supported pretender, Prince Kaikhosro Abashidze. George ruled Guria for more years until 1788, when he, already seasoned and weary of political instability in his principality, abdicated in favor of his eldest son, Simon II Gurieli.^[1]

Giorgi Gurieli was married to Princess Mariam (died c. 1779), probably daughter of Alexander V of Imereti. He had six children:^[2]

• Simon II Gurieli (died 1792), Prince-regnant of Guria;
• Vakhtang II Gurieli (died 1814 or 1825), Prince-regnant of Guria;
• Kaikhosro IV Gurieli (died 1829), prince-regent (1792–1809);
• Levan, married to Princess Elisabed Anchabadze;
• Agata (fl. 1837), married to Prince Aleksandre Machutadze and then, Prince Davit Mikeladze;
• David (died c. 1833), married to Princess Helen, daughter of Grigol Dadiani of Mingrelia. In the 1820s, he was an opponent of the Russian hegemony over Guria and died in exile in the Ottoman Empire. David's two sons—Grigol (1819–1892) and Levan (1824–1888) were generals in the Russian army. He was the ancestor of the extant line of the Gurieli dynasty.^[2]