Languages Georgian Government Monarchy Established 1020s Political structure Monarchy | Religion Orthodox Christianity 1102-1104 Aghsartan II (last) Capital Telavi | |
.svg/250px-Kingdom_of_Kakheti-Hereti_(XI-XII).svg.png) | ||
Disestablished Annexed by David IV the Builder (K. of Georgia) 1104 | ||
The Kingdom of Kakheti-Hereti or just the First Kingdom of Kakheti was a Georgian feudal state in the XI-XII centuries. It was formed in the 1020s when the prince of Kakheti Kvirike III the Great finally beat the local noblemen, acquired Hereti and crowned himself as a king of Kakheti and Hereti. From this time during whole the 11th century Kakheti-Hereti was an independent and separated state from the united Kingdom of Georgia and its rulers were bearing the title of "the king of the Kakhs and the Rans (Hers)".
Contents
The kingdom usually included territories from riv. Ksani (western border) to Aljigancay (eastern border) and from Didoeti (northern border) southwards before the river of Mtkvari (southern border). Eastern part of the kingdom of Hereti — central and north-west districts of modern Azerbaijan — also came inside the frames of Kakheti-Hereti. That's why the possessors of these lands were also named as the "kings of Sheks and Gurjs".
History
First of all the first king Kvirike made the city of Telavi capital of his newly established kingdom. He also built a new palace for him and conducted some administrative reforms — subdivided the kingdom into 7 duchies : Rustavi, Kveteri, Pankisi, Shtori, Vejini, Khornabuji and Machi. Actually it seems that the king restored the old shattered situation. In the beginning the kings of Kakheti were allies of Georgian kings in fights against foreign aggressors. For example Kvirike III helped George I against the Byzantine Empire and Bagrat IV against Padlon — atabeg of Gandza. But later when Bagrat made some vigorous events to unite Georgian lands completely, Kakhetian kings contacted the Turk-Seljuks and tried to keep independence in this way. Aghsartan I to keep his ownership on his state gave up Christianity and converted to Islam. But all those events were permanent and the kings of Georgia had quite a strong foothold in the form of patriot local noblemen. Exactly owing to them king David IV the Builder managed to arrest Aghsartan II who was the last king of Kakhti-Hereti and annexed the kingdom successfully.
Henceforth the territory of the Kingdom of Kakheti, following some Georgian traditional administrative dividement rules, got divided into several administrative units. These administrative units were the Duchy of Kakheti, the Duchy of Hereti, Khornabuji bank and the "Land of Arishini".