principality · Caucasus

Principality of Samtskhe

1268 CE – 1628 CE · capital Akhaltsikhe

A south-west Georgian principality ruled by the Jaqeli atabegs, which broke from the Georgian crown and was finally absorbed by the Ottoman Empire.

Origins

Samtskhe, the upland borderland around Akhaltsikhe, was governed by the Jaqeli family as royal lieutenants. In 1268 Sargis I Jaqeli secured direct recognition from the Mongol Ilkhanate, making his lands effectively separate from the Kingdom of Georgia, and his heirs held the title of atabeg.

Rule and society

The atabegs ruled from Akhaltsikhe over farming valleys, the cave monastery of Vardzia and routes to Anatolia. Beka I Jaqeli issued a law code in the early 14th century. Samtskhe rejoined Georgia under George V but broke away again in the 15th century, becoming a battleground between the Ottomans and Safavids after 1500 and a vassal of the Ottoman Empire from 1578.

Decline and legacy

The Jaqeli rulers converted to Islam, and in 1628 the Ottomans turned Samtskhe into the Childir Eyalet, with Safar Pasha, a Jaqeli, as its first governor. Much of the population was gradually Islamised, and the region returned to Georgian rule only after the Russian conquest of 1829.

Lineage

Kingdom of Georgia 1008 CE – 1490 CEPrincipality of SamtskheChildir Eyalet 1628 CE – 1829 CE

Connections (3)

  • Principality of Samtskhe was a vassal of Ilkhanate1268 CE – 1334 CE
  • Principality of Samtskhe was a vassal of Ottoman Empire1578 CE – 1628 CE
  • Principality of Samtskhe was conquered by Ottoman Empire1628 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Samtskhe. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-samtskhe
MLA
“Principality of Samtskhe.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-samtskhe. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Samtskhe.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-samtskhe.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Samtskhe’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-samtskhe (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻