Levan (also Leon; Georgian: ლევან [ლეონ]; 1504–1574), was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi dynasty, who reigned as king (mepe) of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1518 to 1574. He presided over the most prosperous and peaceful period in the history of the Kakhetian realm.
Levan's presumed tomb was discovered in the south-western corner of the Gremi church in 2021.
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Biography
He was the son of George II of Kakheti by his wife, Princess Helen Irubakidze-Cholokashvili. George II led a series of unsuccessful raids into his western neighbor, kingdom of Kartli, ruled by a rival branch of the Bagrationi. In 1513, he was captured and put in prison, while his kingdom was taken over by David X of Kartli. Levan was taken by loyal nobles to the mountains and kept there clandestinely until 1518, when they capitalized on the invasion of Kartli by Ismail I, the Safavid Shah of Iran, and proclaimed Levan king of Kakheti. David X led his army against Kakheti, but failed to capture Levan and withdrew. In 1520, the two kings made peace and forged an alliance.
Having secured the crown, Levan forced the highlanders of eastern Georgia into submission and established friendly relations with the Shamkhal of Tarki in Dagestan. In 1521, he mounted an expedition against Hassan-Bey, the ruler of Shaki in Shirvan, took the city and had Hassan executed.
Shaki was under the patronage of Iran, and when Ismail I marched against Kakheti, Levan's courage began to falter. He officially accepted the shah's suzerainty and agreed to pay tribute. He reaffirmed his loyalty to the new shah, Tahmasp I, in 1541, and even helped him subdue rebellious Shaki in 1551.