David’s Descendants: Legitimacy and Identity Representations of the Converted Safavid Viceroys in East Georgia (1580–1724)

Abstract This scholarly exploration delves into the intersection of religious alignment and the validity of governance within identity representations embodied by the Safavid Viceroys (1501–1722), the Georgian Kings of Kartli and Kakheti. Nestled between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, these eastern Georgian territories stood not merely as the focal point of Safavid Iran’s political aspirations but also attracted the attention of Ottoman and Russian imperial strategies. The bi-centennial discord involving Georgian monarchs and their Muslim liege lords transcended conventional political and martial realms, seeping into the spheres of cultural and religious discourse. Within this context, the religious affinities of Georgian subordinates crystallised into a pivotal aspect of the Safavid-Georgian interactions, precipitating the evolution of divergent, fabricated religious affiliations. The Georgian-Persian bilingual documents furnish an invaluable comparative lens to juxtapose the variant religious portrayals of a single Georgian King, in his role as a Safavid Viceroy.