Samtskhe

Samtskhe was a Georgian principality ruled by the Jaqeli family from Akhaltsikhe. In 1337 Qvarqvare governed under the Georgian crown, which had restored its authority in 1334.

Timur’s armies sacked Akhaltsikhe during the campaigns of 1386 to 1403. In 1465 Qvarqvare II defeated King George VIII near Lake Paravani and broke away from Georgia. King Bagrat III of Imereti captured Qvarqvare III and annexed Samtskhe in 1535; an Ottoman victory in 1545 made it a vassal. After 1578 the Jaqelis adopted Islam and ruled as hereditary pashas until the Russian conquest in 1829.