Alexander II of Imereti

Alexander II (Georgian: ალექსანდრე II, romanized: aleksandre II; died April 1, 1510), of the Bagrationi dynasty, he reigned as the uncrowned King (mepe) of Georgia in 1478 and later as King of Imereti from 1484 to 1510.

The son of Bagrat VI of Georgia, Alexander briefly succeeded his father in 1478 during the Georgian Triumvirate War, a dynastic civil conflict that fragmented the Kingdom of Georgia into several independent realms. Deposed by his uncle and rival, Constantine II, Alexander fled to the mountains of northern western Georgia, from where he continued the civil war for several years. In 1484, amid the national turmoil that prevented Constantine from securing his territories, Alexander returned to power and was crowned King of Imereti. His reign, however, remained unstable, as he faced two further invasions by Constantine in 1485 and 1487, before finally consolidating his rule in 1489.

The official division of Georgia in 1490 recognized Alexander II as one of the four independent Georgian monarchs and established him as the founder of the Kingdom of Imereti, which endured until 1810. His reign was marked by efforts to strengthen internal governance and maintain unity against the growing autonomy of Mingrelia and Guria. In 1509, Alexander launched an unsuccessful campaign to reclaim central Georgia. That same year, Imereti faced its first encounter with the Ottoman Empire, marking the beginning of centuries of geopolitical conflict in the region.

Upon his death in 1510, Alexander II was succeeded by his son, Bagrat III of Imereti.