Samtskhe-Saatabago in the context of "Bagrat III of Imereti"

The Kingdom of Imereti (Georgian: იმერეთის სამეფო, romanized: imeretis samepo) was a Georgian monarchy established in 1463 by a member of the house of Bagrationi when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Imereti was considered a separate kingdom within the Kingdom of Georgia, of which a cadet branch of the Bagrationi royal family held the crown.

The realm was conquered by George V the Brilliant and once again united with the east Kingdom of Georgia. From 1463 onward, however, Imereti became a constant battleground between Georgian and Ottoman forces for several centuries, resulting in the kingdom's progressive decline due to this ongoing instability. These threats pushed local Georgian rulers to seek closer ties with Tsardom of Russia. In 1649, Imereti sent ambassadors to the Russian royal court and Russia returned favor in 1651. In the presence of Russian ambassadors, Alexander III of Imereti swore an oath of allegiance to Tsar Alexis of Russia. However, internal conflicts among Georgian royalty continued and, although Alexander III briefly managed to control all of Western Georgia, this consolidation was short lived. By the time of his death in 1660, Western Georgia was still in a state of flux. In this chaotic period, Archil of Imereti was enthroned and deposed several times. His efforts to secure assistance from Russia and, later, Pope Innocent XII proved unsuccessful and he was finally exiled to Russia.

George V the Brilliant (Georgian: გიორგი V ბრწყინვალე, romanized: giorgi V brts'q'invale; also translated as the Illustrious, or Magnificent; 1286–1346) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the king (mepe) of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1299 to 1302 and again from 1314 until his death in 1346.

He was raised in Samtskhe, at the court of his maternal grandfather, Beka I Jaqeli, who held the position of Mandaturtukhutsesi. In 1299, Ghazan appointed the young George to rule in opposition to his brother, King David VIII. Although proclaimed king, his authority extended only over Tbilisi, which earned him the title “King of Tbilisi.” In a similar manner, Ghazan later used another brother of David VIII, Vakhtang III, who reigned from 1302 to 1308.

The Ottoman–Safavid War of 1623–1639 was a conflict fought between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran, then the two major powers of Western Asia, over control of Mesopotamia.

After initial Safavid success in recapturing Baghdad and most of Ottoman Iraq, having lost it for 90 years, the war became a stalemate as the Safavids were unable to press further into the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottomans themselves were distracted by wars in Europe and weakened by internal turmoil. Eventually, the Ottomans were able to recover Baghdad, taking heavy losses in the final siege, and the signing of the Treaty of Zuhab ended the war in an Ottoman victory. Roughly speaking, the treaty restored the borders of 1555, with the Safavids keeping Daghestan, Shirvan, eastern Georgia, and Eastern Armenia, while western Georgia and Western Armenia decisively came under Ottoman rule. The eastern part of Samtskhe (Meskheti) was irrevocably lost to the Ottomans as well as Mesopotamia. Although parts of Mesopotamia were briefly retaken by the Iranians later on in history, notably during the reigns of Nader Shah (1736–1747) and Karim Khan Zand (1751–1779), it remained thenceforth in Ottoman hands until the aftermath of World War I.

Beka I Jaqeli (Georgian: ბექა I ჯაყელი) (c. 1240 – 1306) was a Georgian prince who ruled over (mtavari) of Samtskhe (1285–1306).