The Duchy of Samokalako, also known as the Duchy of Imereti or the Duchy of Kutaisi, was a duchy of the Kingdom of Georgia from the 15th century. Created by King Alexander I of Georgia upon the reestablishment of royal control over the Kingdom of Western Georgia, the duchy was given to a cadet branch of the Bagrationi dynasty. However, its history remains short and its secession following the Battle of Chikhori led to the Georgian civil war of 1463–1491.
The Duchy of Samokalako was formed during the period of reconstruction of the Kingdom of Georgia by King Alexander I the Great, in 1414. Indeed, he began his reign in 1412 by putting an end to the noble rebellions of western Georgia, notably during the conflict between Abkhazia and Mingrelia; in 1414, he decided to take as his wife Princess Tamar of Imereti, niece of the former rebel king Constantine II of Imereti, and decided to carve out of the royal domains a duchy for Tamar's brother, Demetrius, who lived then in poverty. Demetrius becomes the new Duke of Samokalako and takes the title of eristavi, at the same rank as the sovereigns of Mingrelia, Guria, Svaneti, Abkhazia and others.
Samokalako is made up of the western capital of Kutaisi and its surroundings, leading some historians to name the region "Duchy of Kutaisi" or "Duchy of Imereti". The duchy is a direct vassal of the Georgian crown and must swear allegiance to kings Alexander I and his sons, Vakhtang IV, Demetrius III and George VIII, who govern the kingdom together. In 1446, following the abdication of the Georgian sovereign, western Georgia fell under the governance of Demetrius III. To ensure his control over the region, he married the only daughter of Demetrius of Samokalako, Gulkan, but entered into rebellion against his brothers. It is likely that the duchy remained under the loyalty of Demetrius III until his death in 1453, after which it returned to the control of Georgia.
As eristavi, the rulers of Samokalako were responsible for a military battalion, but it is unclear whether the duchy's troops were used in the war against the Turkomans in the 1430s.
In 1455, on the death of the eristavi Demetrius, George VIII confirmed as the new sovereign of Samokalako the young Bagrat, maternal grandson of Demetrius. He remained loyal to the central government at the start of his reign and the duchy participated in 1460 in the Georgian embassy sent to Western Europe to encourage a new crusade against the Ottomans, sending a Mingrelian named Kassadan Qartchikhan.
However, Bagrat of Samokalako soon rebelled against the Georgian king. After allying himself with the duchies of Mingrelia, Svaneti, Guria and Abkhazia and Samtskhe-Saatabago, he went to war against George VIII and defeated the royal troops at the Battle of Chikhori in 1463. Following this rebellion, Bagrat entered the monastery of Gelati and was crowned king of Imereti, putting an end to the duchy of Samokalako.
The Duchy of Samokalako was ruled by an Eristavi, a noble governor appointed by the king and controlling a region on behalf of the Crown. This title is often translated by Western historiography as “duke”. The sovereigns of the duchy are:
1414-1455: Demetrius
1455-1463: Bagrat (Grandson of Demetrius).