Darejan of Kakheti, Queen of Imereti

Darejan of Kakheti
Darejan, Queen of Imereti. A sketch by the contemporary Italian missionary Cristoforo Castelli.
Queen consort of Imereti
Tenure1639–1660
1661–1663
1668
Bornc. 1615
Died1668
Burial
Gelati Monastery
prev. Church of All Saints, Kutaisi
SpouseZurab, Duke of Aragvi
Alexander III of Imereti
Vakhtang of Imereti
IssueLeonti
DynastyBagrationi
FatherTeimuraz I of Kakheti
MotherKhorashan of Kartli
ReligionGeorgian Orthodox Church
KhelrtvaDarejan of Kakheti's signature

Darejan (Georgian: დარეჯანი) or Nestan-Darejan (ნესტან-დარეჯანი) (c. 1615 – 1668) was a daughter of King Teimuraz I, a ruler of Kakheti in eastern Georgia, with a notable role in the contemporary politics of Georgia. Her three marriages represented a component of her family's and her own political machinations. Her first husband, Zurab, Duke of Aragvi, was put to death at the behest of Darejan's father in 1630. Her second and third marriages, to Alexander III and Vakhtang I, respectively in 1630 and 1661, made her a queen consort of Imereti, in western Georgia, where Darejan became embroiled in a series coups and counter-coups. She was eventually murdered by members of the rival party in Kutaisi.