George XI of Kartli (Gurgin Khan)
Georgian monarch and Safavid governor of Qandahar
Years: 1651 - 1709
George XI (1651 – April 21, 1709) is a Georgian monarch who rules Eastern Georgia from 1676 to 1688 and again from 1703 to 1709.
He is best known for his struggle against Safavid Persia, which dominates his weakened kingdom, and later as a Safavid commander-in-chief in Afghanistan.
Being an Eastern Orthodox Christian, he converts to Islam prior to his appointment as governor of Qandahar.
He later converts to Roman Catholicism in an attempt to court Western support in the face of increasingly assertive Islamic forces.
