The Kingdom of Imereti is a Georgian monarchy established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagrationi when the Kingdom of Georgia is dissolved into rival kingdoms.

Before this time, Imereti had been considered a separate kingdom within the Kingdom of Georgia, to which a cadet branch of the Bagration royal family held the crown beginning in 1260 by Davit VI, King of Georgia after he revolted against the Mongolian rule and fled to Abkhazia.

This was due to the Mongolian conquest of the thirteenth century, which decentralized and fragmented Georgia, forcing the relocation of governmental centers to the provinces.

Imereti had been conquered by Giorgi the Brilliant, who was subject to the Mongols, and united with the east Kingdom of Georgia.

From 1455 onward, however, the kingdom becaomes a constant battleground between Georgian, Persian, and Turkish forces until it is annexed into Russia completely in 1810.

Throughout the course of this time, Mengrelia, Abkhazia and Guria princedoms declare their independence from Imereti and become their own governments.

In Persian - Azeri nomenclature the name of the region is changed to " baş açıq" which literally means "without a head scarf".