According to traditional Georgian genealogy, this dynasty was a branch of the royal house of Bagrationi, stemming from King David VIII of Georgia (died 1311).
Alastani, north of modern-day town of Akhalkalaki, became a centre of the domain of crown princes of Georgia early in the 13th century.
Lasha-George, son of Queen Tamar the Great and the future king George IV of Georgia, is thought to have been the first in possession of this principality.
The line of Alastani was founded by David VIII, who withdrew in Javakheti in 1302 after losing struggle for the Georgian throne to his younger brother, Vakhtang III.
[1][2] Professor Cyril Toumanoff of Georgetown University advanced a hypothesis not accepted by the mainstream Georgian scholarship, identifying the dynasty of Alastani (c. 1230–1348) with the Georgian noble family Andronikashvili, who claimed descent from Alexios Komnenos (c. 1170–1199), the illegitimate son of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos (ruled 1183-1185) by his mistress and relative Theodora Komnene, Queen Dowager of Jerusalem.