David was a brother of the Kartlian king Simon I, who led a long-lasting liberation war against the Safavid Persian and Ottoman empires.
In December 1561, David repaired to Qazvin to offer his submission to Shah Tahmasp, converted to Islam and adopted the name of Daud Khan.
[2] Relying on the Persian occupation forces and a few loyal nobles, Daud was in control of the Georgian capital Tbilisi and the province of Lower Kartli, while the rest of the kingdom remained faithful to Simon.
The Turkish army commanded by Lala Mustafa Pasha overran much of Georgia and dislodged Daud Khan, who had burnt the citadel of Tbilisi and taken shelter at Lorri.
During his stay in Turkey, Daud Khan compiled two Ottoman-era medical treatises (qarabadin) and translated it into Georgian, sending a copy to his motherland.