Archil was the son of Vakhtang V Shahnawaz of Kartli, who, under the Persian protection, attempted to reunify a fragmented Kingdom of Georgia under his crown.
In 1675, however, due largely to the intrigues by the Persian grand vizier Shaykh' Ali Khan, Archil abandoned Kakheti and, with his brother Luarsab, defected to the Turkish frontier pasha of Akhaltsikhe who promised him the crown of Imereti.