Career
In 1786, he ran afoul of Heraclius II, who stripped him of the office of Grand Master of the Court (sakhlt-ukhutsesi) and granted it to Ioann, Prince of Mukhrani. David Orbeliani made several diplomatic journeys to Iran, from where he brought manuscripts of Qahraman-e qatel, a Persian prose romance of chivalry and adventure, and translated it as Qaramaniani (ყარამანიანი) which, although given some local Georgian color, follows its Persian original very closely and gained a considerable popularity in Georgia. He is also a hero of panegyrics by the contemporary Georgian poet Besiki (1750-1791), whom he responded by writing love-poetry very much in the spirit of Besiki.
Orbeliani died in Tbilisi in 1796, and was interred at Sioni Cathedral.