Leon was born into the family of Prince Iulon of Georgia and his wife Princess Salome, daughter of Revaz Amilakhvari, in 1786. The family lived in Tiflis, the capital of Heraclius II, until its sack by the Iranians in 1795. After that, Iulon moved his household to his princely domain in the Ksani valley, where the young Leon was educated privately by the respected dean Ioane Kartvelishvili.