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'Tamar' (Georgian: 'თამარი'; 1160 – 1213), from the House of Bagrationi, was Queen of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. She is often known in English as 'Tamara'.
She ruled during what is generally regarded as Georgia’s "golden age" and gained a reputation as an outstandingly successful ruler, dubbed "King of Kings and Queen of Queens" by her subjects. Perhaps the greatest of the Georgian monarchs, her reign saw almost every neighbouring Muslim state brought to heel by Georgia.^[1]

Contents

Reign

Issue

Tamar's grave

Tamar in Georgian literature and art

Title

Notes

External links

Reign

Tamar was an elder daughter of the Georgian King Giorgi III (1156-1184) and his wife Gurandukht. Giorgi declared Tamar as co-ruler and heir apparent in 1178 in order to forestall any dispute after his death. Tamar succeeded on her father’s death in 1184. As a Sovereign in her own right, Tamar had the title of a King and is referred to in georgian as King Tamar ("Tamar Mepe").
With Tamar's ascent to the throne, a party of nobles led by Minister of Finance (''mechrurchletukhutsesi'') Qutlu Arslan demanded that the power of monarchs should be limited by a legislature, or ''karavi''. In retaliation for the Queen’s refusal and arrest of Qutlu Arslan, the opposition rose in rebellion and marched against the royal palace. Tamar managed to negotiate with the rebels and released their leader, granting only limited functions to karavi.^[2]
In 1185, a certain group of Georgian nobles arranged a marriage of the Russian Prince Yuri Bogolyubsky (known in Georgia as ''Giorgi Rusi'', George the Rus') to Tamar.^[3] She had no children by Yuri. The Queen was soon disappointed in her husband as Yuri proved to be immoral and a heavy drinker. Tamar divorced him in 1187 and chose her second husband herself. He was the Prince David Soslani from Ossetia, a descendant of Georgian royal family of Bagrationi, whom she married in 1188.¹ The Queen's consort was King only by virtue of being her husband: Tamar was the supreme ruler, and continued to be called "King of Kings and Queen of Queens". Tamar’s former husband Yuri allied with a powerful party of Georgian nobles and organized two unsuccessful revolts in an attempt to seize power in 1191.^[4]
After stabilizing the kingdom’s internal affairs, Tamar revived her father’s aggressive foreign politics and attacked the neighbouring Seljuk rulers. Tamar played an active military role as the commander of an army. In 1193 the Georgian army marched to Bardav. Following its triumphant return, a new campaign was undertaken against Erzerum.³ The army under Tamar and David attacked the Seljuks (Turks) wintering on the banks of the river Araxes.
The Atabag of Azerbaijan Abu-Bakr was given command of the army of a coalition of Georgia's Muslim opponents. A battle was fought near Shamkor in 1195 which ended in a Georgian victory.¹ Numerous prisoners and huge amounts of booty were seized, including the Khalif's standard, which Tamar donated to the Icon of Our Lady of Khakhuli. The Georgians took the city of Shamkor and the adjoining regions, and the occupied lands were turned over to the Shirvanshah under conditions of vassalage. From Shamkhor the Georgian army marched to Ganja.¹
The Georgian victories alarmed other neighbouring Muslim rulers, particularly Rukn ad-Din, Sultan of the Seljuk state in Asia Minor. The Sultan made preparations for a war in order to break the might of Christian Georgia and a major battle was fought near Basian in 1203. Despite the huge size of the Seljuk army - said to number more than 400,000 troops - the Georgian army under David Soslani won a famous victory.^[5]
During her reign the kingdom reached the apex of its political, economic and cultural might. In 1201-1203, Georgians took and annexed the Armenian capitals of Ani and Dvin. In 1204, Tamar's army occupied the city of Kars.³
In 1204, Tamar helped to found the Empire of Trebizond² on the southern shore of the Black Sea (whose capital is now the Turkish city of Trabzon). The Empire's population included Laz (Chani) Georgian tribes, ruled by descendants of the Komnenos family who had recently escaped the wrath of the Greek inhabitants of Constantinople and the European Crusaders. The first ruler of the Empire of Trebizond, Alexios I Komnenos (who had ruled Constantinople), was Tamar's nephew, son of her sister Rusudan.
In 1208-1209, Georgians attacked Khlat, Archesh and Ardabil and subjugated local rulers to the Georgian throne. In 1210, the Georgian army campaigned against Northern Persia and plundered the country.¹
In June 1212, Tamar had to defeat another rebellion. This time, Pkhovs and Didos, the mountaineers of eastern Georgia rose against the Queen’s authority. Tamar’s army under general Ioane Mkhargrdzeli attacked the rebel provinces and quelled the revolt by August 1212.
Like other medieval monarchs, Tamar played an active role in promoting her country's religion and culture, sponsoring the construction of numerous Georgian Orthodox churches.
Queen Tamar died in 1213 and was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church.
She was succeeded on the throne by her son Giorgi IV Lasha.

Issue

Tamar was survived by two children.

★ Lasha Giorgi, the future King Giorgi IV of Georgia

★ Rusudan, the future Queen Regnant of Georgia

Tamar's grave

A legend says, Tamar was buried at the secret place at Gelati Monastery near Kutaisi, Western Georgia. Georgian scholars suggest, Tamar was buried in one of Gelati’s niches. Queen Tamar’s words are quoted from a 12th century literary source: "To my ancestors’ land, to the monastery of Gelati will I be taken, and buried there in an honourable grave". There is another belief, which prevails today, that Queen Tamar was buried at the new Gelati Monastery.

Tamar in Georgian literature and art

The poet Shota Rustaveli commemorated Tamar in his epic poem ''The Knight in the Panther's Skin'', in which her coronation gave Rustaveli the historical background for his sublime description of the coronation of Tinatin. Chakhrukhadze was another Georgian poet of that time who devoted his poem ''Tamariani'' to the Queen. Numerous folk songs, poems and legends are also dedicated to her.
Tamar’s frescos are preserved in the Monasteries of Gelati, Vardzia, Betania and Kintsvisi.

Title

Her Majesty The Most High Queen Thamar, by the will of our Lord, King of Kings and Queen of Queens of the Abkhazians, Kartvelians, Ranians, Kakhetians and the Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah and Master of all the East and West, Glory of the World and Faith, Champion of the Messiah.

Notes

1. Allen, W.E.D.: ''A History of the Georgian People'', 1932
2. Lang, David M.: ''The Georgians'', 1966
3. Suny, R.G.: ''The Making of the Georgian Nation'', 2nd Edition, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 1994, ISBN 0-253-35579-6
4. Salia, K.: ''A History of the Georgian Nation'', Paris, 1983
5. Sir Oliver Wardlop, ''The Georgian Kingdom'', London, 1921

External links

★ Saint Tamar of Georgia

★ The Bagrationi Dynasty