| Demetrius II დემეტრე II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A fresco of Demetrius II from theUdabno monastery. | |||||
| King of Georgia | |||||
| Reign | 1270–1289 | ||||
| Coronation | 1271 Svetitskhoveli Cathedral | ||||
| Predecessor | David VII | ||||
| Successor | Vakhtang II | ||||
| Born | 1259 | ||||
| Died | 12 March 1289(1289-03-12) (aged 29–30) Movakani | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Megale Komnena Solghar Natela Jaqeli | ||||
| Issue Among others | David VIII of Georgia Vakhtang III of Georgia George V of Georgia | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Bagrationi | ||||
| Father | David VII of Georgia | ||||
| Mother | Gvantsa Kakhaberidze | ||||
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church | ||||
Demetrius II the Self-Sacrificer orthe Devoted (Georgian:დემეტრე II თავდადებული,romanized:demet're II tavdadebuli) (1259–12 March 1289) of theBagrationi dynasty, wasking (mepe) of EasternGeorgia reigning from 1270 until his execution by theMongolIlkhans in 1289.
Demetrius, born in 1259, was the second son and third child of KingDavid VII of Georgia. His mother was David's third wifeGvantsa néeKakhaberidze. He was 2 years old when Gvantsa was put to death by theMongols as a reaction to David's abortive rebellion against theIlkhan hegemony. David himself died in 1270.[1]
Demetrius had an elder half-brotherGeorge, anheir apparent, who died before his father's death in 1268, and an elder half-sister Tamar, whom Demetrius subsequently married off, with great reluctance, to a son of the Mongol officialArghun-Agha.[2]
He succeeded on his father's death in 1270, when he was 11 years old. He ruled under the regency ofSadun Mankaberdeli for some time, Sadun was theAtabeg andAmirspasalar, designated by the Mongols. It is for this reason that upon the death of Sadun in 1282, Demetrius refused the post of atabeg to his sonKhutlubuga and made him a sworn enemy.
Although he continued to be titled "king of Georgians and Abkhazians, etc", Demetrius's rule extended only over the eastern part of the kingdom.Western Georgia was in the hands of the descendants ofDavid VI Narin who proclaimed themselves kings of western Georgia, while the province ofSamtskhe, governed by the independent princeBeka I Jaqeli, was directly subject to the Mongols.
Demetrius also participated in theMongol campaigns in theMiddle East against theMamluks ofEgypt and particularly distinguished himself with Beka I Jaqeli at the head of a Georgian army of 15,000 men under the orders ofMöngke Temür, brother ofAbaqa Khan, during theSecond Battle of Homs in 1281. Despite the defeat of the Mongol troops, theGeorgians reported significant spoils.[3]
Demetrius behaved like a loyal subject of theIlkhan; he was a supporter ofTekuder (1282-1284), a Mongol converted toIslam, then ofArghun (1284-1291), brought to the throne in reaction by traditional MongolBuddhist orNestorian leaders. He developed friendly relations with the Mongolian nobility. Although he was already married to aGreek princess ofTrebizond, he took the Mongolian princess Solghar as his second wife.
In 1288, on the order of Arghun, he subdued the rebel province ofDerbent, near theCaspian Sea. The same year, Arghun revealed a plot organized by his powerful ministerBuqa, whose son was married to Demetrius's daughter. Bugha and his family were massacred, and the Georgian king, suspected to have been involved in the plot, was ordered to ride to the Mongol capital, lest Arghun threatened to invade Georgia. Despite much advice from nobles, Demetrius headed for the Khan's residence to face apparent death, and was imprisoned there. He was beheaded at Movakan on 12 March 1289. He was buried atMtskheta,Georgia, and canonized by theGeorgian Orthodox Church.
He was succeeded by his cousinVakhtang II.
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The first of Demetrius' wives was aTrapezuntine princess (She might have been a daughter of the emperorManuel I of Trebizond), whom he married c. 1273–1274 or 1277.[1] By thiswoman, Demetrius had four sons and a daughter:[5]
Demetrius' second wife was theMongol noblewomanSolghar, by whom he had two sons and a daughter:[5]
Demetrius married thirdly, c. 1280,Natela, a daughter ofBeka I Jaqeli, Duke ofSamtskhe and Lord High Steward of Georgia, by whom he had a son:
| Preceded by | King of Georgia 1270–1289 | Succeeded by |