Kingdom of Georgia საქართველოს სამეფო Sakartvelos samepo | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1008–1490 | |||||||||||||||||||||
  Flags of Georgia of the 14th–15th centuries according toDulcert, thePizzigano brothers and others[3] ![Coat of arms of "All-Georgian Kingdom" according to Prince Vakhushti's Atlas (c. 1745) Coat of arms of the "Kingdom of Georgia under Khan" according to Grünenberg Wappenbuch (1480)[1][2] of Kingdom of Georgia](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCoat_of_arms_Kingdom_of_Georgia.svg) Coat of arms of"All-Georgian Kingdom" according to PrinceVakhushti's Atlas (c. 1745)  | |||||||||||||||||||||
_Sphere_of_influence.png) Kingdom of Georgia inc. 1220, at the peak of its territorial expansion, superimposed on modern borders. | |||||||||||||||||||||
 Administrative division of the Kingdom of Georgia in the 13th century | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Capital | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Middle Georgian (language of governance, literacy, and coinage)[4][5] Zan[6] Greek[6] Armenian[7] Arabic(lingua franca/numismatics/chancery)[8][9] Persian(numismatics)[10] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Religion | State and majority Eastern Orthodox(Georgian Orthodox Church)[11] Minority | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Government | Feudalmonarchy | ||||||||||||||||||||
| King | |||||||||||||||||||||
• 1008–1014 (first) | Bagrat III | ||||||||||||||||||||
• 1446–1465 (last) | George VIII | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Legislature | Council of State | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | High Middle Ages toLate Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||||||
| c. 1008 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1122–1226 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1245–1247 | |||||||||||||||||||||
• East and West division | 1247–1329 | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Reunification | 1329 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1463 1490[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Currency | VariousByzantine andSassanian coins were minted until the 12th century. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
1the full title of the Georgian monarchs after 1124 was "King of Kings,Autocrat of all the East and the West, Sword of theMessiah,King of Abkhazia,King of Iberia,King of Kakheti and Hereti,King of Armenia,Possessor of Shirvan." | |||||||||||||||||||||
TheKingdom of Georgia (Georgian:საქართველოს სამეფო,romanized: Sakartvelos samepo), also known as theGeorgian Empire,[15] was amedievalEurasianmonarchy that was founded inc. 1008AD. It reachedits Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign of KingDavid IV and QueenTamar the Great from the 11th to 13th centuries. Georgia became one of the pre-eminent nations of theChristian East, and its pan-Caucasian empire[16] and network of tributaries stretched fromEastern Europe toAnatolia and northern frontiers ofIran, while Georgia also maintained religious possessions abroad, such as theMonastery of the Cross inJerusalem and theMonastery of Iviron inGreece. It is the principal historical precursor of present-dayGeorgia.
Kingdom of Georgia emerged in the early 11th century out ofunification of various Georgian kingdoms, most notably theKingdom of the Iberians and theKingdom of Abkhazia. Lasting for nearly five centuries, the kingdom fell to theMongol invasions in the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by the 1340s. The following decades were marked by theBlack Death, as well as numerousinvasions under the leadership ofTimur, who devastated the country's economy, population, and urban centers. The Kingdom's geopolitical situation further worsened after the conquest of theByzantine Empire and theEmpire of Trebizond by theOttoman Turks. As a result of these processes, by the end of the 15th century Georgia turned into a fractured entity. This whole series of events also led to the finalcollapse of the kingdom into anarchy by 1466 and the mutual recognition of its constituent kingdoms ofKartli,Kakheti, andImereti as independent states between 1490 and 1493—each led by a rival branch of theBagrationi dynasty, and into five semi-independent principalities—Odishi,Guria,Abkhazia,Svaneti, andSamtskhe.
Early Georgian kingdoms were reduced to feudal regions over the course of theRoman–Persian wars. The area then fell under the control of theearly Muslim conquests of the 7th century.[17]
Iberian princes from theBagrationi dynasty fought against theArab occupation and came to rule theTao-Klarjeti region. They established theKouropalatate of Iberia as a nominal vassal of theByzantine Empire. By 888, they had gained control of the central Georgian land,Kartli, and restored theIberian kingship. The Bagrationi dynasty was unable to maintain their kingdom, and it was divided between the three branches of the family. The main branch controlledTao, while another controlledKlarjeti.
In 736,Marwan ibn Muhammad's invasion of Georgia was repelled by Abkhazians,Lazic and Iberian allies. This successful defense along with increasing struggles against Byzantium helped lead to a process of unification of the Georgian states into a single feudal monarchy. The Georgian Church broke away fromConstantinople in the 9th century, instead recognizing the authority of theCatholicate of Mtskheta. The church language was changed fromGreek toGeorgian.[18]
.jpg)
During the 10th century,David III of Tao invaded theDuchy of Kartli, giving it to his adopted son, who would later be known asBagrat III of Georgia, with his biological father,Gurgen of Iberia, as regent. In 994, Gurgen was crownedKing of the Iberians. In 975, supported by the Duke of KartliIvane Marushisdze and David, Bagrat claimed the throne of Kartli,[19]: 108 becomingKing of the Kartlians. During this time, theKingdom of Abkhazia in what is today northwestern Georgia was under the rule ofTheodosius the Blind, who did away with Abkhazian traditions. In 978, the Abkhazian aristocracy, dissatisfied with the rule of Theodosius, performed a coup d'état and invited Bagrat to claim the throne of Abkhazia.[20]: 67–68
Gurgen died in 1008, leaving his throne for Bagrat, allowing Bagrat to become the first king of a unified Abkhazia and Iberia. In his early reign, Bagrat pressed a claim to the kingdom ofKhakheti-Hereti to the east, and annexed it in 1010. Bagrat also reduced the autonomy of dynastic princes to stabilize his realm, with his fears focusing on theKlarjeti line of the Bagrationi. In order to secure the throne for his son,George I of Georgia, Bagrat tricked his cousins into a meeting and imprisoned them, and his cousins' children fled toConstantinople, where they requested the aid of theByzantine Empire to take back their patrimonial land.[21]
Bagrat's reign secured a victory for the Bagratids of Georgia, ending the power-struggles that had plagued the region for centuries. Bagrat had a peaceful foreign policy, successfully avoiding conflicts with the Byzantines and nearby Muslim realms, even though some of David's territory, such asTao andTbilisi, remained in Byzantine and Arab control, respectively.
George I's reign was known primarily for its war against the Byzantines. This war had its roots in the 990s, when David III, after losing a rebellion against the Byzantine EmperorBasil II, agreed to cede his lands in Tao to the emperor upon his death. George I, in an attempt to take back the Kuropalates' land, occupied Tao starting from 1015 or 1016, during a Byzantine war with theBulgarian Empire. When Bulgaria was dealt with in 1021, Basil II turned his attention to Georgia, leading to a two-year-long war and an eventual Byzantine victory. George, as a result, had to abandon his claims in Tao and surrender some of his southwestern lands, which were eventually made into thetheme of Iberia. George's son, who would eventually becomeBagrat IV, was also given to Basil as a hostage.[22]
Bagrat IV spent the next three years inConstantinople, being released in 1025. George I's death in 1027 saw him succeeded by the 8-year-old Bagrat. By the time Bagrat ascended to the throne, the Bagratids' unification drive had gained much momentum. Many of the Georgian lands, such as Tao, Tbilisi, Kakheti and Hereti, were either under the rule of foreign empires or of independent kings. The loyalty of Georgian nobles was also questionable. Bagrat IV's childhood saw the regency increase the influence of the nobility, something which he tried to stop when he assumed his full powers.[22]
In the later half of the 11th century, theSeljuq Turks invaded nearby regions, prompting greater cooperation between the Georgian and Byzantine governments. In a political arrangement, Bagrat's daughterMaria married the Byzantine co-emperorMichael VII Doukas at some point between 1066 and 1071.
In 1065 the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan attackedKartli, taking Tbilisi and building a mosque.[23] During the internecine conflict between Seljuk heirs,George II of Georgia defeated a Seljuk governor, Sarang of Ganja, at theBattle of Partskhisi in 1074.[24] In 1076, the Seljuk sultanMalik Shah I attacked again. Georgia eventually submitted to Malik Shah, paying an annualtribute in order to have peace.
George II ceded the crown to his 16-year-old sonDavid IV in 1089. Under the tutelage of his court minister,George of Chqondidi, David IV suppressed the feudal lords and centralized the power. In 1089–1100, he organized military action to destroy Seljuk troops, beginning the resettlement of occupied regions. In 1099, David IV refused to pay tribute to the Seljuqs.
By 1104, the local king of the eastern Georgia provide ofKakheti,Aghsartan II, was captured by David IV's supporters, reuniting the area. The following year, David IV defeated a Seljuk force in theBattle of Ertsukhi. Over the course of 1110 to 1118, David IV captured the fortresses ofSamshvilde,Rustavi,Gishi, andLori.
Starting in 1118 through 1120, David IV began major military reforms, including theresettlement of several thousandKipchaks.[25] In exchange, each Kipchak family provided David IV with a soldier, allowing him to establish a standing army. This alliance was aided byDavid IV's earlier marriage to theKhan's daughter.
Entering 1120, David IV became more expansionist. He invaded the neighbouringShirvan area and the town ofQabala. From there, he began to successfully attack the Seljuk in the eastern and southwestern areas ofTranscaucasia. In 1121,Sultan Mahmud b. Muhammad declared aholy war on Georgia. but David IV defeated his army at theDidgori. Soon after, David IVsecured Tbilisi, one of the last Muslim enclave remaining in Georgia, and the capital was moved there, beginningGeorgia's Golden Age.[26]
.jpg)
In 1123, David IV liberatedDmanisi, the last Seljuk stronghold in southern Georgia. By 1124,Shirvan was captured along with theArmenian city ofAni. This expanded the kingdom's borders to theAraxes basin.
David IV founded theGelati Academy, known at the time as "a newHellas" and "a secondAthos".[27] David also composed theHymns of Repentance, eight free-verse psalms.[28]
.jpg)
The kingdom continued to flourish underDemetrius I, the son of David. Demetrius instituted religious tolerance throughout his kingdom, going as far as to give the Tbilisi Muslims tax exemptions and religious privileges.[29] Despite this, neighbouring Muslim rulers began attacking Georgia from all sides. The Seljuqid sultans fought to restore the rule of theShirvanshahs. Shirvan's large Muslim population rose against Georgia. This probably happened in 1129 or 1130, when Demetrius restored the Shirvanshahs to power inShirvan, installing on the throneManuchihr II, the husband of his daughterRusudan. TheShirvanshahs had to provide the Georgian king with troops whenever the latter demanded it. In 1130, Georgia was attacked by theSultan of Ahlat,Shah-ArmenSökmen II (c. 1128–1183). This war was started by the passage of Ani into the hands of the Georgians; Demetrius I had to compromise and give upAni to theShaddadid emirFadl ibn Mahmud on terms ofvassalage and inviolability of the Christian churches. In 1139, Demetrius raided the city ofGanja inArran. He brought theiron gate of the defeated city to Georgia and donated it toGelati Monastery atKutaisi. Despite this brilliant victory, Demetrius could hold Ganja only for a few years.[30][31] In reply to this, the sultan of theEldiguzids attacked Ganja several times, and in 1143 the town again fell to the sultan. According toMkhitar Gosh, Demetrius ultimately gained possession of Ganja, but, when he gave his daughter in marriage to the sultan, he presented the latter with the town as dowry, and the sultan appointed his own emir to rule it. Thus, Ganja once again fell into the hands of theEldiguzids.
In 1130, Demetrius revealed a plot of nobles, probably involving the king's half-brotherVakhtang. The King arrested the conspirators and executed one of their leaders, IoanneAbuletisdze, in 1138 (or 1145).
Fadl's successor,Fakr al-Din Shaddad, aShaddadid emir of Ani asked forSaltuk's daughter's hand, however Saltuk refused him. This caused a deep hatred in Shaddad towards Saltuk. In 1154 he planned a plot and formed a secret alliance with the Demetrius I. While a Georgian army waited in ambush, he offered tribute toSaltukids, ruler ofErzerum and asked the latter to accept him as a vassal. In 1153–1154, EmirSaltuk II marched on Ani, but Shaddad informed his suzerain, the King of Georgia, of this. Demetrius marched to Ani, defeated and captured the emir. At the request of neighbouring Muslim rulers and released him for a ransom of 100,000dinars, paid by Saltuk's sons in law and Saltuk swore not to fight against the Georgians he returned home.[32]
Although his reign saw a disruptive family conflict related to royal succession, Georgia remained a centralized power with a strong military.[30][33] A talented poet, Demetrius also continued his father's contributions to Georgia's religiouspolyphony. The most famous of his hymns isThou Art a Vineyard.
Demetrius was succeeded by his sonGeorge III in 1156, beginning a stage of more offensive foreign policy. In the same year of his ascension to the throne, Giorgi launched a successful campaign against theShah-Armens, raided their lands and turn back with prisoners and booty. In 1161, George III took overAni and appointed his general Ivane Orbeli as its ruler. A coalition consisting of the ruler of Ahlat,Shah-ArmenSökmen II, the ruler ofDiyarbekir,Kotb ad-Din il-Ghazi, Al-Malik of Erzerum, and others was formed as soon as the Georgians seized the town, but the latter defeated the allies. 1162 In the summer, the Georgian army, whose number reached 30,000, tookDvin.[34] In response to this,Eldiguz Soon he proceeded northward to recover the city ofDvin. A coalition ofMuslim rulers -Shah-Armen Seyfettin Beytemür,Ahmadili Arslan-Aba,Arzen emir Fakhr ul-Din andSaltuk II, led by Eldiguz took thefortress of Gagi, laid waste as far as the region of Gagi andGegharkunik, seized prisoners and booty, and then moved toAni capturing and granting it toShaddadid emirShahanshah ibn Mahmud. The Muslim rulers were jubilant, and they prepared for a new campaign. However, this time they were forestalled byGeorge III, who marched intoArran at the beginning of 1166, occupied a region extending toGanja, devastated the land and turned back with prisoners and booty. The Shaddadids ruled Ani for about 10 years as vassals of Eldgiz, but in 1174 George III took the Shahanshah as a prisoner and occupied Ani once again, appointingIvane Orbeli as governor.[35]After that, Eldiguz together with other Muslim rulers invaded Georgia twice, the first invasion was successfully repelled by the Georgians, but during the second invasion Georgians lost Ani and in 1175 it was recaptured byShaddadids.[36]
The unified monarchy maintained its precarious independencefrom the Byzantine andSeljuk empires throughout the 11th century, and flourished underDavid IV the Builder (c. 1089–1125), whorepelled the Seljuk attacks and essentially completed the unification of Georgia with there-conquest of Tbilisi in 1122.[37] In spite of repeated incidents of dynastic strife, the kingdom continued to prosper during the reigns ofDemetrios I (c.1125–1156),George III (c.1156–1184), and especially, his daughterTamar (c.1184–1213).
With thedecline of Byzantine power and the dissolution of theGreat Seljuk Empire, Georgia became one of the pre-eminent nations of the region, stretching, at its largest extent, from present-daySouthern Russia toNorthern Iran, and westwards intoAnatolia. The Kingdom of Georgia brought about the Georgian Golden Age, which describes a historical period in theHigh Middle Ages, spanning from roughly the late 11th to 13th centuries, when the kingdom reached the zenith of its power and development. The period saw the flourishing of medieval Georgian architecture, painting and poetry, which was frequently expressed in the development of ecclesiastic art, as well as the creation of first major works of secular literature. It was a period of military, political, economical and cultural progress. It also included the so-called Georgian Renaissance (also called Eastern Renaissance[38]), during which various human activities, forms of craftsmanship and art, such as literature, philosophy and architecture thrived in the kingdom.[39]
Tamar not only shielded much of her Empire from further Turkish invasions but successfully pacified internal tensions, including a coup organized by herRussian husbandYury Bogolyubsky, prince ofNovgorod. In an attempt to reassure her Empire's neighbor, she issued a peace document in Arabic, believed to be addressed toKilij Arslan II, stating, "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost to be friend of your friends, enemy of your enemies, as long as I am alive, to have the best intentions, never to attack your towns, states or fortresses".[8]
Early in the 1190s, the Georgian government began to interfere in the affairs of the Eldiguzids and of the Shirvanshahs, aiding rivaling local princes and reducingShirvan to a tributary state. The Eldiguzid atabegAbu Bakr attempted to stem the Georgian advance, but suffered a defeat at the hands of David Soslan at theBattle of Shamkor and lost his capital to a Georgian protégé in 1195. Although Abu Bakr was able to resume his reign a year later, the Eldiguzids were only barely able to contain further Georgian forays.[40][41]
The question of liberation of Armenia remained of prime importance in Georgia's foreign policy. Tamar's armies led by two ChristianisedKurdish[42] generals,Zakare and Ivane Mkhargrdzeli (Zakarian) overran fortresses and cities towards theArarat Plain, reclaiming one after another fortresses and districts from local Muslim rulers.
Alarmed by the Georgian successes,Süleymanshah II, the resurgent Seljuqidsultan of Rûm, rallied his vassalemirs and marched against Georgia, but his camp was attacked and destroyed by David Soslan at theBattle of Basian in 1203 or 1204. The chronicler of Tamar describes how the army was assembled at the rock-hewn town ofVardzia before marching on to Basian and how the queen addressed the troops from the balcony of the church.[43] Exploiting her success in this battle, between 1203 and 1205 Georgians seized the town ofDvin[44] and entered Ahlatshah possessions twice and subdued the emir ofKars (vassal of theSaltukids in Erzurum), the Ahlatshahs, and the emirs of Erzurum andErzincan. In 1206, the Georgian army, under the command ofDavid Soslan,captured Kars and other fortresses and strongholds along theAraxes. This campaign was evidently started because the ruler of Erzerum refused to submit to Georgia. The emir of Kars requested aid from the Ahlatshahs, but the latter was unable to respond, it was soon taken over by theAyyubid Sultanate in 1207. By 1209 Georgia challenged Ayyubid rule inthe Armenian highlands and led a liberation war for south Armenia. The Georgian army besiegedKhlat. In response AyyubidSultanal-Adil I assembled and personally led a large Muslim army that included theemirs ofHoms,Hama, andBaalbek as well as contingents from other Ayyubid principalities to supportal-Awhad, emir ofJazira. During the siege, Georgian general Ivane Mkhargrdzeli accidentally fell into the hands of the al-Awhad on the outskirts of Ahlat. Using Ivane as a bargaining chip, al-Awhad agreed to release him in return for athirty year truce with Georgia, thus ending the immediate Georgian threat to the Ayyubids.[45] This brought the struggle for the Armenian lands to a stall,[46] leaving theLake Van region to theAyyubids ofDamascus.[47]
Among the remarkable events of Tamar's reign was thefoundation of theEmpire of Trebizond on theBlack Sea in 1204. This state was established in the northeast of the crumblingByzantine Empire with the help of the Georgian armies, which supportedAlexios I of Trebizond and his brother,David Komnenos, both of whom were Tamar's relatives.[48] Alexios and David were fugitive Byzantine princes raised at the Georgian court. Tamar's Pontic endeavor can also be explained by her desire to take advantage of theWestern EuropeanFourth Crusade against Constantinople to set up a friendly state in Georgia's immediate southwestern neighborhood, as well as by the dynastic solidarity to the dispossessed Comnenoi.[49][50]
As a retribution for the attack on Georgian-controlled city ofAni, where 12,000 Christians were massacred in 1208, Georgia's Tamar the Great invaded and conquered the cities ofTabriz,Ardabil,Khoy,Qazvin[51] and others along the way toGorgan[52][53] in northeast Persia.[54]
The country's power had grown to such extent that in the later years of Tamar's rule, the Kingdom was primarily concerned with the protection of the Georgian monastic centers in theHoly Land, eight of which were listed inJerusalem.[55]Saladin's biographerBahā' ad-Dīn ibn Šaddād reports that, after the Ayyubid conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, Tamar sent envoys to the sultan to request that the confiscated possessions of the Georgian monasteries in Jerusalem be returned. Saladin's response is not recorded, but the queen's efforts seem to have been successful.[56] Ibn Šaddād furthermore claims that Tamar outbid the Byzantine emperor in her efforts to obtain the relics of theTrue Cross, offering 200,000 gold pieces to Saladin who had taken the relics as booty at thebattle of Hattin – to no avail, however.[57]
Jacques de Vitry, thePatriarch of Jerusalem at that time wrote:[58]
There is also in the East another Christian people, who are very warlike and valiant in battle, being strong in body and powerful in the countless numbers of their warriors...Being entirely surrounded by infidel nations...these men are called Georgians, because they especially revere and worship St. George...Whenever they come on pilgrimage to theLord's Sepulchre, they march into the Holy City...without paying tribute to anyone, for theSaracens dare in no wise molest them...
In 1334,Shaykh Hasan of theJalayir was appointed as governor of Georgia by Abu Sai'd.[59] The young and weak politicianAbu Sa'id Khan could not stop the decline of the state. In1335, after his death, complete chaos began in the country, and in fact, Ilkhanate was divided into several neighboring states.George V took good advantage of the created situation. He stopped paying tribute to the Mongols and expelled their army from the country, and successfully restored the country's previous strength andChristian culture.[60]During his reign, Armenian lands, includingAni, were part of the Kingdom of Georgia.[61]In the 1330s, George secured the southwestern province ofKlarjeti against the advancingOttoman tribesmen led byOrhan I. In 1341 he interfered in the power struggle in the neighbouringEmpire of Trebizond and supportedAnna Anachoutlou who ascended the throne with the help of theLaz, only to be put to death a year later. He also organized a successful campaign againstShirvan, a neighboring state of Georgia.[62]The restoration of the unity of Georgia, the liberation from the domination of the Mongols and the establishment of order in the country contributed to the revival of the country's economy. In the cities of Georgia, trade and craft production developed significantly; Trade and economic relations were restored not only with the cities of the Middle East and the North, but also with the city-states of Europe, particularly Northern Italy.[63]George V had friendly relations with KingPhilip VI of France, as evidenced by the correspondence between them. George V wrote to the King of France that he was ready to participate with him in the liberation of the "Holy Lands" of Syria-Palestine, and had 30,000 soldiers.[64]The widespread use of theJerusalem cross in Medieval Georgia - an inspiration for the modernnational flag of Georgia - is thought to date to the reign of George V.[65]
One of the primary reasons of Georgian political and military decline was thebubonic plague. It was first introduced in 1346 by the soldiers of George the Brilliant returning from a military expedition insouth-western Georgia against invading Osmanli tribesmen. It is said that the plague wiped out a large part, if not half of the Georgian populace.[66] This further weakened the integrity of the kingdom, as well as its military and logistic capabilities.
After thedevastating invasions byTimur and subsequent enfeeblement of the Kingdom of Georgia, it soon faced a new threat. Timur's death in 1405 marked the beginning of the end of his Empire, unified only by fear and blood of the subjected peoples. Turkomans, particularly theKara Koyunlu clan, were among the first to rebel againstShah Rukh who ruled most of the Persia andMawerannahr.Qara Yusuf, ruler of the Kara Koyunlu, defeated Shah Rukh, captured Baghdad, and repulsed Timurids from western Persia. After they established themselves as the new leading power in the middle east. They took advantage of the temporary weakness of Georgians and launched attacks against them, apparently in which,George VII of Georgia was killed.Constantine I of Georgia, fearing further encroachment, allied himself with the ShirvanshahIbrahim I to counter Turkoman advance and engaged them in theBattle of Chalagan, in which he was defeated and taken captive. In captivity Constantine behaved with arrogance, which infuriated Qara Yusuf to such an extent, that he ordered his, his half-brother David's and 300 Georgian nobles' execution. Kara Yusuf put Constantine to death by his own hand.[67]
Alexander I of Georgia who sought to strengthen and restore his declining Kingdom, faced constant invasions by the tribal Turkomans. Alexander re-conquered Lori from the Turkomans in 1431, which was of great importance in securing of the Georgian borders. Around 1434/5, Alexander encouraged the Armenian prince Beshken II Orbelian to attack the Kara Koyunlu clansmen inSiunia and, for his victory, granted him Lori under terms of vassalage. In 1440, Alexander refused to pay tribute toJahan Shah of the Kara Koyunlu. In March, Jahan Shah surged into Georgia with 20,000 troops, destroyed the city ofSamshvilde and sacked the capital cityTbilisi. He massacred thousands of Christians, put heavy indemnity on Georgia, and returned toTabriz. He also mounted a second military expedition against Georgia in 1444. His forces met those of Alexander's successor,King Vakhtang IV atAkhaltsikhe, but the fighting was inconclusive and Jahan Shah returned to Tabriz once more.
As a result of foreign and internal struggles unified Kingdom of Georgia ceased to exist after 1466 and was subdivided into several political units. Kara Koyunlu tribal confederation was destroyed byAq Qoyunlu, their kin tribesmen who formed another confederation, which was similar in many ways to its predecessor. Aq Qoyunlu Turkomans naturally took advantage of the Georgian fragmentation. Georgia was at least twice attacked byUzun Hasan, the prince of the Aq Qoyunlu in 1466, 1472 and possibly 1476–7.Bagrat VI of Georgia, temporary ruler of most of Georgia at the time, had to make peace with the invaders, by abandoning Tbilisi to the enemy. It was only after Uzun Hasan's death (1478) when the Georgians were able to recover their capital. In the winter of 1488, the Ak Koyunlu Turkomans led by Halil Bey attacked Georgia's capital Tbilisi, and took the city after a long-lasted siege in February 1489.Alexander II of Imereti, another pretender to the throne, took advantage of the Aq Qoyunlu Turkoman invasion of Kartli, and seized control ofImereti. Occupation of the capital did not last long andConstantine II of Georgia was able to repel them, but it was still costly to Georgians.Ismail I, founder of theSafavid dynasty, formed an alliance with the Georgians in 1502 and decisively defeated Aq Qoyunlu in the same year, destroying their state and marking the end of their invasions.
Bagrat IV's (r.1027 – 1072) coins featuredGreek inscriptions alongside Georgian.[b][68] By the reigns of Demetrius I (r.1125-1154), Giorgi III (r.1156–1184), David IV (r.1089–1125), and T'amar (r.1184 – 1213), coins were minted bearing the titles "malik al-mulūk" and "malikat al-malikāt", respectively.[9] According to Brosset, Georgia used Arabic as alingua franca because of the importance of trade relations with the Islamic world.[9] Karst supports this stating that the bilingual coins served as an official and visible symbol of the cordial relationship between Georgia and the Caliphate.[c][9]
Demetrius I's (r.1125-1154) reign exclusively struck copper coins.[70] There are several recognized patterns in his coinage, which eschewed Byzantine conventions in favor of a hybrid Georgian-Muslim style.[70] The reverse of one version includes the name of the Caliph of Baghdad due to political expediency, while the obverse features the king's initial "D" in Georgian ecclesiastical majuscule together with his title "Sword of the Messiah" in Arabic.[70] Copper coins belonging toGeorge IV (r.1213-1223) carry the year 1210 (430 in the K'oronikon), indicating that during this time his mother gave George a significant amount of royal authority.[71] The reverse of the coin is similar to Tamar's irregular issue, but in the center is an inscription in ecclesiastical majuscules that reads "GI DZE T'MRSI," which is an acronym for "Giorgi, son of T'amar."[70] The Arabic inscription on the back illustrates George's name and titles.[70]
It is significant that only copper was minted in Georgia beginning under the rule ofDemetrius I.[72] This was the outcome of the silver famine that was raging over the Near East during this time.[72] It was not until the thirteenth century that this famine was ended.[73] Large amounts of silver were brought to theMiddle East after the Mongol invasion of China in 1213, where it was captured and circulated by the trading public.[73] When the silver supply in Georgia was restored,Queen Rusudan (r.1223–1245) was able to modify the coinage by issuing her renowned "Botinats" in 1230.[73] The Arabic legend of this series frequently transliterates the Queen's name as "Rusūdān", whereas her copper coins have "Rūsudān" on the description of Rusudan's silver coin from 1230.[74]
Georgian coins showed signs of foreign influence when the kingdom of Georgia came under the Mongol rule in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, combining inscriptions in Georgian, Arabic, and Persian.[10] During the regency ofTöregene Khatun (r.1244-1245), silver dirhems minted at Tbilisi stated "The Great Mongol Alush (Ulush) Bek”, which has been intrepretated to "[Money issued by] the Great Mongol Viceroy (Supreme Commander)."[75] During this same time, the son of Rusudan,David VI (r.1245-1259), was minting copper coins atDmanisi, with production moving to Tbilisi by 1247.[76] David VI's obverse consisted of, the king on a horse (left side); below are some bushes and dark objects that could be hounds, while the reverse has inscriptions in Persian.[77] David VI ruled with his cousinDavid VII (r.1248–1259) whose coins were minted in Tbilisi starting in 1252, which state, "David, son of Giorgi, Bagrationi, vassal of the Mongol Great Khan Mangu".[78] Both cousins issued a joint silver coin of Byzantine type in which the reverse features the Holy Virgin, while the obverse features the kings standing together.[78] These coins, which are quite rare, were most likely produced atKutaisi in 1261-62, following David VII's rebellion, flight from the Mongol lords, and his subsequent shelter in Western Georgia with David VI.[78]
Between the 11th and the early 13th centuries, Georgia experienced apolitical, economical and cultural golden age, as the Bagrationi dynasty managed to unite western and eastern halves of the country into a single kingdom. To accomplish that goal, kings relied much on the prestige of the Church, and enrolled its political support by giving it many economical advantages, immunity from taxes and large appanages. At the same time, the kings, most notablyDavid the Builder (1089–1125), used state power to interfere in church affairs. Notably, he summoned the 1103 council ofRuisi-Urbnisi, which condemned ArmenianMiaphysitism in stronger terms than ever before, and gave unprecedented power, second only to the Patriarch, to his friend and advisorGeorge of Chqondidi. For the following centuries, the Church would remain a crucial feudal institution, whose economical and political power would always be at least equal to that of the main noble families.
During the Middle Ages, Christianity was the central element of Georgian culture. Specific forms of art were developed in Georgia for religious purposes. Among them,calligraphy,polyphonic church singing,cloisonné enamel icons, such as theKhakhuli triptych, and the "Georgian cross-dome style" of architecture, which characterizes most medieval Georgian churches. The most celebrated examples of Georgian religious architecture of the time include theGelati Monastery andBagrati Cathedral inKutaisi, theIkalto Monastery complex and Academy, and theSvetitskhoveli Cathedral inMtskheta.
Outstanding Georgian representatives of Christian culture includeEuthymius of Athos (Ekvtime Atoneli, 955–1028),George of Athos (Giorgi Atoneli, 1009–1065),Arsen Ikaltoeli (11th century), andEphrem Mtsire, (11th century). Philosophy flourished between the 11th and 13th century, especially at the Academy of Gelati Monastery, whereIoane Petritsi attempted a synthesis of Christian,aristotelician andneoplatonic thought.
Tamar's reign also marked the continuation of artistic development in the country commenced by her predecessors. While her contemporary Georgian chronicles continued to enshrine Christian morality, the religious theme started to lose its earlier dominant position to the highly original secular literature. This trend culminated in anepic written by Georgia's national poetRustaveli –The Knight in the Panther's Skin (Vepkhistq'aosani). Revered in Georgia as the greatest achievement of native literature, the poem celebrates the Medievalhumanistic ideals ofchivalry, friendship andcourtly love.
From the 10th century, Georgians had started to play a significant role in preaching Christianity in the mountains of the Caucasus. "Wherever the missions of the patriarchs of Constantinople, Rome, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem failed, theGeorgian Church succeeded in bringing Jesus's Cross and preaching HisGospels". This is corroborated not only by old written sources, but also by Christian architectural monuments bearing Georgian inscriptions, which are still to be seen throughout the North Caucasus in Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria. The golden age of Georgian monasticism lasted from the 9th to the 11th century. During that period, Georgian monasteries were founded outside the country, most notably onMount Sinai,Mount Athos (theIviron monastery, where theTheotokos Iverskaya icon is still located), and inPalestine.
.jpg)
.jpg)
...Laz and Greeks appear to have survived in harmony both in Trebizond and in the multi-ethnic kingdom of the Bagrationis...
...Armenians partially belonged to the kingdom of Georgia...
The mixed confessional identities of the population of Ani and its surrounding region led to rising tensions. There are numerous references to disputes arising between the two communities on matters including taxation and liturgical/worship practice. The division was matched by a split within the Zakarid family itself. Zakare and Ivane were brought up to adhere to Armenian, Miaphysite Orthodoxy, but in the first years of the thirteenth century Ivane converted to Georgian, Chalcedonian Orthodoxy. According to the Georgian sources many Armenians joined him in converting. Ivane also forcibly converted some Armenian Miaphysite churches to Chalcedonianism, notably the monastery of Akhtala, where he built his mausoleum church. Ivane's conversion is, unsurprisingly, celebrated in Georgian texts and condemned in Armenian chronicles, which ascribed it to political or religious causes (or to Ivane's infatuation with Queen Tamar).
(...) he courageously fought off countless enemies as he reinforced Georgian unity and assembled a pan-Caucasian empire, hence his sobriquet Aġmašenebeli (the builder) (...) The height of the pan-Caucasian rule of the Georgian Bagratids and of the transregional Georgian monastic network is habitually described as Georgia's Golden Age. (...) Internal and external tensions mounted, and the pan-Caucasian empire of the Georgian Bagratids shrank under T'amar's children Giorgi IV Laša (r. 1213–23 C.E.) and Rusudan (r. 1223–45 C.E.).
Media related toKingdom of Georgia at Wikimedia Commons
|  | |||||||||
Kingdom of Georgia articles | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | | ||||
| Geography |
| ||||
| Politics |
| ||||
| Economy | |||||
| Culture |
| ||||
