Borena of Alania
Borena (Georgian: ბორენა) was a sister of the Alan king Durgulel "the Great", and the Queen consort of Georgia, as the second wife of Bagrat IV (r. 1027–1072).[1][2]
The medieval Georgian historical tradition provides little information about Borena. Bagrat married Borena sometime after the death of his first wife in the early 1030s,
Bagratids and their natural allies, the royal house of Alania.[3] Borena seems to have retained some contacts with her native Alania: the Georgian chronicles report that when Durgulel paid a visit to Bagrat IV, he also arranged an audience with his sister Borena. The last we hear about Borena is her presence at Bagrat's deathbed in 1072.[4]
Borena is primarily known as a patron and promoter of
Virgin Mary, which is found as an inscription on the Theotokos icon from that time (now preserved at the Lenjer Church in highland Svaneti).[5]
Bagrat IV and Borena were the parents of:
- George II of Georgia, Bagrat's successor to the throne of Georgia[6]
- Martha-Maria, the future queen consort of the Byzantine Empire[3]
In addition to these well-documented children, the couple may have had a daughter, Mariam, possibly a wife of the Byzantine dignitary Theodore Gabras.[4]
References
- ISBN 978-1-5267-3302-3.
- ISBN 978-0-7556-3969-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-691-15321-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-7546-5737-X.
- ISBN 0-7007-1163-5.
- ISBN 978-1-78023-070-2.