George III of Georgia
George III გიორგი III | |
---|---|
King of Georgia | |
Reign | 1156–1184 |
Predecessor | Demetrius I |
Successor | Tamar |
Died | 27 March 1184 |
Burial | |
Spouse | Burdukhan of Alania |
Issue | Tamar of Georgia Rusudan |
Dynasty | Bagrationi |
Father | Demetrius I of Georgia |
Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church |
Khelrtva |
George III (Georgian: გიორგი III, romanized: giorgi III) (died 27 March 1184), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 8th King (mepe) of Georgia from 1156 to 1184. He became king when his father, Demetrius I, died in 1156, which was preceded by his brother's revolt against their father in 1154. His reign was part of what would be called the Georgian Golden Age – a historical period in the High Middle Ages, during which the Kingdom of Georgia reached the peak of its military power and development.
Life
He succeeded on his father
In 1156 the Ani's Christian population rose against the emir
A coalition of
There seemed to be no end to the war between George III and atabeg Eldiguz. But the belligerents were exhausted to such an extent that Eldiguz proposed an armistice. George had no choice but to make peace. He restored Ani to its former rulers, the Shaddadids, who became his vassals. The Shaddadids, ruled the town for about 10 years, but in 1174 King George took the Shahanshah ibn Mahmud as a prisoner and occupied Ani once again. Ivane Orbeli, was appointed governor of the town. Throughout this period, the Georgian army was swelling with Armenian volunteers, enthusiastically participating in the Iiberation of their country.
In 1177 George III was confronted by a rebellious faction of nobles. The rebels intended to dethrone George in favor of the king's fraternal nephew, Demna, who was considered by many to be a legitimate royal heir of his murdered father, David V. Demna's cause was little but a pretext for the nobles, led by the pretender's father-in-law, the amirspasalar ("high constable") Ivane Orbeli, to weaken the crown.[2] George III was able to crush the revolt and embarked on a crackdown campaign on the defiant aristocratic clans; Ivane Orbeli was put to death and the surviving members of his family were driven out of Georgia. Demna, castrated and blinded on his uncle's order, did not survive the mutilation and soon died in prison.[3] Once the rebellion was suppressed and the pretender eliminated, George went ahead to co-opt Tamar into government with him and crowned her as co-ruler in 1178. By doing so, the king attempted to preempt any dispute after his death and legitimize his line on the throne of Georgia.[4] At the same time, he raised men from the Kipchaks as well as from the gentry and unranked classes to keep the dynastic aristocracy away from the center of power.[5]
He died in 1184, and was succeeded by his daughter Tamar. He was buried at Gelati Monastery, western Georgia.
Marriage and children
In ca. 1155, George married Burdukhan (Gurandukht), a daughter of the King of Alania. They had two daughters:
- Tamar, who succeeded him as ruler.
- Rusudan, married Manuel Komnenos, the eldest son of Andronikos I who was briefly Byzantine emperor. Rusudan and Manuel were the parents of Alexios and David, founders of the Empire of Trebizond.
See also
- List of Georgian Kings
- Georgian monarchs family tree
References
- ISBN 978-0-271-04391-3.
- ^ Khazanov & Wink 2001, pp. 48–49.
- ^ Eastmond 1998, pp. 106–107.
- ^ Eastmond 1998, p. 108.
- ^ Khazanov & Wink 2001, p. 49.
Bibliography
- Khazanov, Anatoly M.; Wink, André, eds. (2001). Nomads in the Sedentary World. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-7007-1369-7.
- Eastmond, Antony (1998). Royal Imagery in Medieval Georgia. University Park: Pennsylvania State Press. ISBN 0-271-01628-0.