Giorgi III (died March 27, 1184), of the
BagrationiThe Bagrationi dynasty was the ruling family of Georgia. Their ascendency lasted from the early Middle Ages until the early 19th century. In modern usage, this royal line is frequently referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, a Hellenized form of their dynastic name.The origin of the Bagrationi...
dynasty, was king of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
from 1156 to 1184. His reign, and that of
TamarTamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
, are seen as the 'golden age' of Georgian history, the era of empire, diplomatic success, military triumphs, great learning, cultural, spiritual, and artistic flowering.
Life
He succeeded on his father Demetrius I's death in 1156.
He changed his father's defensive policy into a more aggressive one and resumed offensive against the neighboring Seljuk rulers in
ArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. With his ascent to the throne, Giorgi III launched a successful campaign against the Seljuk sultanate of Khlat (the Shah-Armen State) in 1156. Giorgi took and annexed the Armenian cities of Ani and
DvinDvin was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia, the city of Artaxata, along the banks of the Metsamor River, 35 km to the south of modern Yerevan...
in 1161-1162. However, the Seljuk counterattacks made the King to cede Ani to a
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
ruler on the terms of vassalage. The city was finally incorporated into the Georgian Kingdom in 1173. Throughout this period, the Georgian army was swelling with Armenian volunteers, enthusiastically participating in the Iiberation of their country. In 1167, he marched to defend his vassal Shah Aghsartan of
ShirvanShirvan , also spelled as Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both Islamic and modern times...
against the Khazar and Kipchak assaults and strengthened the
GeorgiaGeorgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
n dominance in the area.
In 1177, the nobles of the realm rose against the king and declared Prince
DemnaDemna was a Georgian prince and pretender to the throne proclaimed as king during the failed nobles’ revolt of 1177/8....
(Demetrius) a "true and lawful King of Georgia". Being a son of Giorgi III's late elder brother
David VDavid V , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Georgia c. 1154/5.He was an elder son of King Demetre I. Fearing that Demetre would make his younger son Giorgi an heir to the throne, David attempted a revolt in 1130...
, Demna was considered by many as a legitimate pretender to the Georgian throne. Approximately 30,000 rebel forces under Demna's father-in-law Ioane Orbeli strengthened their positions at the citadel of
Lore-Given name:*Lorri Bagley, an American actress and model*Lorri Jean, a leader in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights movement in America-Acronym:...
. The fortress was besieged by the royal army. Throwing himself and his followers on the mercy of his uncle, he was blinded and castrated and most of his in-laws murdered.
In 1178, Giorgi III appointed his daughter and heiress
TamarTamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
as
heir apparentAn heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
and co-ruler to forestall any dispute after his death. However, he remained co-regent until his death in 1184. He was buried at
Gelati MonasteryThe Monastery of Gelati is a monastic complex near Kutaisi, Imereti, western Georgia. It contains the Church of the Virgin founded by the King of Georgia David the Builder in 1106, and the 13th-century churches of St George and St Nicholas....
, western
GeorgiaGeorgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
Marriage and children
In ca. 1155, Giorgi married Burdukhan (Gurandukht), daughter of Khuddan, King of
AlaniaAlania may refer to:*Alania, the medieval state of the Alans or Alani people in the North Caucasus*The short name of the modern North Ossetia-Alania, one of the Caucasian republics in the Russian Federation...
. They had two daughters:
- Tamar
Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
, who succeeded him as ruler.
- Rusudan
Rusudan was the younger daughter of King George III of Georgia and of his wife, Burdukhan . Her elder sister was the famous Queen Tamar, who succeeded their father as ruler of Georgia....
, married Manuel Komnenos (born 1145)Manuel Komnenos was the eldest son of Andronikos Komnenos by his first wife, whose name is not recorded....
, the eldest son of Andronikos IAndronikos I Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1183 to 1185). He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and grandson of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.-Early years:...
who was briefly Byzantine emperor. Rusudan and Manuel were the parents of AlexiosAlexios I Megas Komnenos or Alexius I Comnenus was Emperor of Trebizond from 1204 to 1222. He was the eldest son of Manuel Komnenos and of Rusudan, daughter of George III of Georgia. He was thus a grandson of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I. Andronikos was dethroned and killed in 1185...
and DavidDavid Komnenos was one of the founders of the Empire of Trebizond and its joint ruler together with his brother Alexios until his death.-Early life:...
, founders of the Empire of TrebizondThe Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
.
Title
H.M. The Most High King Giorgi, by the will of our Lord, King of Kings of the Abkhazians, Kartvelians, Ranians, Kakhetians and the Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah and Master of all the East and the West.
External links