Kingdom of Georgia

Kingdom of Georgia
საქართველოს სამეფო Sakartvelos samepo
1008–1490
Flag
Kingdom of Georgia in 1184-1230 at the peak of its might
Capital		Kutaisi (1008-1122) Tbilisi (1122-1490)
Languages		Georgian
Religion		Orthodox Christianity
Government		Feudal Monarchy
King
•	978-1014	Bagrat III (first)
•	1446-1465	George VIII (last)
Historical era		High Middle Ages
•	Established	1008
•	Seljuk invasions	1060-12th century
•	Mongol rule	1238-1335
•	Timurid invasions	1386-1403
•	Collapse	1490
•	Constantine II recognizes the independence of Kakheti and Imereti	1490-1493
Preceded by Succeeded by Principate of Iberia Tao-Klarjeti Kingdom of Abkhazia Seljuq Armenia Emirate of Tbilisi Kingdom of Kartli Kingdom of Kakheti Kingdom of Imereti
Today part of		Countries today Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan Iran Turkey Russia

The Kingdom of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს სამეფო Sak’art’velos Samep’o) was a medieval monarchy established in 975 by Bagrat III. The kingdom reached its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar from 11th to 13th centuries. It fell to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by the 1340s. Renewed Turco-Mongol incursions from 1386 led to the final collapse of the kingdom into anarchy by 1466 and the mutual recognition of its constituent kingdoms of Kartli, Kakheti and Imereti as independent states between 1490 and 1493. A unified Georgian state would not emerge again until 1762, when the kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti merged to form Kartli-Kakheti. In 1800 the state was annexed by the Russian Empire and remained under Russian (and later Soviet) rule until 1991 (see Georgian SSR), when present day Georgia was founded.

Origins

The ascendancy of the Bagrationi dynasty can be traced to the 8th century, when they came to rule Tao-Klarjeti. The restoration of the Georgian kingship begins in AD 888, when Adarnase IV of Iberia took the title of "King of Georgians". The United Kingdom of Georgia was established in 1008. In this year Bagrat III, son of Gurgen II, became the ruler of the Kingdom of Western Georgia (Kingdom of Abkhazeti), including the Principalities of Imereti, Samegrelo, Abkhazeti (Abkhazia), Guria and Svaneti. Bagrat's mother was Queen Gurandukht, a daughter of George II of Abkhazia.

Golden age

Queen Tamar and her father King George III (restored fresco from the Betania monastery)

The unified monarchy maintained its precarious independence from the Byzantine and Seljuk empires throughout the 11th century, and flourished under David IV the Builder (1089–1125), who repelled the Seljuk attacks and essentially completed the unification of Georgia with the re-conquest of Tbilisi in 1122.

With the decline of Byzantine power and the dissolution of the Great Seljuk Empire, Georgia became one of the pre-eminent nations of the Christian East, her pan-Caucasian empire stretching, at its largest extent, from North Caucasus to northern Iran, and westwards into Asia Minor. In spite of repeated incidents of dynastic strife, the kingdom continued to prosper during the reigns of Demetrios I (1125–1156), George III (1156–1184), and especially, his daughter Tamar (1184–1213). With the death of George III the main male line went extinct and the dynasty was continued by the marriage of Queen Tamar with the Alan Prince David Soslan of reputed Bagratid descent.

Mongol rule

Main article: Mongol invasions of Georgia and Armenia

The invasions by the Khwarezmians in 1225 and the Mongols in 1236 terminated Georgia’s "golden age". The struggle against the Mongol rule created a diarchy, with an ambitious lateral branch of the Bagrationi dynasty holding sway over Imereti, western Georgia. Many powerful Armenian and Georgian families became independent of the Georgian King due to the Mongols' support. Georgians attended all major campaigns of the Ilkhanate and aristocrats' sons served in kheshig.

In the year 1327 there occurred in Mongol Persia the most dramatic event of the reign of the Il-Khan Abu Sa'id, namely the disgrace and execution of Chupan, protégé of the Georgian king George. Chupan's son Mahmud, who commanded the Mongol garrison in Georgia, was arrested by his own troops and executed. Subsequently, Iqbalshah, son of Qutlughshah, was appointed to be Mongol governor of Georgia (Gurjistan). In 1330–31 George V the Brilliant annexed Imereti uniting all of Georgia in the process. Therefore, four years prior the last effective Ilkhan Abu Sai'd's demise, two kingdoms of Georgia united again. In 1334, this post was given to Shaykh Hasan of the Jalayir by Abu Sai'd.

Black Death

Main article: Black Death

One of the primary reasons of Georgian political and military decline was the bubonic plague. It was first introduced in 1366 by the soldiers of George the Brilliant returning from a military expedition in south-western Georgia against invading Osmanli tribesmen. It is said that the plague wiped out a large part, if not half of the Georgian populace. This further weakened the integrity of the kingdom, as well as its military capabilities.

Final disintegration

Main articles: Timur's invasions of Georgia and Turkoman invasions of Georgia

There was a period of reunion and revival under George V the Brilliant (1299–1302, 1314–1346), but the eight onslaughts of the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur between 1386 and 1403 dealt a great blow to the Georgian kingdom. Its unity was finally shattered and, by 1490/91, the once powerful monarchy fragmented into three independent kingdoms – Kartli (central to eastern Georgia), Kakheti (eastern Georgia), and Imereti (western Georgia) – each led by the rival branches of the Bagrationi dynasty, and into five semi-independent principalities – Odishi, (Mingrelia), Guria, Abkhazia, Svaneti, and Samtskhe – dominated by their own feudal clans.

Detail from the Nautical chart by Pietro Vesconte, depicting Georgian Black Sea coast, 1321

Detail from the Nautical chart by Angelino Dulcert, depicting Georgian Black Sea coast and Tiflis, 1339

Detail from the map by Nicolas de Fer, circa 1705

See also

• Bagrationi dynasty
• List of Bagrationi rulers of Georgia
• List of Georgian Kings
• Principate of Iberia
• Kingdom of Abkhazia
• Kingdom of Imereti
• Kingdom of Kakheti
• Kingdom of Tao Klarjeti
• Kingdom of Kartli and Kakheti
• Line of succession to the Georgian throne
• Monarchism in Georgia
• Kipchaks in Georgia - Some of the Cuman-Kipchaks settled in Georgia and helped make it the most powerful kingdom of the region.