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Adarnase IV of Iberia

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Adarnase IV
King of the Iberians
(more...)
Reign888–923
SuccessorDavid II of Iberia
Died923
IssueDavid II of Iberia
Ashot II of Tao
Bagrat I of Tao
Sumbat I of Iberia
DynastyBagrationi dynasty
FatherDavid I of Iberia
ReligionGeorgian Orthodox Church

Adarnase IV(Georgian:ადარნასე IV,romanized:adarnase IV) (died 923) was a member of theGeorgianBagratid dynastyofTao-KlarjetiandprinceofIberia,responsible for the restoration of theIberian kingship,which had been in abeyance since it had been abolished bySasanian Empirein the 6th century, in 888.[1][2]

The numbering of successive rulers in the early Bagratid period is very confused in that it moves between the different branches of the family. Hence, Adarnase, known as "IV" for being the fourth Adarnase as the prince of Iberia, is also known as "II" as a sovereign of Tao-Klarjeti and "I" as the king (mepe) of Iberia.

Name[edit]

The name Adarnase derives fromMiddle PersianĀdurnarsēh,with the second component of the word (Nase) being the Georgian attestation of the Middle Persian nameNarseh,which ultimately derives fromAvestannairyō.saŋya-.[3]The Middle Persian nameNarsehalso exists in Georgian asNerse.[3]The nameĀdurnarsēhappears in theArmenian languageasAtrnerseh.[4]

Early life and ruler of Tao[edit]

Young ruler[edit]

Map ofTao.

Adarnase was born in the second half of the 9th century,[5]the only known son ofDavid I Kouropalatates,ruler ofIberiasince 876. His father was formally a subject of theByzantine Empire,as suggested by his title conferred by EmperorBasil I,and rules theGeorgianlands ofTaoand Iberia, making him ruler of much of the Georgian lands for five years. He took advantage of Byzantium's campaigns towardsItalyto assert his independence and thus allied himself withAshot I of Armenia,King of neighboringArmenia,and theAbbasid Caliphatein a risky diplomatic strategy.[6]In 881,[7]at the instigation of Byzantium and the powerful noble LiparitBaghuashi,[8]a conflict broke out between David andNasra Mampali,a young cadet of theBagrationi dynasty.David is assassinated and Nasra captures his territories.[7]

Liparit Baghuashi and Ashot of Armenia managed to expel Nasra, who took refuge inByzantine Empire,authorizing the young Adarnasse to succeed his father as ruler of UpperTao.Byzantium refused to recognize him as eldest of the Bagrations and gave the title ofKouropalatesto his cousinGurgen,continuing the Roman policy of dividing the balance of power inCaucasus,but with the official reason being the young age of the new ruler.[9]Adarnase inaugurated his reign by building theBana cathedral(modernŞenkayainTurkey) with the help of the architect Kvirike, whom he subsequently appointed as first bishop of Bana.[10]Despite the fact that Adarnase's domains south of the Tao bordered the Byzantine Empire, he pursued a largely independent policy.[7]

Victory over Byzantine[edit]

In 885,Ashot I of Armeniawas crowned as king ofArmenia,declaring its independence fromByzantiumand its alliance with theAbbasid Caliphate.This pushed Byzantine Empire to launch an invasion ofCaucasusto reestablish its order[11]and in 887, PrinceBagrat Anchabadze,in exile inGreecesince the assassination of his fatherDemetrius II of Abkhazia,invaded the coast with a Byzantine navy Georgian of theBlack Sea,kills the usurper who reigns in his place and is proclaimedking of Abkhazia,returning this kingdom to the control of the empire.[10]In 888,Nasrain turn landed in Abkhazia in order to invadeIberiawith Abkhazian troops.[9]

After having ravaged manyGeorgianprovinces without strong opposition, Nasra, reinforced by local nobles[7]theAlaniantribal chief Baqarat,[12]attackedSamtskheandTao.[10]Adarnase took the lead in resistance and was joined by Ashot of Armenia, theGurgen I of Tao,[9]and LiparitBaghuashibut his troops remained considerably less numerous than the pro-Byzantine forces.[13]The two armies clashed on the banks of theMtkvariin the province of Samtskhe and Adarnasse inflicted a decisive defeat on the invaders.[12]Nasra took refuge in the town ofAspindza,where he was captured and executed under the orders of Adarnase.[9]The victory of 888 ended the Byzantine invasion of Caucasus and secured the independence ofArmeniaand theGeorgianlands, while solidifying the dominance of theBagrationi dynastybranch of Upper Tao over Iberia.[14]Liparit secures his recognition by Adarnase asDuke of Kldekariand forms a powerful principality which will be the source of civil instability until the twelfth century.

Consolidation of power[edit]

Adarnase's victory changed the course ofGeorgian historywhen, in 888,[15]he adopted the title "King of theIberians".[14]This decision is not only a repetition of the similar decision byAshot I of Armeniaof 885,[9]it symbolizes the return of the royal monarchy inGeorgia,abolished during the conquest bySasanian Empirein 523, more than three centuries previously. The proclamation of aKingdom of the Iberiansthus formalized the claim of Adarnase and his lineage onKartli,the province at the heart of modern Georgia and then at the center of the ambitions ofAbkhazia,Armenia,Kakheti,theEmirate of TbilisiandByzantium.[16]The historianValeri Silogavahas surmised that Adarnase's crowning as king might have occurred, in a symbolic move, at the ancient Iberian capital ofMtskheta,as suggested by anasomtavruliinscription—probably a 17th-century reinstatement of an earlier epigraph—at theSamtavro Monastery.[17]

The geopolitical importance of Adarnase's gesture is also noted by modern historiography: by taking the title ofking,he proclaimed his independence from the autocratic power of Byzantium, which did not allow a monarch within the empire other than the emperor.[16]This also means a new direction in the foreign policy of theBagrations,Adarnase allying himself withArmeniaand, by extension, with theAbbasid Caliphate,despite the decadence of the latter.[18]While the independence of theKingdom of the Iberiansis recognized by its neighbors, the status of relations between Adarnase and Armenia is unclear: according to the historianHovhannes Draskhanakerttsi,Adarnase's policy did not than follow that ofAshot of Armenia,marking a vassalage of the new king towards his Armenian neighbor, butRoin Metreveliassumes that relations are based on bilateral recognition and the Georgian king uses Arab-Armenian diplomacy to declare its independence.[14]It remains to be noted that Ashot and his descendants, however, use the title "King of kings of the Armenians and Georgians", a symbol of Armenian supremacy over the region, while contemporary inscriptions only name Adarnasse as "king".

Adarnase IV began a policy of expansion towards the south, fortifying the city ofShavshetiand attaching numerous Byzantine provinces to his kingdom, as far asErzurum.The king's territories then included part ofKartli,KlarjetiandTaoand claimed power over all of eastern and southern Georgia.[19]It is possible that this expansion will take place with the agreement of Byzantine, which accepts the new situation inCaucasusand attempts a diplomatic reconciliation. Thus, in 891, when Adarnase came into conflict with theKouropalatesGurgen,Byzantium did not come to assist the latter.[9]

Adarnase IV andBagrat I of Klarjetijoined forces against Gurgen, who then ruled the neighboring province ofSamtskhe.[12]In 891, the two camps clashed during the Battle of Mglinavi in theArtanujivalley, which saw a rapid defeat of Gurgen and the annexation of his domains toDuchy of Klarjeti.The king takes Bagrat hostage[13]but he dies from his wounds.[12]TheByzantine Empirethen recognized him not only as king of the Iberians,[20]but also asKouropalatesof Iberia, without changing the pro-Armenian orientation of Adarnase.[19]Gurgen's sons nevertheless inherited the duchy of Upper Tao, officially subject to the kingdom of the Iberians but preserving a large degree of autonomy.[21]

Alliance with Armenia[edit]

The alliance between Adarnase IV andArmeniawas seen in 891, following the death ofAshot Iwhen the king of the Georgians participated in the funeral of his ally. While visiting Armenia, he first visited thesparapetAbas, brother of the late king and governor ofKarswho himself announced his claims to the Armenian throne, but the latter, fearing the support of Adarnase towards the legitimate heirSmbat I,imprisoned him and only released him following a diplomatic negotiation by the Georgians.[22]AtYerazgavors,Adarnase met a grieving Smbat and urged him to actively take control of his kingdom in order to avoid its division:[23]he dressed him in royal clothes and crowned him, formalizing the recognition of Smbat I as legitimate king of Armenia by the Kingdom of Georgians.[16]

On his way back, Adarnase was captured again by Abas, who imprisoned him in the citadel of Kars.[16] TheArmenian CatholicosGeorge IItried to negotiate his freedom by offering two strategic cities to Abas, while Adarnase offered his eldest sonDavidas a hostage in his place, in vain[25]. Eventually, King Smbat besieged Abas,[23]before trading his freedom for that of his own younger son Abas and for control overVaspurakan.[22]

In 895,Ahmad ibn Isa al-Shaybani,Arab governor ofDiyar Bakr,invaded southern Armenia.[18]Smbat and Adarnase together formed a force of 60,000 to 100,000 men to contain the invader, but he managed to defeat them following the betrayal of GeneralGagik Apumrvan Artsruni.[19]In 896,Muhammad Ibn Abi'l-Saj,Sajidemir ofAzerbaijan,in turn invaded Armenia and demanded the support of Adarnase, who refused and came again to the aid of Smbat when he lost Kars.[24]When the emir died of illness in 901 and was replaced byDevdad Ibn Muhammadwho made peace with theChristians,Adarnase participated in a celebratory banquet with his Armenian counterpart atYerazgavors.[24]In 899, as an act of friendship and to confirm the relations between the two kings, Smbat in turn crowned Adarnase as king of the Georgians.[19]

However, the situation is gradually changing inSouth Caucasus.PrincePadla I of Kakhetiand his successorKvirike Ibecome increasingly powerful ineastern Georgiaand push a friendly policy with theEmirate of Tbilisiand Sajids, while the lesser nobles ofKartlibenefit from Adarnase's attention towards the south to obtain a large autonomy which caused the kingdom of the Georgians to lose de facto control of the region.[12]Around 900, Adarnase IV, seeing Armenia's inability to properly confront the Arab invaders and to balance the growing powers ofKakhetiandAbkhazia,himself began to have ambitions for the total domination of the South Caucasus.[25]

Switching alliances[edit]

Adarnase rewarded Ashot of Armenia's assistance with steadfast loyalty which continued into the reign of Ashot's successorSmbat Iwhom Adarnase aided to win the crown in dynastic struggles in 890 and later joined him against Ahmed ibn-'Isâ ofDiyarbakır,theCaliph's former governor ofArmīniya.In turn, Smbat recognized Adarnase's royal status and personally crowned him in 899. The two men collaborated in defeating, in 904, theAbkhaziankingConstantine III,their common relative, who competed with Adarnase for hegemony in Inner Iberia (Duchy of Kartli) and with Smbat inGogarene(Tashir-Dzoraget). Adarnase captured Constantine and turned him over to Smbat. But the latter, inclined to balance Adarnase's growing power and extend Armenian influence to west Georgia, freed his captive. This move turned Adarnase against Smbat and the ensuing break and enmity weakened both monarchs: Adarnase was dispossessed by Constantine.ViceroyofKartliin 904, while Smbat was defeated and tortured to death byYusuf,aSajidruler ofAzerbaijanin 914.[1]As a result of these events, Adarnase was relegated to his portion of the Bagratid hereditary lands in Tao.[2]He rebuilt the church ofBanain Tao and made it a bishop's seat.[26]

Family[edit]

Adarnase's wife is not known. He was survived by five children:

References[edit]

  1. ^abSuny, Ronald Grigor(1994),The Making of the Georgian Nation,pp. 30-31.Indiana University Press,ISBN0-253-20915-3
  2. ^abToumanoff, Cyril(1967).Studies in Christian Caucasian History,pp. 490-493.Georgetown University Press.
  3. ^abChkeidze, Thea (2001)."GEORGIA v. LINGUISTIC CONTACTS WITH IRANIAN LANGUAGES".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. X, Fasc. 5.pp. 486–490.
  4. ^Rapp, Stephen H. Jr (2014).The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes: Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature.Routledge. p. 335.ISBN978-1-4724-2552-2.
  5. ^Brosset 1849,p. 280.
  6. ^Metreveli 1998,pp. 188–189.
  7. ^abcdBrosset 1849,p. 271.
  8. ^Metreveli 1998,p. 189.
  9. ^abcdefRayfield 2012,p. 68.
  10. ^abcBrosset 1849,p. 273.
  11. ^Metreveli 1998,p. 190.
  12. ^abcdeBrosset 1849,p. 274.
  13. ^abBrosset 1849,p. 281.
  14. ^abcMetreveli 1998,p. 191.
  15. ^Salia 1980,p. 141.
  16. ^abcAsatiani & Janelidze 2009,p. 68.
  17. ^Silogava, Valeri (2008). "მცხეთის სამთავროს უცნობი წარწერა ადარნასე ქართველთა მეფის შესახებ" [An unknown inscription of the Samtavro monastery of Mtskheta about Adarnase, the king of Georgians] (in Georgian).{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  18. ^abSuny 1994,p. 31.
  19. ^abcdRayfield 2012,p. 69.
  20. ^Eastmond 1998,p. 6.
  21. ^Rapp 2003,p. 359.
  22. ^abBrosset 1851,p. 162.
  23. ^abMetreveli 1998,p. 192.
  24. ^abBrosset 1851,p. 163.
  25. ^Metreveli 1998,p. 193.
  26. ^Thomson, Robert W. (1996),Rewriting Caucasian History,p. 247.Oxford University Press,ISBN0-19-826373-2

Bibliography[edit]

Preceded by King of Iberia
888–923 		Succeeded by
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