Bagrat III of Georgia
| Bagrat III ბაგრატ III | |
|---|---|
| King of Georgia | |
 Bagrat III, a fresco from theBedia Cathedral | |
| King of Georgia | |
| Reign | 1008–1014 |
| Predecessor | Unification of the Georgian realm |
| Successor | George I |
| King of Abkhazia | |
| Reign | 978–1008 |
| Predecessor | Theodosius III |
| Successor | Unification of the Georgian realm |
| Duke of Kartli | |
| Reign | 975–978 |
| Predecessor | Gurgen |
| Successor | Gurandukht |
| Born | c. 960 Kutaisi |
| Died | 7 May 1014(aged 53–54) Panaskerti Castle,Tao |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Martha |
| Issue | George I of Georgia Basil of Khakhuli? |
| Dynasty | Bagrationi |
| Father | Gurgen of Iberia |
| Mother | Gurandukht of Abkhazia |
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church |
Bagrat III(Georgian:ბაგრატ III) (c. 960 – 7 May 1014), of theBagrationi dynasty,was theking(mepe) of theKingdom of Abkhaziafrom 978 on (asBagrat II of Abkhazia) and king of Georgia from 1008 on. Heunited these two titles by dynastic inheritanceand, through conquest and diplomacy, added more lands to his realm, effectively becoming the first king of theKingdom of Georgia.Before Bagrat was crowned as king, he had also reigned inKartlias co-ruler with his fatherGurgenfrom 976 to 978.
Early life and rule in Kartli[edit]
Youth[edit]
Bagrat was born in the 960s, probably inKartli.He is the only known son ofGurgen,titular king ofIberia,andGurandukht,daughter of KingGeorge II of Abkhazia.Bagrat was thus heir to theBagrationi dynasty.Still young, the Crown Prince of Iberia was designated heir by his father's cousin,David III of Tao,who reigned over the Duchy of UpperTaoand had been theKouropalatesof Iberia since 966,[1]and who educated the young prince at his court.[2]
At that time, Iberia was under the rule of theKingdom of Abkhazia.In 780, Abkhazia, which had escaped theArab invasions,had emancipated itself fromByzantinesuzerainty and established itself as a powerful kingdom and master of the region; in 916, the Abkhazian state reached its apogee by invading Iberia and threateningArmenia.[3]But in 975, KingTheodosius III,known as the Blind (who was also Bagrat's maternal uncle), acceded to the throne and came into conflict with his nobility. Civil war broke out in Abkhazia and chaos spread throughout the country. Exploiting the situation,Kvirike II of Kakheti,who reigned ineastern Georgia,organised raids against Iberia, challenging the power of the Abkhaz monarch. He eventually completely invaded eastern Georgia.[4]However, theeristavi(governor) of Kartli, Ioane Marushisdze rebelled against Kvirike II and sought the help of the young Bagrat's adoptive father, David III of Tao. In 976, David III arrived in Iberia and defeated theKakhetians,who had to leave the country.[5]David III, the new liberator of Iberia, offered a kingdom liberated from all its previous overlords to Bagrat who, still young, was placed under his father's regency.[5]
Between throne and exile[edit]
The first part of Bagrat III's reign in Iberia is short and little is known about it. What is known is that soon after his arrival on the throne, the nobles, who had taken advantage of the bad situation in Georgia to recover their former power, began to rebel.
In 978, the Nakurdevelians (feudalists from Kurdis-Khevi) and the Baratians united and allied themselves with the new prince ofKakheti,David.He soon seized the fortress ofUplistsikheand took young Bagrat III and his parents hostage. On hearing the news,David III of Taolaunched an expedition against theKakhetianswho, after negotiations, returned Iberia to the royal family,[1]but retained the fortresses of Grouvi and Tsirkvali. From then on, the kingdom was ruled by QueenGurandukht,mother of Bagrat III.[1]
King of Abkhazia[edit]
Meanwhile, in Abkhazia, KingTheodosius III'sweakness in the face of the nobles further weakened the kingdom. Taking advantage of the situation, Ioane Marushisdze, who had already placed Bagrat on the Iberian throne, tried to bring his protégé to the head of theKingdom of Abkhazia.The eristavi allied himself with the nobility of Iberia and Abkhazia and they all agreed that a powerful new king was needed to unify the two countries. Bagrat III was invested with the royal attributes and, having reached maturity, saw all the nobility bow at his feet.[1]This event is said to have taken place in 978,[1]but others place it two years later. Bagrat, now master of western and central Georgia, sent the deposed king Theodosius III the Blind to his adoptive fatherDavid III of Taoas a gift.[1]
Having becomeKing of Abkhazia,Bagrat III had to return urgently toKartli,where his mother, the regentGurandukht,reigned and wanted to make herself independent. The nobles of Kartli, who appreciated their situation under the regent's reign, refused to recognise Bagrat III as King of Iberia and placed a certain Kavtar Tbeli at their head.[6]The nobles took up defensive positions throughout central Georgia, but the king defeated them in battle at Moghrisi. Bagrat advanced into his own kingdom and tookUplistsikheback from his mother. Having put down the noble rebellion, he returned to Abkhazia, where he summoned his mother. Bagrat III then began to put Abkhazian affairs in order. He calmed the nobles and established himself as a loyal and honest monarch.[6]
Family War[edit]
A few years later, before 994, the Iberian nobleman Rati, son of Liparit,Duke of Kldekari,[6]emerged as a powerful nobleman in the eastern part of Bagrat III's kingdom. He soon came into possession of the fortress ofAteniand all Kartli south of theMtkuari,Trialeti,Manglis-khevi, andSkvireti,[7]and then refused to submit to Bagrat III.[6]The latter then marched with a powerful army, reinforced by his fatherGurgen'smilitia, against the rebellious nobleman. However, fearing that Bagrat would be more powerful than he was, the king's adoptive father allied himself withBagrat Regueni,[6]Gurgen's own father, and with the Armenian monarchsSmbat II of Armeniaand Abas ofKars,in order to stop Bagrat's intervention.[2]
The first battle took place on the plains of Gardatkhinlni, at the entrance toShavsheti.Gurgen's armies were defeated and the prince had to take refuge in the fortress of Tsepta.[6]King Bagrat III, who had suspended his campaign against Rati, learnt to his great regret that he did not have enough strength to take on the armies ofDavid III of Taoand Bagrat Regueni and began negotiations with the opposing camp. In the end, peace was granted and the so-called "family war" came to an end.
Bagrat III returned to Abkhazia and reigned peacefully, leaving Rati, the rebellious nobleman, to return to his domains. But the king's strategy was to let Rati return to Kartli to make him believe that the conflict was over. So, during the following winter, Bagrat gathered his troops and laid siege toKldekari,before defeating the insolent duke. Rati was pardoned and made Duke ofArgveti,in western Georgia.[8]
The unification[edit]
On 31 March 1000,[9]Bagrat III's adoptive father,David III Kuropalates,died, probably assassinated.[10]The Georgian ChronicleofVakhushti of Kartlistates that when the ruler ofTaodied, the region was left desolate. TheByzantineemperorBasil II,to whom David had bequeathed the Tao as a result of his role in theBardas Phokas revolt,decided to force his way back.[11]However, the emperor, who had just returned from a campaign inSyriaagainst theFatimid Caliphateand was expecting a difficult campaign, found himself faced with understanding nobles who recognised themselves as vassals of a powerful monarch, thus denying the authority of Bagrat III.[12]In just a few months, he completed the conquest ofTao-Klarjeti,before granting the title of "Magistros"toGurgen,Bagrat's father, and that of "Kouropalates"to the king himself. He thus tried to set the son against his father, but no conflict arose, as Gurgen was considered an honest and upright man and father. As a result, Bagrat III, in addition to his title of King of Abkhazia, became Kuropalates of Iberia, unifying western Georgia in the process, but losing a large part of his family heritage.
In 1008, he received the hereditary title of "King of theGeorgians"and the unified duchy of Lower Tao-Javakhetiwhen his father, Gurgen I of Iberia, died. Having become master of all the lands ruled by members of theBagrationi dynasty,Bagrat III decided to intervene in EasternTranscaucasia.He began by claiming fromDavid,prince andChorbishopofKakheti[24], the lands he had annexed after his victory in the Kartli War of 978. However, the latter refused and announced his intention to go to war. Bagrat III, angered by the Kakhetian's refusal, headed for Kakheti, crossed the Kartli and devastated Hereti, an eastern province of the principality of Kakheti. He appointed a certain Aboulal asmtavari( "count" ) of the region, but he was overthrown by the local nobility, who took control of the country and decided to unite with Kakheti.
Having learned of the revolt in the newly annexedHereti,Bagrat III decided to unite his troops and returned to the conquest. In a short space of time, he completed the annexation of Hereti, domesticated the local nobility inImereti,and placed the relics of the country's first Orthodox queen near these nobles. In 1008, Bagrat III began the conquest ofKakheti.He completed it in 1010, without encountering too much opposition. He left the fortress of Bodchorma to PrinceKvirike III of Kakheti,son of Bishop David, but took it from him and annexed the country completely some time later. At the end of this war, Bagrat III found himself absolute master of the whole ofGeorgia.He had completed the unification of the country and was now "King of the Abkhazians, Kartvels, Rans and Kakhs".
War against the Shaddadids[edit]
AsKing of Georgia,Bagrat III decided to embark on campaigns against neighbouring countries. He chose to attack the neighbouringEmirate of Ganja,whose emir,Fadl ibn Muhammad,had been raidingeastern Georgiafor some time. To achieve his aims, Bagrat formed an alliance with theArmeniankingGagik I.In 1012, Armenian and Georgian troops joined forces and finally set off forGanjainDzoraget,Armenia. Fadl, who had sworn to the death of allChristiansand had never met a ruler capable of defeating him up to that point, was very surprised when he learned of the advance of the armies of two countries that worshipped the Cross, and took refuge in a fortress where he prepared for a difficult siege. Bagrat took advantage of the situation to seize the lands ofArran,which he made a Georgian province, and began theSiege of Shamkor,the fortified town in which theShaddadidemir had taken refuge. In just a few days, he overcame the city's defences and granted peace to the vanquished. Fadl found himself a vassal of Georgia and was obliged to come to Bagrat's aid if necessary; Ganja also had to pay tribute (Kharaj) from then on. The Emir offered many sumptuous gifts to the King of Georgia, as well as to the nobles who had persuaded Bagrat to conclude the peace without annexing Ganja.
Power of Georgia[edit]
After subduing easternTranscaucasia,Bagrat III took charge of the border with theByzantine Empirein the south-west of the country. Since the year 1000 and the death ofDavid III Kuropalates,who had ceded his domains to Byzantium in his will,Tao-Klarjetihad been part of the Byzantine Empire. For a while, he found himself master of LowerTaoandJavakheti,following the death of his father, but he still had no power over the lands under Byzantine administration. However, between 1011 and 1012, Bagrat chose to regain control of his hereditary lands.Sumbatd war against the princesSumbatand Gurgen ofKlarjeti,who, having submitted to Byzantium, had taken the title of "King of Klarjeti" and threatened the power of Georgia. He soon succeeded in defeating them, without any opposition from the Byzantine Empire. In 1012, he had the two brothers Sumbat and Gurgen killed while they were imprisoned in the citadel ofTmogvi,while he allowed their children to go into exile inConstantinople.
Bagrat III, having just annexed the duchy ofArtanuji,found himself definitively master of all Georgian lands. But he didn't stop there. He led campaigns in theCaucasusand subduedArran,Shirvanand, according to contemporary Georgian charters, Armenia[33]. He allied himself with theAbbasidcaliphAl-Qadirand set himself up as an enemy ofBasil II.Under his reign, Georgia was united and there were no noble revolts. The king, who held Georgia in his hand like an absolute monarch, was also loved by his people, and the peasants considered themselves his servants.
Bagrat and Christianity[edit]
With theunification of Georgia,King Bagrat III also created theCatholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia,which still exists today. Indeed, before the 1000s, Patriarch John IV bore the title of “Catholicos of Iberia”. A veryChristianking, Bagrat III had several churches built, including theBedia Cathedral,[13]in 999, which he elevated to the rank of chief town of a bishopric and also the religious capital ofAbkhazia,thus taking this title from Goudakva this title.Georgia'sfirst monarch was also responsible forBagrati Cathedral,in his capital ofKutaisi,[13]a remarkable religious building, the construction of which was completed in 1003. The monument was part ofUNESCO'SWorld Heritage from the 18th session in 1994 until 2017, when it was withdrawn because it was "the subject of a major reconstruction project affecting its integrity and authenticity”.[14]
According toVakhushti BagrationiandMarie-Félicité Brosset,EmperorBasil II,who did not have such good relations withGeorgia,offered the Caucasian Patriarchate the monastery of Kestoria (probably inGreece). At the same time, theCatholicos-Patriarch of All Georgiaacquired no less than one hundred and five villages, silver and gold, icons and crosses to decorate the churches.[15]According to Vakhushti, writing in the 18th century, it was under Bagrat III's protection that theSvetitskhoveli Cathedral(Mtskheta), now the seat of the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, was built, or rather restored, using the ornaments brought back from Kestoria.[15]However, it is now known that this did not happen until the next reign.
Death[edit]
After defeating the dukes ofKlarjeti,Bagrat III undertook a final journey to his homeland. He crossed the whole of his kingdom, fromAbkhaziatoHereti,passing throughKartliandKakhetibefore finally stopping inTao,where he spent the winter of 1013-1014 in the fortress of Panaskerti, the former residence of the sovereigns of Tao. He died on 7 May 1014 in his royal residence, at an advanced age, with long white hair, after a reign of thirty-six years. Count Zviad Orbeliani, who reigned in a province of Abkhazia, took care of his body, transporting it to the north of the country. The first monarch of unified Georgia was buried in 1014 in theBedia Cathedral.
He was canonized by theGeorgian Orthodox Churchon 22 December 2016, his feast day set for 7 May (NS21 May).[16]
Family[edit]
According to genealogistCyril Toumanoff,King Bagrat III had a wife, Martha, who bore him a son:George I of Georgia.Other sources tell us of a second child, Basil, who was canonised asBasil of Khakhuliby theGeorgian Orthodox Church.
See also[edit]
Genealogy[edit]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References[edit]
- ^abcdefBrosset 1849,p. 295.
- ^abGrousset 1995,p. 516.
- ^Brosset 1849,p. 274.
- ^Brosset 1849,pp. 274–277.
- ^abBrosset 1849,p. 292.
- ^abcdefBrosset 1849,p. 296.
- ^Thomson 1996,p. 276.
- ^Brosset 1849,p. 297.
- ^Date de la mort de Bagrat II d'Ibérie.
- ^Mathieu d'Édesse,Irepartie,chap. XXIV, p. 33, etAristakès Lastivertsi,chap. I, p. 9, (Grousset 1995,p. 531).
- ^Gérard Dédéyan (dir.),Histoire du peuple arménien,Privat, Toulouse, 2007ISBN978-2-7089-6874-5,p. 254.
- ^Marie-Félicité Brosset, p. 297.
- ^abBrosset 1849,p. 300.
- ^UNESCO World Heritage Centre (10 July 2017)."Gelati Monastery, Georgia, removed from UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger".unesco.Retrieved14 July2017.
- ^abBrosset 1849,p. 301.
- ^"წმინდა სინოდმა წმინდანებად ორი მეფე - ბაგრატ მესამე და სოლომონ პირველი, ასევე, კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი კალისტრატე ცინცაძე შერაცხა".Georgian Times.22 December 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 26 December 2016.Retrieved25 December2016.
Bibliography[edit]
- Mikaberidze, Alexander (2015).Historical Dictionary of Georgia.Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.ISBN9781442241466.
- William Edward David Allen,A History of the Georgian People,Barnes & Noble, 1932 (réimpr. 1971)ISBN0389040304,p. 69-84.
- Brosset, Marie-Félicité (1849).Histoire de la Géorgie depuis l'Antiquité jusqu'au XIXe siècle. Volume I[History of Georgia from Ancient Times to the 19th Century, Volume 1] (in French). Saint-Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences.
- Grousset, René(1995) [1947].Histoire de l'Arménie des origines à 1071(in French). Payot.ISBN2-228-88912-1.
- Thomson, Robert W. (1996).Rewriting Caucasian history: the medieval Armenian adaptation of the Georgian chronicles; the original Georgian texts and the Armenian adaptation.Oxford: Clarendon Press.ISBN0198263732.