Iotam Zedgenidze
Iotam Zedgenidze | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1465 |
Iotam Zedgenidze (Georgian: იოთამ ზედგენიძე; died 1465) was a 15th-century Georgian nobleman from the Zedgenidze family. He is remembered for his loyalty to King George VIII of Georgia and for his death while thwarting a plot to assassinate the monarch. Iotam was later canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Biography
Iotam was a nobleman from the Zedgenidze family. In 1446, George VIII, son of Alexander I, ascended the throne as king of Georgia.[1] For the next twenty years, George ruled with the aim of preserving the unity of the kingdom against rebellious nobles. In 1447, the atabeg of Samtskhe, Qvarqvare II Jaqeli, rebelled against the king.[2][3] In 1463, following the Battle of Chikhori, Bagrat, duke of Samokalako, proclaimed himself king of Imereti.[4]
In 1465, King George marched toward Samtskhe to confront Qvarqvare II.[4] While encamped near Lake Paravani, several traitors within his retinue conspired to assassinate him. Iotam, who was present in the royal entourage, uncovered the plot and warned the king. According to the historian Vakhushti of Kartli, the king refused to believe that his own followers planned treason.[5]
Unable to convince the monarch of the imminent threat, Iotam proposed taking the king’s place in the royal tent for the night, declaring that if he were killed, the king would at least know the truth. George accepted the offer, interpreting Iotam's fears as an expression of loyalty.[5] That night, the conspirators entered the tent and murdered Iotam, while George managed to escape the camp. At dawn, upon discovering Iotam's body, the king ordered the arrest and execution of the traitors.[5]
In gratitude for Iotam's loyalty and sacrifice, George VIII granted distinguished honors to his descendants, conferring upon them the title of Amilakhvari, a high-ranking court position.[6] Iotam was later canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church, which commemorates him on 12 November (30 October in the old calendar).
References
- ^ Toumanoff 1949–1951, p. 186.
- ^ Salia 1980, p. 262.
- ^ Rayfield 2012, p. 159.
- ^ a b Rayfield 2012, p. 160.
- ^ a b c Brosset 1849, p. 686.
- ^ Brosset 1849, pp. 686–687.
Bibliography
- Toumanoff, Cyril (1949–1951). "The Fifteenth-Century Bagratids and the Institution of Collegial Sovereignty in Georgia". Traditio. 7: 169–221. doi:10.1017/S0362152900015142. JSTOR 27830207. S2CID 149043757.
- Rayfield, Donald (2012). Edge of Empires, a History of Georgia. London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78023-070-2.
- 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.
- Salia, Kalistrat (1980). Histoire de la nation géorgienne [History of the Georgian nation] (in French). Paris: Nino Salia.