Tamar of Imereti (died 1510)
| Tamar | |
|---|---|
Fresco of Queen Tamar, Gelati Monastery | |
| Died | 12 March 1510 Kutaisi |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Alexander II of Imereti |
| Issue | Bagrat III David Vakhtang Khosro Helen |
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church |
Tamar of Imereti (Georgian: თამარ; died 12 March 1510 in Kutaisi) was a queen of Imereti from 1483. After the collapse of the Kingdom of Georgia in 1490, she became queen consort of the Kingdom of Imereti until her death in 1510.
Tamar was married to King Alexander II of Imereti. Her family origins are unknown, and only limited information about her life has survived. Contemporary and later sources portray her as ruling alongside her husband during a period characterized by prolonged conflicts with Kartli and with the expanding Ottoman Empire. She bore five children, among them the future king Bagrat III of Imereti.
Biography
Little is known about Tamar’s life. She was probably born into a Georgian noble family.[note 1] In 1483, she married Alexander,[1] who in the next year established his authority at Kutaisi as ruler of Imereti, in opposition to Constantine II of Georgia.[2]
According to the French historian Marie-Félicité Brosset, Tamar played a significant political and ceremonial role as queen consort, particularly after the independence of the Kingdom of Imereti in 1490. Brosset notes that Alexander II and Tamar ruled “jointly”.[3] In 1495, Tamar is mentioned alongside the king as having made substantial donations to the Gelati Monastery, contributing to the restoration of this major Orthodox center after its properties had been plundered by Constantine II.[3] That same year, she instituted a charitable ceremony involving the distribution of food to the poor on the Feast of the Ascension, held on 31 May 1495,[note 2] and commissioned the construction of a residence at Gelati for a permanent priest.[3]
Tamar is again recorded in 1509 for organizing a charitable meal for the poor during the feast of Lazarus Saturday on 10 April.[note 3][3]
In 1510, Alexander II left Imereti to launch a military campaign in Kartli. Tamar died in his absence at Kutaisi on 12 March 1510. She was buried at Gelati Monastery. Alexander II died less than a month later.[1]
Family
Tamar married King Alexander II of Imereti in 1483. Together, they had five children:[1]
- Bagrat III of Imereti (1495–1565), who reigned as King of Imereti from 1510 to 1565;
- Prince David (born no later than 23 February 1505);
- Prince Vakhtang, who served as a general during the reign of Bagrat III;
- Prince Khosro;
- Princess Helen, who married Sargis Mikmetzidze.
Notes
- ^ Georgian kings were forbidden to marry women who were not of the nobility, while Tamar is a common Georgian name.
- ^ According to mathematician Michael Hartley, Easter fell on 21 April in 1495. Ascension Day is celebrated 40 days later.
- ^ According to mathematician Michael Hartley, Easter falls on 18 April in 1509. Lazarus Saturday is celebrated eight days earlier.
References
- ^ a b c Buyers, Christopher. "Imereti – Page 3". Royal Ark.
- ^ Rayfield 2012, p. 45.
- ^ a b c d Brosset 1851, p. 50.
Bibliography
- Rayfield, Donald (2012). Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia. London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78023-070-2.
- Rapports sur un voyage archéologique exécuté dans la Géorgie et dans l'Arménie en 1847-1848 sous les auspices du Prince Vorontzof Lieutenant du Caucase. Saint Petersburg: Académie impériale des sciences. 1851. p. 64.