The mysterious Queen Tamara is one of the unique women in world history who determined the further spiritual development of her people. After her reign, the best cultural values and architectural monuments remained. Fair, honest and wise, she established a firm political position for her country in Asia Minor, conquering territories that do not belong to present-day Georgia. The period of her reign forever remained in history under the name "Golden Age". The economic, cultural and political prosperity of Georgia at that time was entirely due to its queen.
Legacy
Some facts from the life of Tamara today remain not fully disclosed. The years of her life are still disputed by historians, but Queen Tamara was supposedly born in 1166. The girl's parents came from a noble family: the mother was the daughter of the Alanian king, and the father belonged to the famous Bagration family and was the ruling king at the time of the birth of the child.
When Tamara was ten years old, unrest began in Georgia,aimed at overthrowing the power of her father George III. The uprising was led by the son of one of George's brothers - Demeter and his father-in-law Orbeli, who at that time was the commander-in-chief of the Georgian troops. When the rebellion was crushed by the acting king, the need for a coronation ceremony became apparent.
Since the girl in the family grew up without brothers and sisters, George decided to leave the throne after his death to Tamara. It was against Georgian traditions for a woman to take the throne. Since 1178, the daughter became the co-ruler of her father George III. Their first joint decision was the adoption of capital punishment for bandits, thieves, and the creation of a special group to search for them.
6 years after Tamara's entry into the political affairs of her state, the death of George III occurs and the issue of re-coronation and the expediency of the accession of a young person becomes a privileged society. In favor of the girl, the fact that the Georgian land was previously chosen by the apostolic lot of the Virgin and a woman, St. Nina, was sent to spread Christianity on it, played. Thus, the blessed Queen Tamara finally took the throne.
First state reforms
The reign of Queen Tamara began with the liberation of the church from taxes and dues. Talented people were elected to the positions of ministers and military leaders. One of the chroniclers noted that during her reign, the farmers grew to a privileged class, the nobles became nobles, and the latter turned into rulers.
In the number of loved onesTamara introduced Archbishop Anton of Chkondid, to whom she immediately granted the Samtavis diocese and the city of Kisiskhevi. The post of supreme commander went to one of the brothers of the famous Armenian family Mkhargrdzeli - Zakharia. The younger brother Ivane headed the palace economy. The princes recognized Christianity professed by the Armenian Church, called the faith of the Armenians, and revered Orthodoxy. The chroniclers note that Ivane later recognized the curvature of the Armenian faith and still accepted Christianity.
The girl distinguished herself by diplomacy in settling the issue of changing the political system of Georgia. A certain Kutlu-Arslan organized a group that demanded the creation of an independent body at the royal court. The elected persons of the far-fetched organization were supposed to solve all state issues without the presence of Tamara herself at the meetings. The queen had only an executive function. The arrest of Kutlu-Arslan excited his followers, and then diplomatic negotiations with the conspirators subordinated the latter to Tamara. Kutlu-Arslan's program to restructure the conduct of public affairs has failed.
Godly deeds
Tamara marked the beginning of her career by convening a church council. The same act during the years of his reign was marked by her grandfather David the Builder. The insightful mistress did this for the spiritual unification of the people. She gathered everyone who listens to the word of God: bishops, monks, clergymen, and invited the wise Nikolai Gulaberisdze from Jerusalem, who, together with the archbishopAnthony led the cathedral.
Holy Queen Tamara gave a speech before the start of the cathedral, in which she called on everyone to live together and according to the interpretation of the Bible. In a monologue, she turned to the holy fathers with a request to lend a helping hand to all those who have strayed from the spiritual path. She asked the rulers of the Holy Church for guidance, words, and teachings, promising in return decrees, deeds, and teachings.
Merciful to the poor, generous, heavenly patroness of temple builders, Georgia, warriors, benefactor - such was Queen Tamara. The icon with the face of a girl still helps those praying in protecting the family, at home from adversity, in disbelief, in healing physical and mental ailments.
Church Cathedral was marked by the choice of the groom. So, the courtiers turned to the fathers for advice on where to look for Tamara's spouse. The mentors recommended to go to the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, which is in Russia.
Marriage
Queen Tamara was endowed not only with spiritual, but also with physical beauty. Of course, there is no photo of the girl, but the memories of contemporaries point to her well-built body, shy look, rosy cheeks and dark eyes.
When the question arose about the need for the appearance of an heir and a commander, a candidate for husband was immediately chosen. The Russian prince Yuri Andreevich could not resist the beauty of a young girl. He was from a noble family of Bogolyubsky, revered Orthodoxy and outwardly was a very attractive young man. After arriving in Tbilisi to see his future wife, he decided to immediately play the wedding. However, the prudent Tamara was against suchhaste. The courtiers and bishops dissuaded the queen from bad thoughts and the marriage took place. Under the leadership of Yuri, although there were victorious battles in Georgia, but after two years of mental suffering, the girl decided to divorce. The former husband of Queen Tamara was sent to Constantinople with part of the acquired we alth. He then reappeared in the life of the girl when Yuri came to Georgia with the Greek army in order to return the lost throne, but, like the previous time, he was defeated, after which he disappeared without a trace.
Brought up on the concepts of the Gospel, the queen experienced a hard divorce. And the thought of a new marriage, which her status demanded, was generally unacceptable.
Happy marriage
Queen Tamara possessed natural beauty and charm (historical photographic sketches confirm this), so many princes wanted to take the vacant place of their husband next to an extraordinary woman. And only the Ossetian king Soslan-David was lucky enough to become the second husband of Tamara. It was no coincidence that the courtiers nominated him as a husband, he was brought up by Rudusan, who was the queen's own aunt. Historians also suggested that the dynastic marriage was a strategic move of the Georgian nobility. At that time, the state needed allies, and the Ossetian kingdom was distinguished by a powerful military potential. That is why the privileged strata of society immediately made a decision and recognized Soslan-David as the co-ruler of Georgia.
Their union not only brought the nations together, but also made the state powerful and prosperous. They ruled the country in unison. Why did God send themchild. When the people learned that Queen Tamara and David Soslan were expecting their first child, everyone began to pray for the birth of a boy. And so it happened, they had a son, similar to his grandfather. And they gave him the same name - George. A year later, the girl Rusudan was born in the royal family.
Fight against Islam: Battle of Shamkhor
The political course of the mistress was aimed at combating Muslim countries, which was supported by the predecessors of the throne: George III and David the Restorer. Twice the Islamic states of the Middle East tried to conquer Georgian lands, and both times the soldiers of these countries were defeated.
The first offensive campaign was organized by the Caliph of Baghdad, in whose hands both the religious and royal power of all Muslims was concentrated. He subsidized a coalition organization directed against the growing Christian state. The troops were led by atabagh Abubekr, and their concentration went so quietly that only when the Muslims took their positions in South Azerbaijan did Queen Tamara find out about the offensive.
The forces of Georgia were inferior in their power to the enemy. But faith in God and the power of prayer saved this people. When the Georgian troops advanced towards Abubekr's army, the queen and the inhabitants did not stop the prayer service. The order of the ruler was to perform uninterrupted litanies, confession of sins and demands on the rich to give alms to the poor. The Lord heeded the prayer and the Georgians won the battle of Shamkhor in 1195.
David brought a banner to his wife as a trophyCaliphate, which the mistress transferred to the monastery for the icon of Our Lady of Khakhul.
Battle of Basiani
With the victory in Shamkhor, the country's authority on the world stage has grown. One Sultan Ruknadin from Asia Minor could not recognize the power of Georgia. Moreover, he had plans to take revenge on the Georgian people for the defeat of the Turkish troops, which they won during the reign of David the Builder.
Ruknadin sent an insulting letter to the queen, in which he demanded that Tamara change the Christian faith to Islam. The angry mistress immediately gathered an army and, trusting in God's help, accompanied them to the Vardzia monastery complex, where, kneeling before the icon of the Mother of God, she began to pray for her army.
Experienced in military battles, the Sultan of Rum could not believe that the Georgian Queen Tamara would launch an offensive. After all, the number of military Muslims this time exceeded the Georgian army. The victory again went to the commander and husband of Tamara - Soslan-David. One battle was enough to defeat the Turkish army.
The victory at Basiani helped implement the strategic plans of the royal court to create a new state neighboring Georgia in the West. So, the Kingdom of Trebizond was created with the Christian faith. In the 13th century, almost all the states of the North Caucasus were citizens of the countries of Georgia.
Culture during the reign of the Queen
The stable economic condition of the country has become a framework for the development of culture. The name of Queen Tamara is associated with the Golden Age of Georgia. She was the patroness of literature and writing. The monasteries of Iversky, Petritsonsky, on Black Mountain and others acted as cultural and educational centers. They carried out translation and literary and philosophical work. In Georgia at that time there were the Ik altoi and Gelati academies, after graduating from which, people spoke Arabic, Persian, knowledge of ancient philosophy.
The poem "The Knight in the Panther's Skin", which belongs to the heritage of world literature, was written during the reign of Tamara and is dedicated to her. Shota Rustaveli conveyed the life of the Georgian people in his creation. The legend begins that there lived a king who did not have a son-heir, and, feeling the approach of the end of his days, he enthroned his daughter. That is, the situation, one to one repeating the events of the time when the throne was transferred to Tamara.
The Queen founded the Vardzia cave monastery, which has survived to this day, as well as the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery.
Successful military offensives, tribute from the conquered countries helped replenish the budget of Georgia, which was aimed at the construction of architectural monuments and the development of Christianity.
Vardzia
Churches, residential cells, chapels, baths, refectory rooms - all these premises are carved into the rock and make up a monastery complex in southern Georgia called Vardzia, or the Temple of Queen Tamara. The construction of the cave complex was started during the reign of George III. The monastery was assigned a defensive goal from the Iranians and Turks.
The premises of the fortress have a depth of 50 meters and a height of an eight-story building. To date, preservedsecret passages, the remains of an irrigation system and water pipes.
In the center of the cave, a temple in the name of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos was built under the queen. Its walls are decorated with picturesque paintings, among which there are images of Tamara and her father. The frescoes of the Ascension of the Lord, Jesus Christ and the Mother of God are of historical and artistic value.
The earthquake, the capture of the complex by the Persians, the Turks, the Soviet era left an imprint on the existence of the monastery. Now it is more of a museum, although some monks lead their ascetic life in it.
Queen Tamara: the story of the last years of her life
Chronicles date the death of Soslan-David to 1206. Then the queen thought about transferring the throne to her son and made George her co-ruler. Living according to the laws of God, she felt the approaching death. Queen Tamara died of an unknown illness. She spent her last years in Vardzia. The date of death remains an unsolved mystery, but presumably it is 1212-1213.
Where the Empress is buried is unknown. The chronicle indicates the Gelati Monastery as the place where the body of the queen rests in the family crypt. According to other legends, Tamara, feeling the dissatisfaction of Muslims who could desecrate the tomb, asked for a secret burial. There is an assumption that the body rests in the Cross Monastery (Palestine). It turns out that the Lord heard her desire by hiding the holy relics.
In the Orthodox Church, Queen Tamara is classified as a saint. Remembrance Day according to the new style falls on May 14.
There is a belief that whensuffering, grief in the world is growing, she is resurrected and comes to the aid of people for their consolation.
Faith in God, wisdom, modesty are the features on which Tamara created the economic and political system of Georgia. Its course of development was based on philanthropy, equality and non-violence. Not a single death pen alty was carried out during the years of her reign. Tamara gave a tenth of state revenues to the poor. Orthodox countries, churches and monasteries were honored with her help.
The last words she said to God, in which she entrusted Georgia, the people, her children and herself to Christ.
