THE UNIFICATION OF MEDIEVAL GEORGIA

At the end of the tenth century, the Georgian kingdoms and principalities entered a decisive battle for the unification of all the Georgian lands. The Kingdom of Apkhazeti (western Georgia), Tao-Klarjeti (southern Georgia), and Kartli, dominated by various great houses and the Kingdom of Kakhet-Hereti, struggled for dominance and supremacy in the Caucasus. In the early 10th century, the leading political role was assumed by Apkhazeti, yet, soon, the southern Georgian kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti was to re-emerge as a significant force in Caucasian politics.  

After the death of the western Georgian king Leo (957-967), his brother, Demetre III (967–975), ascended to the throne. Theodosius, another brother, unwilling to tolerate Demetre’s reign, rose in rebellion against him. Theodosius was supported by the noblemen of Tao-Klarjeti, Kartli and Kakheti, but, despite this strong backing, he was defeated. Demetre promised not to harm Theodosius if he came to him and asked for forgiveness. Theodosius met his brother in the hope he would be forgiven for his crime of rebellion, but instead was seized and blinded. Nevertheless, King Demetre II did not enjoy his reign for long, dying in his eighth year as king, in 975. The throne that Theodosius had fought for was now vacant, and yet the blinded prince no longer desired kingship. The western Georgian nobility, however, saw no another way than crowning Theodosius, and they forced him to become king. As soon as he was able, he abdicated in favour of his nephew, the young prince Bagrat.  

A crucial role in Bagrat’s enthronement was played by the most powerful king of the Tao-Klarjeti Bagrationis, King of Southern Tao, David III Curopalate, who had ascended the throne in 966 after the death of his brother, Bagrat II. Not long after, David became a major actor in Caucasian politics, proving to be a wise politician; gentle and reasonable when needed, with no sign of cruelty and tyranny in his character. Indeed, David is said to have taken good care of both his kingdom and his subjects. He was also extremely pragmatic and opportunistic, and his ambitions can often be described as grandiose. With political, economic and military interests in the Caucasus and Asia Minor, he helped the imperial family retain the throne when he considered them beneficial to his political future, but tried to overthrow the ruling dynasty when he thought he could do better without them. David and his political ambitions are immortalized in Georgian medieval art: A sculpture of David survived in Oshki Church, the construction of which was financed by him and his brother, clearly expressing his imperial plans and ambitions. 

In the spring or summer of 976, the powerful Byzantine nobleman Bardas Skleros started a rebellion against the young emperors of the Macedonian dynasty, Basil II (976–1025) and Constantine VIII (1025–1028). Both Basil and Constantine were minors, under the regency of their mother. Bardas seized Melitene, and, in Armenia, he declared himself emperor. The imperial court decided to start negotiations with the rebellious lord by sending the Bishop of Nicomedia. However, Bardas had neither the time nor desire to listen to the Nicomedian bishop, and went ahead and started his campaign: His destination - Constantinople. He quickly sacked Caesarea in Cappadocia, then occupied the naval station of Attaleia (in Pamphylia, south of Asia Minor), which gave him the opportunity to directly attack the capital city from the sea. The imperial court, not one to stand by and do nothing, attacked Bardas from Phrygia (in western central Asia Minor), using imperial forces led by Leo the Eunuch. Leo managed to defeat Bardas once, but then Bardas struck back, and in so doing, he annihilated Leo’s forces. He went on to attack Antioch, but failed to take the city. Despite some failures Bardas’ army was powerful, and his threat to overthrow the Macedonian dynasty real. After the defeat of Leo the Eunuch, Constantinople sent against Bardas another Bardas – the Byzantine commander Bardas Phocas. The two Bardas faced each other on the battlefield on 19 June 978. Skleros won, and Bardas Phocas escaped to Tao and found refuge under the protection of David of Tao during the winter of 978–979. 

Oshki Cathedral (Photo by David Khoshtaria)

At this dark hour, the imperial court decided to appeal to David. The Georgian king immediately decided to help the imperial family, and gathered 12,000 soldiers. The Byzantine queen dowager asked the former great Georgian military commander, Tornike, to take the command of David’s troops. Yet Tornike was living on Holy Mount Athos. Wishing to spend his last years in monastic seclusion and serenity, he refused the queen’s request, saying that war, political intrigue, rivalry and bloodshed were no longer his concern. Eventually, though, he was persuaded by his relation, the great Georgian ascetic John of Athos (ca. 920–1005), to take command and lead David’s armies against Skleros. Tornike put armour over his black monastic robe, mounted his horse, and once again went to war. 

The Georgian troops were joined by the surviving forces of Bardas Phocas. They faced Skleros in March 979. We have a firsthand account from a Georgian nobleman who participated in the battle, having travelled from Samtskhe and joined the Georgian troops of David against the rebellious Skleros. According to his account, the battle occurred in a place known as Kharsanani, where the joint forces of King David and Commander Bardas Phocas defeated the army of Bardas Skleros. Skleros escaped to the Caliphate, and the rule of the Macedonian dynasty was saved. 

King David gained much from Skleros’s defeat. As a gift for his crucial contribution to it, the imperial court granted David the title of Curopalate, as well as the Armenian land of Basiani and the city of Theodosiopulos (Karin).

It seems that, as the years passed, ambition and greed overtook David of Tao. Seemingly dissatisfied with the gifts he had received from Constantinople, he soon saw a chance to gain more, doing so through Bardas Phocas’s plans. David joined the rebellion against Prince Basil that was started by Bardas Phocas, with the support of his former adversary and rebel Bardas Skleros, in 987. However, Basil was not a young, inexperienced prince who needed help from David against a rebellious lord: He was a grown man who would go on to become one of the greatest emperors of the medieval Roman Empire: Talented, energetic, ruthless and brave, Basil acted quickly. He attacked and defeated both Phocas and Skleros. After his defeat, David was forced to agree to Basil’s demands and leave his kingdom to the empire after his death, as Armenian kings had done before and continued to do after him. 

Bedia Cathedral

King David is often considered the initiator of and main participant in the unification of all Georgian lands. However, this is a false assumption. There is no evidence that King David ever sought to create a united Georgian Kingdom: He had other plans, one which saw him increasing his influence and strengthening his positions in the Caucasus and Asia Minor. Even after his serious failure to overthrow the imperial family, David was not to be used as a puppet in the hands of the Byzantine Empire; indeed, he set out to achieve a goal that was at odds with the empire. 

Yet, David was childless. To overcome this problem, he adopted a young member of one of the branches of the Bagrationi dynasty – Bagrat. Bagrat was the son of the King of the Georgians, Gurgen Bagrationi (997–1008), and the grandson of the King of the Georgians, Bagrat II (937–997). King Bagrat II was himself the grandson of Adarnase II (888–923), who had been the first to receive the title “King of the Georgians.” Thus, young Bagrat, as the rightful heir of Adarnase, had formal superiority among other members of the House of Bagrationi (while the real superiority belonged to his adopted father, David of Tao). 

David named Bagrat II’s grandson, young Bagrat, as his heir, making him perhaps the luckiest man in the Caucasus. On his paternal side, Bagrat belonged to the House of Bagrationi and was a direct descendant of Presiding Prince Ashot I the Great. To this he added the title of rightful heir of King David III of Tao, and, on his maternal side, his being a direct descendant of the first western Georgian King Leo II. 

Further fortune touched David in the political situation of the 970s. As mentioned above, following the death of his brother, Demetre, blind Prince Theodosius had been forced to occupy the western Georgian throne in Kutaisi, though no longer desiring the responsibility. Theodosius was also childless, and all the male descendants of western Georgian King George II were dead. At this moment, the western Georgian nobleman John Marushisdze took the initiative. John had been appointed by the western Georgian kings as ruler of Kartli. He feared that the Kakhetian chorbishops, who were no less greedy or ambitious than the western Georgian kings, might take Kartli again. The western Georgian throne was occupied by the weak and blind Theodosius, and no one knew what the future held. In this difficult situation, John decided to make David an offer: John proposed that the King of Tao help his adopted son Bagrat occupy Kartli. David thought it a wonderful idea. Evidently, in the appointment of Bagrat as ruler of Kartli, David saw the further growth of his own political influence and dominion.  

Oshki Cathedral (Photo by David Khoshtaria)

In 975, David gathered an army and went to Kartli. At the time, Uplistsikhe came under siege by Kakhetian Chorbishop Kvirike II (929–976). Kvirike had been defeated several times by the western Georgians, and now sought revenge, intending to take Kartli and cement his position in Uplistsikhe, which would give him great advantage over his adversaries. David, unwilling to allow Kvirike to act freely in Kartli, moved to attack. When Kvirike learned that David’s armies were approaching Uplistsikhe, he hastily abandoned his siege and returned to Kakheti. David arrived at Uplistsikhe and left the young Bagrat, with his parents, Gurgen Bagrationi and Gurandukht, as the ruler of Kartli. After David had ensured that the new ruler of Kartli was secure, he returned to Tao.

Kvirike, unhappy with the rule of the young Bagrat in Kartli, waited until David’s departure and invaded Kartli again, taking Uplistsikhe and capturing both Bagrat and his parents. Their captivity was not to last long, however, with King David warning Kvirike to release the captives, or “he would get a taste of David’s double-edged sword.” Kvirike knew perfectly well that he could not withstand David’s army, so he released Bagrat, Gurgen and Gurandukht, and sent them back to Kartli.

After three years reigning in Kartli, the western Georgian nobility asked young Bagrat to also take on his grandfather’s throne in Kutaisi. It was John Marushisdze’s idea, coming from his witnessing of the disastrous situation ongoing in western Georgia, the weak king holding the throne in Kutaisi, and future uncertainty to come upon his death. I believe that John was more concerned about his own security and wellbeing than about the ‘unification of Georgia,’ though. On the western Georgian throne, John needed a king who would be useful for him, and in John’s mind, the young Bagrat was the perfect candidate. Therefore, along with other members of the western Georgian nobility who supported his plan, John turned again to David, asking him to allow Bagrat to sit on the western Georgian throne. David hesitated, seeing Bagrat as his heir in Tao and not in western Georgia. However, John and the other western Georgian nobles pointed out that the kingdom would remain without a king after Theodosius, and that meant political chaos and anarchy. Persuaded, David finally agreed to consecrate the young Bagrat as King of Western Georgia.  

Oshki Cathedral (Photo by David Khoshtaria)

Bagrat arrived in Kutaisi in 978. Bagrat’s blind uncle, Theodosius, abdicated and was sent to Tao, while Bagrat was anointed as King of Western Georgia (‘King of Abkhazians/apkhazta mepe’). This was the first stone in the foundation of the future unified Kingdom of Georgia. As Bagrat was still very young (probably in his late teens), he was under the regency of his parents (Gurgen and Gurandukht), and didn’t begin to rule independently until 980. Although Bagrat was Bagrationi, evidence shows that he felt more like the heir to the great western Georgian kings rather than the Bagrationis of Tao and Klarjeti. Of course, it would now be pure speculation, but the main reason Bagrat likely more strongly identified with his maternal line was probably down to his mother, Gurandukht. As mentioned, Gurandukht was the daughter of western Georgian King George II. Readers will remember the ambitious plan of George and his ancestors to expand the rule of the western Georgian kings over the Georgian lands, and it seems that the young Bagrat intended to continue the policy of his maternal ancestors.

From 980–988, Bagrat was in a near constant battle to keep his power, and had to deal with numerous powerful and treacherous subjects. Indeed, the noble houses of Kartli were the most serious headache for the western Georgian king. Not long after Bagrat ascended to the throne of Kutaisi, the most powerful Kartlian houses of Tbeli, Dzameli, Pkhvneli, Pavneli and Korinteli united their forces under the leadership of Kavtar Tbeli and declared their independence from the western Georgian king, who was represented in Kartli by his mother, Gurandukht. Bagrat immediately gathered his army, invaded Kartli, and destroyed the rebellious lords near the village of Moghrisi in 980. For the next decade, young Bagrat III was occupied by internal struggles with his rebellious lords, but was eventually to emerge victorious.  

The young Bagrat, determined to achieve the goal that his maternal ancestors has been unable to achieve, became hostile towards his ‘father’. He did not like David’s influence and authority in any way, and realized that the main obstacle to his expansionist policies was David. And so, despite David’s strength, Bagrat decided to take his chances against him. 

Bagrat III of Georgia

It began when King Bagrat left Kutaisi for Kartli (Trialeti) in 988, allegedly to subjugate the House of Liparitid. By the end of the 10th century, the House of Liparitid had become one of the most influential members of the eastern Georgian nobility. As readers may remember, the head of this house, Liparit I, went to the mountains of Trialeti from western Georgia in the 880s. Over the next one hundred years, his descendants became wealthy and powerful aristocrats who controlled strategically and economically important routes. Bagrat claimed that the head of this house, Rati, was unhappy with Bagrat’s suzerainty, and thus he was gathering his army and heading towards Rati’s lands in Kvemo Kartli. But we wonder if Bagrat’s only, or main, goal was Rati’s subjugation. Evidently not, as Bagrat also sought to crush the power of his ‘beloved’ foster-father, the great David of Tao. 

David, quickly learned of Bagrat’s plans. The old king had every right to be angry at Bagrat’s ingratitude, as it was he who had given him the kingship and kingdom, and now his adopted son had turned against him. In his expedition, Bagrat was accompanied by his father, Gurgen. In an unexpected turn for Gurgen and Bagrat, Bagrat’s grandfather and Gurgen’s father, Bagrat II, went to David’s side. Fearing that his son, Gurgen, and grandson, young Bagrat III, might take the kingship from him, Old Bagrat II had decided to support David of Tao against them. 

Yet Bagrat had not chosen this moment to attack by chance: A large part of David’s army had gone to Asia Minor to help Bardas Phocas in his rebellion against Emperor Basil. What he didn’t count on was the Armenian kings, Smbat and Gagik, also coming to David’s aid. 

Bagrati Cathedral

David’s army camped in Javakheti, from where they moved against Gurgen’s forces. The face-off occurred in Shavsheti. Gurgen was badly defeated, and fled to the Tsepti Fortress. 

Bagrat, nervous now that the army of his foster-father had shown its power, sent scouts to spy on David’s forces. The scouts told him just what the young king had feared: David’s Armeno-Georgian army was too numerous for Gurgen and Bagrat to defeat. With this knowledge, Bagrat decided to sue for peace. From Trialeti, he went to David’s camp, alone. He told his foster-father that what happened was a regretful misunderstanding. His only purpose in Kartli was Rati’s subjugation, and he did not in fact have any ill intention towards David. Bagrat offered his respect and loyalty to his foster-father, and thanked him for everything he had done for him. We do not know how David reacted to Bagrat’s version of events, but we know he was too wise to believe his young foster-son’s sincerity. Yet, clearly not seeing any point in continuing the war, he accepted Bagrat’s apology and explanation, and peace was restored. Naturally, despite the truce, the relationship between David and Bagrat was never the same, and led to David rejecting Bagrat as his adopted son and heir. 

Despite the failure of his plans during Phocas’s rebellion in 987–989, David did not refrain from conquering other new lands. In the 990s, he led several expeditions to the neighbouring lands of the Muslim emirates. In 993, David captured Manzikert, and, in 997, he besieged the important Armenian city of Khlat, yet failed to take it. The Muslim emirs were not planning to calmly watch David’s triumphant march through their dominions, and in 998, Emir Mamlan I (988–1001) organized a great military expedition against David, gathering a huge coalition of Muslim rulers who were threatened and or had been harmed by David’s constant harassment. David summoned his own allies, Bagrat II Bagrationi and the Armenian kings, and the united Georgian and Armenian army faced the Muslim coalition on Armenian land, in a place known as Archeshi. David’s army annihilated the Muslim coalition and secured David’s control in the Caucasus.  

Despite his restless efforts to enlarge his lands, spread his political authority, and to subjugate his rebellious lords and Muslim and Christian neighbours, old King David of Tao was to fall victim to a political conspiracy. Members of the Tao nobility, deeply unhappy with David’s policies, decided to have him assassinated. The immediate executor of the murder was a certain Bishop Ilarion, and the method of execution can be described as abhorrent. According to Armenian historian Aristakes, the conspirators ‘mixed poison into the communion on Good Thursday, and gave it to him to drink, causing that venerable man to choke to death’.  

A different version is proposed by another Armenian historian, Matthew of Edessa: 

“Now it happened that after some years, [some conspirators] hatched a wicked plan to slay the blessed and righteous Prince Dawit’. [These were] his princes, who resembled Cain and other murderers. Joining their plot was the archbishop of the land of the Iberians/Georgians, Ilarion. This Ilarion crucified God a second time, for he mixed a deadly poison into the life-giving body and blood of Christ [in the communion chalice], thus turning the bringer of life into a bringer of death. Following his murderous liturgy, [Ilarion] placed a piece of the sacrament mixed with deadly poison into the mouth of the blessed prince, right there in the church, in the presence of God. Now the God-loving Prince Dawit’ was aware of this but uttered not a word. Rather, he took medicine to reduce the pain in his body. However, the impious Bishop Ilarion, further inflamed by his evil plan, entered the chamber where the pious Dawit’ was sleeping peacefully, took the pillow by his head, put it over Dawit’s mouth, forcefully hurled himself on [Dawit’] and wickedly smothered the pious Curopalate Dawit’. After a few years, Emperor Basil seized that wicked bishop Ilarion, tied a large rock about his neck, and threw him into the ocean, along with the other azats who were involved. So perished these accursed men, for Dawit’ the Curopalate had been called ‘father’ by Emperor Basil, and thus he killed them.”

Bagrati Cathedral Entrance

The tragic death of the old king in 1000 paved the way for King Bagrat to achieve his main goal: To spread his dominance over other Georgian kingdoms and principalities. And yet, there is no evidence that Bagrat was involved in David’s death. Bagrat enjoyed support from Emperor Basil, and, in 1001, after the death of David of Tao, the emperor organized a splendid feast in honour of the Georgian king. Basil gave Bagrat the title of Curopalate, as well as rich gifts. It is likely that the emperor also gave Bagrat some of David’s lands. This fact, and Bagrat’s other actions, raise doubts that Bagrat was acting in alliance with the empire, neither in general, nor against David in particular.  

At the beginning of the eleventh century, Bagrat was still young (probably close to 40). Until his death in 1014, he was engaged in a constant struggle for authority over the Georgian lands, a battle from which he emerged victorious. After the death of his father, Gurgen, as the rightful heir, Bagrat occupied the domains of Klarjeti, Shavsheti, Samtskhe, Javakheti, and northern Tao. Now, along with his original title (‘apkhazta mepe’), he received his paternal hereditary title – the King of the Georgians (‘kartvelta mepe’) and became the first king in Georgian history to bear both titles. After this, Bagrat invaded and conquered the Principality of Kakheti-Hereti (1010), albeit temporarily, since after Bagrat’s death Kakheti-Hereti became independent again. But until then, almost all the Georgian lands were under Bagrat’s rule. He fulfilled the dream of his maternal ancestors – the crown in Kutaisi controlled all of Georgia, except the Tiflis Emirate and the Armeno-Georgian Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget. The unification of the Georgian lands by Bagrat III Curopalate, under the dominance of the western Georgian crown, was the foundation of the future Caucasian Empire of Georgia and the Golden Age of the medieval Georgian Kingdom.