George II of Abkhazia
Encyclopedia
George II was King of the Abkhazians from 916 AD until 960 AD. His lengthy reign is regarded as a zenith of cultural flowering and political power of his realm.
A member of the purported Anchabadze
dynasty, he was born to Constantine II, whom he succeeded in 916. It took him, however, some time to assume full ruling powers as his half-brother Bagrat also claimed the crown,
George continued the expansionist policy of his predecessor aimed primarily at retaining the control of central Georgia
, namely eastern Georgian kingdom of Karli-Iberia
. To secure the allegiance of local nobility, he appointed his son Constantine a viceroy (eristavi
) of Kartli, but the latter engineered a coup against his father three years later (circa 920). George entered Kartli and placed the rock-hewn city of Uplistsikhe
(literally, the Fortress of Lord in Georgian
) under siege. He lured Constantine by treachery and had him blinded and castrated. George installed his another son, Leon (the future king Leon III), as an eristavi of Kartli and proceeded to campaign against the easternmost Georgian principality of Kakheti
whose ruler (chorepiscopus) Kwirike
also pretended on parts of Kartli. Kwirike was defeated and imprisoned, and released only after he had submitted to vassalage. To secure his supremacy over Kartli, George allied himself with the Georgian Bagratids
(Bagrationi) of Tao-Klarjeti
, and gave his daughter, Gurandukht, to Gurgen Bagrationi in marriage. Soon Kvirike returned to offensive and incited also the rebellion in Kartli. George sent a large army under his son, Leon, but the king died amid the expedition, and Leon had to make peace with Kvirike, ending his campaign inconclusively.
George was also known as a promoter of Orthodox Christianity
and a patron of Georgian Christian culture. He helped to establish Christianity as an official religion in Alania
, winning the thanks of Constantinople
. The contemporary Georgian annals knew him as a "builder of churches". Among others, he constructed a cathedral at Chkondidi (later known as Martvili
) in Samegrelo
(Mingrelia).
Anchabadze
Anchabadze , also known as Achba , is an Abkhaz-Georgian family, and the oldest surviving noble house originating in Abkhazia, Georgia.The Anchabadze family is supposed to have its roots in the early medieval ruling dynasty of Abasgia...
dynasty, he was born to Constantine II, whom he succeeded in 916. It took him, however, some time to assume full ruling powers as his half-brother Bagrat also claimed the crown,
George continued the expansionist policy of his predecessor aimed primarily at retaining the control of central Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, namely eastern Georgian kingdom of Karli-Iberia
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
. To secure the allegiance of local nobility, he appointed his son Constantine a viceroy (eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
) of Kartli, but the latter engineered a coup against his father three years later (circa 920). George entered Kartli and placed the rock-hewn city of Uplistsikhe
Uplistsikhe
Uplistsikhe is an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori, Shida Kartli.Built on a high rocky left bank of the Mtkvari River, it contains various structures dating from the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages, and is notable for the unique...
(literally, the Fortress of Lord in Georgian
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
) under siege. He lured Constantine by treachery and had him blinded and castrated. George installed his another son, Leon (the future king Leon III), as an eristavi of Kartli and proceeded to campaign against the easternmost Georgian principality of Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
whose ruler (chorepiscopus) Kwirike
Kvirike II of Kakheti
Kvirike II was a prince and chorepiscopus of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 929 to 976.He succeeded upon the death of his father, Padla II.-Long Reign:...
also pretended on parts of Kartli. Kwirike was defeated and imprisoned, and released only after he had submitted to vassalage. To secure his supremacy over Kartli, George allied himself with the Georgian Bagratids
Bagrationi Dynasty
The Bagrationi dynasty was the ruling family of Georgia. Their ascendency lasted from the early Middle Ages until the early 19th century. In modern usage, this royal line is frequently referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, a Hellenized form of their dynastic name.The origin of the Bagrationi...
(Bagrationi) of Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti is the term conventionally used in modern history writing to describe the historic south-western Georgian principalities, now forming part of north-eastern Turkey and divided among the provinces of Erzurum, Artvin, Ardahan and Kars...
, and gave his daughter, Gurandukht, to Gurgen Bagrationi in marriage. Soon Kvirike returned to offensive and incited also the rebellion in Kartli. George sent a large army under his son, Leon, but the king died amid the expedition, and Leon had to make peace with Kvirike, ending his campaign inconclusively.
George was also known as a promoter of Orthodox Christianity
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and a patron of Georgian Christian culture. He helped to establish Christianity as an official religion in Alania
Alania
Alania may refer to:*Alania, the medieval state of the Alans or Alani people in the North Caucasus*The short name of the modern North Ossetia-Alania, one of the Caucasian republics in the Russian Federation...
, winning the thanks of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. The contemporary Georgian annals knew him as a "builder of churches". Among others, he constructed a cathedral at Chkondidi (later known as Martvili
Martvili
Martvili is a small town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti province of Western Georgia. Its monastery was Samegrelo's clerical centre in the Middle Ages...
) in Samegrelo
Samegrelo
Samegrelo/Samargalo or Megrelia, Mingrelia is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly also known as Odishi.It is inhabited by the Megrelians, an ethnic subgroup of the Georgians.-Geography and Climate:...
(Mingrelia).
See also
- Abkhazian KingdomAbkhazian KingdomThe Kingdom of Abkhazia, also known as the Kingdom of the Abkhazes refers to an early medieval feudal state in the Caucasus which lasted from the 780s until being united, through dynastic succession, with the Kingdom of the Georgians in 1008.- Historiographical conundrum :Writing the kingdom’s...
- Divan of the Abkhazian KingsDivan of the Abkhazian KingsThe Divan of the Abkhazian Kings is a short medieval document composed in Georgian in the late 10th or early 11th century. It has come down to us in a 15th-century version. The text was first studied and published by the Georgian scholar Ekvtime Takaishvili...
- History of GeorgiaHistory of Georgia (country)The nation of Georgia was first unified as a kingdom under the Bagrationi dynasty in the 9th to 10th century, arising from a number of predecessor states of ancient Colchis and Iberia...