Spaspet
Encyclopedia
Spaspet was a feudal office in Georgia
that originated in ancient Iberia
. It is usually translated in English
as High Constable.
The institution of spaspet, like its rough equivalent sparapet
in neighboring Armenia
, was designed under the influence of the Sassanian Persian Eran Spahbod, but differed in that it was a non-hereditary rank and included not only military, but also civil functions.
According to the medieval Georgian chronicles, the rank of spaspet was introduced by the first king P’arnavaz in the 3rd century BC. At the same time, it served as ex officio duke
of Inner Iberia (Shida Kartli), around Mtskheta
and Uplis-Tsikhe. It seems that this office was in fact occupied by the member of the Iberian royal family or an especially high dignitary next in seniority to the king. Strabo
(63/4 BC-AD 24) attests that in the royal hierarchy of Iberia "the second in line administers justice and commands the army." It is also possible to equate these dignitaries with the Iberian viceroys (pitiakhsh) whose hereditary necropolis
was uncovered in Armazi
.
The office, in a variously modified manner, survived into medieval and early modern Georgia down to the Russian
annexation early in the 19th century.
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...
that originated in ancient Iberia
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
. It is usually translated in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as High Constable.
The institution of spaspet, like its rough equivalent sparapet
Sparapet
Sparapet was a hereditary military rank that originated in the 2nd century BC, under the reign of King Artashes I, and was used in the Kingdom of Armenia and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , was supreme commander of the armed forces. It was the equivalent of the Parthian Spahbod Sparapet was a...
in neighboring Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, was designed under the influence of the Sassanian Persian Eran Spahbod, but differed in that it was a non-hereditary rank and included not only military, but also civil functions.
According to the medieval Georgian chronicles, the rank of spaspet was introduced by the first king P’arnavaz in the 3rd century BC. At the same time, it served as ex officio duke
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 Inner Iberia (Shida Kartli), around Mtskheta
Mtskheta
Mtskheta , one of the oldest cities of the country of Georgia , is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Tbilisi at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. The city is now the administrative centre of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region...
and Uplis-Tsikhe. It seems that this office was in fact occupied by the member of the Iberian royal family or an especially high dignitary next in seniority to the king. Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
(63/4 BC-AD 24) attests that in the royal hierarchy of Iberia "the second in line administers justice and commands the army." It is also possible to equate these dignitaries with the Iberian viceroys (pitiakhsh) whose hereditary necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
was uncovered in Armazi
Armazi
Armazi was, according to the medieval Georgian chronicles, the supreme deity in a pre-Christian pantheon of ancient Georgians of Kartli ....
.
The office, in a variously modified manner, survived into medieval and early modern Georgia down to the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
annexation early in the 19th century.