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Ashot II of Tao

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Left half of a bas-relief from Opiza in Klarjeti, purportedly depicting Ashot II (now on display at the Art Museum of Georgia)

Ashot II (Georgian: აშოტ II) (died 25 January 954[1]) was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti with the Byzantine title of curopalates.

Ashot was the second son of Adarnase I, king of Iberia/Kartli and younger brother of David II (r. 923–937). David succeeded Adarnase as titular king of Iberia, but not as curopalates, this honorific being granted by the Byzantine emperor to Ashot. Ashot's original holding was the duchy of Lower Tao to which he added Upper Tao obtained following the death of his relative Gurgen II of Tao in 941. Ashot II also received from the emperor, c. 952, the Armenian canton of Phasiane.[2] By virtue of holding the title of curopalate, Ashot rivaled the influence and prestige of elder brother David II, King of Iberia.[3]

During Ashot's tenure, the Vita of Saint Grigol Khandzteli was composed by Giorgi Merchule. Ashot actively supported the development of monasticism in Tao-Klarjeti and rebuilt the main church of the monastery at Opiza. Ashot died without heir and his lands and titles passed to his brother King Sumbat I.[2] 954, the year of Ashot's death reported by the medieval chronicler Sumbat was confirmed by a Georgian inscription found at the historical village of Merenesi in what is now the Şenkaya district in Turkey in 2017.[1]

According to the art historian W. Djobadze, the bas-relief from Opiza which was brought to Georgia at the end of World War I and which is now on display at the State Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi, does not render Ashot I Kuropalates (died 830) and the Biblical King David as it has been sometimes assumed, but the 10th century re-builders of the monastery, Ashot II and David II.

Genealogy

Georgian monarchs family tree of Bagrationi dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti[4][5]
Ancient
MONARCHS
of Iberia
Adarnase I
founder of the dynasty;
Prince of Tao
r. ~780 (775/786)
d. 807
daughter of
Nerse
Ashot I
Prince of Iberia
r.813–826
Latavri
Princess of Iberia
Adarnase II
co-ruler
r.830–867
Bagrat I
Prince of Iberia
r.826–876
Guaram Mampali
co-ruler
r.830–881
Gurgen I
Grand Duke of Tao
r.881–891
Ashot the Beautiful
d. 867
Sumbat I
Grand Duke of Klarjeti
r.870–889
AdarnaseDavid I
Prince of Iberia
r.876–881
AshotNasra
Grand Duke of Samtskhe,
Shavsheti and Artaani
r.881–888
Ashot the Immature
Grand Duke of Tao
r.908–918
Adarnase III
Grand Duke of Tao
r.891–896
Bagrat I
Grand Duke of Klarjeti
r.889–900
David I
Grand Duke of Klarjeti
r.889–943
Adarnase IV[a]
Prince of Iberia
r.881–888

King of the Iberians
r.888–923
David
Grand Duke of Tao
r.896–908
Gurgen
Grand Duke of Tao
r.918–941
Dinar
Queen of Hereti
Adarnase IIAshot the SwiftDavid
d. 908
Gurgen ISumbat II
Grand Duke of Klarjeti
r.961–966
David II
King of the Iberians
r.923–937
Bagrat I
Grand Duke of Tao
r.941–945
Sumbat I
King of the Iberians
r.954–958
Ashot II
Grand Duke of Tao
r.937–954
Bagrat
d. 922
Gurgen
d. 968
David II
Grand Duke of Klarjeti
r.988–993
Bagrat II
d. 988
Adarnase V
Grand Duke of Tao
r. 945–961
Adarnase IV
d. 983
Bagrat II
King of the Iberians
r.958–994
Gurgen[c]Sumbat III[c]
Grand Duke of Klarjeti
r.993–1011
David III[b]
Grand Duke of Tao
r. 966–1001
Bagrat II
Grand Duke of Tao
r. 961–966
Gurgen
King of the Iberians
r.994–1008
Demetrius
d. 1028
Bagrat III of Klarjeti
King of Klarjeti
r.1027–1028
Bagrat III
King of Georgia
r.1008–1014
BAGRATIONI
of united Georgia

Notes

  1. ^
    Adarnase IV restored Georgian kingship in 888[6] as the Kingdom of the Iberians and this would go on to dominate the political life of Georgia for a thousand years.[7]
  2. ^
    David III, being childless, took advice from the Georgian aristocracy and adopted his kin, prince Bagrat in 975.[8] This will lead and pave the way for the unification of Georgia.[9]
  3. ^
    King Bagrat III, the first monarch of unified Georgia was ruthless in his state administration. While visiting Castle of Panaskerti in Tao, king summoned his two cousins, Sumbat III and Gurgen. They were arrested and executed. Sumbat’s son Bagrat, and Gurgen’s son Demetrius, escaped to the Byzantine Empire. The Bagrationi line of Tao was already extinct since 941;[10] now with purging his own cousins the line of Klarjeti was also gone and no rival could ever claim the Georgian throne.[11]

References

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Tsikarishvili, Levan; Gozalishvili, Bebur; Koguashvili, Shalva; Imedashvili, Ana (2017). "აშოტ II კურაპალატის თაობაზე წარწერა ტაოში აღმოაჩინეს" [An inscription about Ashot II Curopalates is found in Tao]. Istoriani. 83.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Toumanoff, Cyril (1967). Studies in Christian Caucasian History, pp. 493-493. Georgetown University Press.
  3. ^ Tavadze, Leri (2012). "კურაპალატის ტიტული ტაო-კლარჯეთის ბაგრატიონთა სამეფო სახლში" [Title of kouropalates in Tao-Klarjeti Bagrationi royal house] (PDF). Proceedings of the Institute of Georgian History (English summary) (in Georgian). Special: To the Splendid Hermitage Places of Klarjeti. Tbilisi: Meridian Publishers: 87–89. ISSN 1987-9970.
  4. ^ Settipani, p. 540
  5. ^ Rayfield (2013) location: 9218
  6. ^ Rayfield (2013) location: 1337
  7. ^ Rapp (2016) location: 5454
  8. ^ Rayfield (2013) location: 1379
  9. ^ Rayfield (2013) location: 1338-1384
  10. ^ Rayfield (2013) location: 1323
  11. ^ Rayfield (2013) location: 1502

Bibliography

References