Gurgen of Iberia

Gurgen
King of Kings of the Iberians
Reign	994-1008
Predecessor	Bagrat II of Iberia
Successor	Bagrat III of Georgia
Died	1008
Spouse	Gurandukht of Abkhazia
Issue	Bagrat III of Georgia
Dynasty	Bagrationi dynasty
Father	Bagrat II of Iberia
Religion	Georgian Orthodox Church

Gurgen (Georgian: გურგენი) also known as Gurgen Magistros, Gurgen II Magistros (also transliterated as Gourgen and in some sources Gurgan) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was King of Iberia-Kartli with the title of the King of Kings of the Georgians from 994 until his death in 1008. Magistros was a title bestowed upon him by the Byzantine Emperor Basil II.

Biography

Representative of the Kartli line of the Georgian Bagratids (Bagrationi) of Tao-Klarjeti, Gurgen was the son of Bagrat II, who reigned as King of the Georgians from 958 to 994. Gurgen was married to Gurandukht, a daughter of the Abkhazian king George II. She gave birth, in circa 960, to a son called Bagrat. The latter was adopted by his kinsman, the powerful prince David III Kuropalates of Tao/Tayk, as his heir. In 975, Bagrat, still in his teens, was installed by David as a ruler in Kartli under the regency of Gurgen. Three years later, Bagrat was crowned King of the Abkhazians, while Gurgen remained his co-ruler in the Kartlian lands and helped his son in an uncompromised struggle against the aristocratic opposition.

An inscription of "Gurgen, King of Kings" at the Ishkhani church dated to 1006.

In 989, Bagrat planned to inflict a final blow to the powerful noble Rati of Kldekari who held a large fiefdom in Trialeti. Gurgen, together with his army, was waiting for his son at the boundary of Shavsheti, when David of Tao, being misinformed that his kinsmen intended to ambush his possessions, dispersed Gurgen’s troops in a sudden attack, forcing him to flee to the fortress of Tsep’ti. In this brief conflict Gurgen’s father, Bagrat II, sided with David. The Bagratids subsequently reconciled, but David’s unsuccessful uprising against the Byzantine Empire and an ensuing treaty with Emperor Basil II destroyed a previous arrangement, by which David had made his adopted son, Bagrat (Gurgen’s son) his heir to his extensive principality.

In 994, Bagrat II died, and Gurgen succeeded him, crowning himself King of Kings of the Georgians. This kingdom comprised Hither Tao, Shavsheti, Meskheti, Javakheti, Ajaria and some minor lands in historic Tao-Klarjeti. Upon David of Tao’s death in 1000, Gurgen, and Bagrat met with Basil but, unable to prevent the annexation of David’s realm to the Byzantine Empire, were forced to recognize the new borders. On this occasion, Bagrat was bestowed with the Byzantine title of kuropalates, and Gurgen with that of magistros, actually the competing titles since the dignity conferred upon the son was more esteemed than that granted to the father. This was done by the emperor, as the Georgian chronicles relate, to turn Gurgen against Bagrat, but he seriously miscalculated. Later the same year, Gurgen attempted to take David Kuropalates’ succession by force, but the Byzantine commander Nikephoros Ouranos, dux of Antioch, made him retreat.

Legacy

Gurgen died in 1008, leaving his throne to his son, King Bagrat of Abkhazia, enabling the latter to become the first king of a unified Georgian realm.

Genealogy

Georgian monarchs family tree of Bagrationi dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti

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 Adarnase David I Prince of Iberia r.876–881 Ashot Nasra 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 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 II Ashot the Swift David d. 908 Gurgen I Sumbat 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 Sumbat III Grand Duke of Klarjeti r.993–1011 David III 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

Bibliography

• Rayfield, D. (2013) Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia, Reaktion Books, ISBN 9781780230702
• Rapp, S. H. Jr. (2016) The Sasanian World Through Georgian Eyes, Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature, Sam Houston State University, USA, Routledge, ISBN 9781472425522
• Settipani, C. (2006) Continuité des élites à Byzance durant les siècles obscurs. Les princes caucasiens et l'Empire du VIe au IXe siècle, Paris, ISBN 9782701802268

References

• Lordkipanidze, Mariam (1967), Georgia in the XI-XII centuries, Ganatleba, edited by George B. Hewitt. Also available online at [1]
• Rapp, SH (2003), Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts, Peeters Bvba ISBN 978-90-429-1318-9
• Suny, RG (1994), The Making of the Georgian Nation (2nd Edition), Bloomington and Indianapolis, ISBN 978-0-253-35579-9