View source for Tamar I

{{Short description|Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213}}
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{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Tamar the Great<br/>{{Nobold|{{Lang|ka|თამარ მეფე}}}}
| image        = Betania Monastery, Tamar.jpg
| caption      = An early 13th-century fresco of Queen Tamar from [[Betania Monastery]]
| succession   = [[List of monarchs of Georgia|Queen of Georgia]]
| moretext     = ([[Style of the Georgian sovereign|more...]])
| reign        = 27 March 1184 – 18 January 1213<ref name="dod">{{cite book|last1=Pennington|first1=Reina|last2=Higham|first2=Robin D.S.|title=Amazons to Fighter Pilots: A Biographical Dictionary of Military Women|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=acbeAAAAMAAJ|access-date=17 January 2018|volume=2|year=2003|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0-313-32708-4|page=428}}</ref>
| coronation   = 1178 as co-regent <br />1184 as sole queen<br />[[Gelati Monastery]]
| predecessor  = [[George III of Georgia|George III]]
| successor    = [[George IV of Georgia|George IV]]
| spouse       = [[Yuri Bogolyubsky]] (1185–1187)<br />[[David Soslan]] (1191–1207)
| issue        = [[George IV of Georgia]]<br />[[Rusudan of Georgia]]
| house        = [[Bagrationi dynasty]]
| house-type   = Dynasty
| father       = [[George III of Georgia]]
| mother       = [[Burdukhan of Alania]]
| birth_date   = {{circa}} 1160
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = 18 January 1213<br />(aged 52–53)
| death_place  = [[Agarani Fortress|Agarani Castle]]
| religion     = [[Georgian Orthodox Church|Georgian Orthodox]] <br />[[File:Monogram of Tamar of Georgia black.svg|50px]] <br /> Royal [[monogram]]
| signature    = Tamar I khelrtva.svg
| signature_type = [[Khelrtva]]|
}}
'''Tamar the Great''' ({{lang-ka|თამარ მეფე|tr}} {{IPA|ka|ˈt̪ʰämäɾ ˈme̞pʰe̞|}}, {{lit|King Tamar}}; {{circa}} 1160&nbsp;– 18 January 1213) [[queen regnant|reigned]] as the [[List of monarchs of Georgia#Kings of unified Georgia (1008–1490)|Queen]] of [[Kingdom of Georgia|Georgia]] from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the [[Georgian Golden Age]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rapp|2003|p=338}}.</ref> A member of the [[Bagrationi dynasty]], her position as the first woman to rule Georgia in her own right was emphasized by the title ''[[mepe]]'' ("[[King]]"), afforded to Tamar in the medieval Georgian sources.<ref name="Eastmond-109" />

Tamar was proclaimed heir and [[Coregency|co-ruler]] by her reigning father [[George III of Georgia|George III]] in 1178, but she faced significant opposition from the aristocracy upon her ascension to full ruling powers after George's death. Tamar was successful in neutralizing this opposition and embarked on an energetic foreign policy aided by the decline of the hostile [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuk Turks]]. Relying on a powerful [[military elite]], Tamar was able to build on the successes of her predecessors to consolidate an empire which dominated the [[Caucasus]] until its collapse under the [[Mongol Empire|Mongol]] attacks within two decades after Tamar's death.<ref name="Eastmond-94">{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=94}}.</ref>

Tamar was married twice, her first union being, from 1185 to 1187, to [[Yury Bogolyubsky]] of the [[Vladimir-Suzdal|Grand Principality of Vladimir]], whom she divorced and expelled from the country, defeating his subsequent coup attempts. For her second husband Tamar chose, in 1191, the [[Alania|Alan]] prince [[David Soslan]], by whom she had two children, [[George IV of Georgia|George]] and [[Rusudan of Georgia|Rusudan]], the two successive monarchs on the throne of Georgia.<ref name="CMH-623">{{harvnb|Toumanoff|1966|loc="Armenia and Georgia", p. 623}}.</ref><ref name="Allen-104">{{harvnb|Allen|1971|p=104}}.</ref>

Tamar's reign is associated with a period of marked political and military successes and cultural achievements. This, combined with her role as a female ruler, has contributed to her status as an idealized and romanticized figure in [[Georgian art]]s and historical memory. She remains an important symbol in [[Culture of Georgia (country)|Georgian popular culture]].

== Early life and ascent to the throne ==
Tamar was born in circa 1160 to [[George III of Georgia|George III]], [[List of monarchs of Georgia|King of Georgia]], and his consort [[Burdukhan of Alania|Burdukhan]], a daughter of the king of [[Alania]]. While it is possible that Tamar had a younger sister, [[Rusudan (daughter of George III of Georgia)|Rusudan]], she is only mentioned once in all contemporary accounts of Tamar's reign.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=108 (Footnote #49)}}.</ref> The [[Tamar (given name)|name Tamar]] is of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] origin and, like other [[Bible|biblical]] names, was favored by the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty because of [[Origin of the Bagratid dynasties|their claim to be descended from David]], the second king of [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|Israel]].<ref>{{harvnb|Toumanoff|1940|p=299 (Footnote #4)}}.</ref>

Tamar's youth coincided with a major upheaval in Georgia; in 1177, her father, George III, was confronted by a rebellious faction of nobles. The rebels intended to dethrone George in favor of the king's fraternal nephew, [[Demna of Georgia|Demna]], who was considered by many to be a legitimate royal heir of his murdered father, [[David V]]. Demna's cause was little but a pretext for the nobles, led by the pretender's father-in-law, the ''[[amirspasalar]]'' ("high constable") [[Ivane II Orbeli]], to weaken the crown.<ref>{{harvnb|Khazanov|Wink|2001|pp=48–49}}.</ref> George III was able to crush the revolt and embarked on a crackdown campaign on the defiant aristocratic clans; Ivane Orbeli was put to death and the surviving members of his family were driven out of Georgia. Demna, castrated and blinded on his uncle's order, did not survive the mutilation and soon died in prison.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|pp=106–107}}.</ref> Once the rebellion was suppressed and the pretender eliminated, George went ahead to co-opt Tamar into government with him and crowned her as co-ruler in 1178. By doing so, the king attempted to preempt any dispute after his death and legitimize his line on the throne of Georgia.<ref name="Eastmond-108">{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=108}}.</ref> At the same time, he raised men from the [[Kipchaks]] as well as from the gentry and unranked classes to keep the dynastic aristocracy away from the center of power.<ref name="Khazanov-49">{{harvnb|Khazanov|Wink|2001|p=49}}.</ref>

== Early reign ==
[[File:King George III and his daughter, Queen Tamar.jpg |thumb|left|Tamar (left) and George III (right). The earliest surviving portrait of Tamar from the church of the [[Dormition of the Theotokos|Dormition]] at Vardzia, c. 1184–1186.]]

For six years, Tamar was a co-ruler with her father upon whose death, in 1184, Tamar continued as the sole monarch and was crowned a second time at the [[Gelati Monastery|Gelati cathedral]] near [[Kutaisi]], western Georgia. She inherited a relatively strong kingdom, but the centrifugal tendencies fostered by the great nobles were far from being quelled. There was considerable opposition to Tamar's succession; this was sparked by a reaction against the repressive policies of her father and encouraged by the new sovereign's other perceived weakness, her sex.<ref name="Eastmond-108" /> As Georgia had never previously had a female ruler, a part of the aristocracy questioned Tamar's legitimacy, while others tried to exploit her youth and supposed weakness to assert greater autonomy for themselves.<ref name="Eastmond-108" /> The energetic involvement of Tamar's influential aunt [[Rusudan (daughter of Demetrius I of Georgia)|Rusudan]] and the [[Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia|Catholicos-Patriarch]] [[Michael IV of Georgia|Michael IV]] was crucial for legitimizing Tamar's succession to the throne.<ref>{{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|p=135}}.</ref> However, the young queen was forced into making significant concessions to the aristocracy. She had to reward the Catholicos-Patriarch Michael's support by making him a [[chancellor]], thus placing him at the top of both the clerical and secular hierarchies.<ref name="Suny-39">{{harvnb|Suny|1994|p=39}}.</ref>

Tamar was also pressured into dismissing her father's appointees, among them the constable Kubasar, a [[Kipchaks in Georgia|Georgian Kipchak]] of ignoble birth, who had helped George III in his crackdown on the defiant nobility.<ref name="Khazanov-49" /> One of the few untitled servitors of George III to escape this fate was the [[treasurer]] [[Qutlu Arslan]] who now led a group of nobles and wealthy citizens in a struggle to limit the royal authority by creating a new council, ''karavi'', whose members would alone deliberate and decide policy.<ref name="Suny-39" /> This attempt at "feudal [[constitutionalism]]" was rendered abortive when Tamar had Qutlu Arslan arrested and his supporters were inveigled into submission.<ref name="Khazanov-49" /> Yet, Tamar's first moves to reduce the power of the aristocratic élite were unsuccessful. She failed in her attempt to use a church [[synod]] to dismiss the Catholicos-Patriarch [[Michael IV of Georgia|Michael]], and the noble council, [[Darbazi (State Council)|Darbazi]], asserted the right to approve royal decrees.<ref name="Suny-39" />

=== Marriages ===
[[File:Georgian empire with tributaries.png|thumbnail|221x221px|right|The Kingdom of Georgia at its greatest extent, with its tributaries and spheres of influence in the reign of Tamar.]]
Queen Tamar's marriage was a question of state importance. Pursuant to dynastic imperatives and the ethos of the time, the nobles required Tamar to marry in order to have a leader for the army and to provide an heir to the throne.<ref name="Eastmond-94" /><ref name="Khazanov-49" /> Every group strove to select and secure the acceptance of its candidate in order to strengthen its position and influence at court. Two main factions fought for the influence in Tamar's court: the clans of [[Zakarid dynasty|Mkhargrdzeli]] and [[Abulasan]]. The faction of the Abulasan won, the choice was approved by Tamar's aunt Rusudan and the council of feudal lords.<ref name="Suny-39" /> Their choice fell on [[Yury Bogolyubsky|Yury]], son of the murdered prince [[Andrey Bogolyubsky]] of [[Vladimir-Suzdal]], who later lived as a refugee among the [[Kipchaks]] of the [[North Caucasus]]. They called an influential person in the kingdom, the great merchant [[Zankan Zorababeli]]. He was given the mission of bringing the bridegroom to Tbilisi. He fulfilled his mission with zeal, and the prince was brought to Georgia to marry the queen in 1185.<ref>{{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|p=141}}.</ref>

The young man – valiant, perfect of body and pleasant to behold – Yuri proved to be an able soldier, but a difficult person and he soon ran afoul of his wife.<ref name="Eastmond-94" /><ref name="Khazanov-49" /> The strained spousal relations paralleled a factional struggle at the royal court in which Tamar was becoming more and more assertive of her rights as a queen regnant.<ref name="Lordkipanidze-142">{{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|p=142}}.</ref> The turning point in Tamar's fortunes came with the death of the powerful Catholicos-Patriarch Michael whom the queen replaced, as a chancellor, with her supporter, [[Anton Gnolistavisdze]].<ref name="Lordkipanidze-142" /> Tamar gradually expanded her own power-base and elevated her loyal nobles to high positions at the court, most notably the [[Zakarid dynasty|Mkhargrdzeli]].<ref name="Suny-39" />

[[File:Kintsvisi, fresco of Tamara.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Tamar as depicted on a 13th-century mural from the [[Kintsvisi Monastery|Kintsvisi monastery]].]]
In 1187, Tamar persuaded the noble council to approve her divorce from Yury, who was accused of  drunkenness and "[[sodomy]]" and was sent off to [[Constantinople]].<ref name="Lordkipanidze-142" /> Assisted by several Georgian aristocrats anxious to check Tamar's growing power, Yuri made two coup attempts, but failed and went off to obscurity after 1191.<ref name="Khazanov-49" /> The queen chose her second husband herself. He was [[David Soslan]], an [[Alania|Alan]] prince, to whom the 18th-century Georgian scholar [[Vakhushti of Kartli]] ascribes descent from the early 11th-century Georgian king [[George I of Georgia|George I]].<ref>{{harvnb|Alemany|2000|p=321}}.</ref> David, a capable military commander, became Tamar's major supporter and was instrumental in defeating the rebellious nobles who rallied behind Yury.<ref name="Lordkipanidze-143">{{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|p=143}}.</ref>

Tamar and David had two children. In 1192 or 1194, the queen gave birth to a son, George-Lasha, the future king [[George IV of Georgia|George IV]]. The daughter, [[Rusudan of Georgia|Rusudan]], was born {{circa}} 1195 and would succeed her brother as a sovereign of Georgia.<ref name="{{harvnb|eastmond|1997|pp=111–112}}.">{{harvnb|Eastmond|1997|pp=111–112}}.</ref>

David Soslan's status of a [[king consort]], as well as his presence in art, on charters, and on coins, was dictated by the necessity of male aspects of kingship, but he remained a subordinate ruler who shared the throne with and derived his power from Tamar.<ref name="Lordkipanidze-143" /><ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|pp=135–137}}.</ref> Tamar continued to be styled as ''mepeta mepe''&nbsp;– "[[King of Kings|king of kings]]". In Georgian, a language with no [[grammatical gender]]s, ''mepe'' ("monarch, king, queen") does not necessarily imply a masculine connotation and can be rendered as a "sovereign".<ref name="Eastmond-109">{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=109}}.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Rapp|2003|p=263}}.</ref> The female equivalent of ''mepe'' is ''dedopali'' ("queen"), which was applied to wives or other senior female relatives of kings. Tamar is occasionally called ''dedopali'' and ''dedopalta dedopali'' in the Georgian chronicles and on some charters. Thus, the title of ''mepe'' might have been applied to Tamar to mark out her unique position among women.<ref name="Eastmond-109" />

== Foreign policy and military campaigns ==
=== Muslim neighbors ===
{{main|Eldiguzids#Campaigns against Georgia}}
{{Location map+|Caucasus mountains|width=400px|float=right|thumb|caption='''Approximate dates of Georgian control.''' Mouseover for name.
<br />'''Blue circle'''=Capital <br />'''Black dot'''=Georgian held cities and fortresses<br />'''Red dot'''=Conquered cities and fortresses<br />'''X'''=Major battles
|places=
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=41.71|long=44.82|label=[[Tbilisi]]|position=right|mark=Blue-circle-concentric.png}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=42.26|long=42.71|label=[[Kutaisi]]|position=right|mark=Location dot black.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=43.00|long=41.02|label=[[Tskhumi]]|position=right|mark=Location dot black.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=41.38|long=43.28|label=[[Vardzia]]|position=right|mark=Location dot black.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=40.99|long=47.87|label=[[Qabala|Kabala]]|position=right|mark=Location dot black.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=40.96|long=44.49|label=[[Lori Fortress|Lore]]|position=right|mark=Location dot black.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=40.82|long=46.01|label=[[Battle of Shamkor|1195]]|position=right|mark=X solid black 17.gif}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=40.38|long=44.22|label=[[Amberd|1196]]|position=top|mark=Location dot red.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=40.38|long=43.34|label=[[Ani|1199]]--|position=left|mark=Location dot red.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=40.46|long=44.65|label=[[Bjni Fortress|1201]]|position=right|mark=Location dot red.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=39.97|long=41.66|label=[[Battle of Basian|1203]]|position=right|mark=X solid black 17.gif}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=41.00|long=39.71|label=[[Georgian expedition to Chaldia|1204]]|position=right|mark=X solid black 17.gif}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=40.01|long=44.58|label=[[Dvin (ancient city)|1203]]|position=right|mark=Location dot red.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=40.60|long=43.09|label=[[Kars|1206]]|position=top|mark=Location dot red.svg}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=38.9|long=42.48|label=[[Georgian-Ayyubid wars|1208]]|position=right|mark=X solid black 17.gif}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=38.50|long=48.30|label=[[Georgian expedition to Iran|1209/10]]|position=right|mark=X solid black 17.gif}}
{{Location map~|Caucasus mountains|lat=42.48|long=44.92|label=[[Rebellion in Pkhovi and Didoya|1212]]|position=right|mark=X solid black 17.gif}}
}}
Once Tamar succeeded in consolidating her power and found a reliable support in David Soslan, the [[Zakarid dynasty|Mkhargrdzeli]], [[House of Toreli|Toreli]], and other noble families, she revived the expansionist foreign policy of her predecessors. Repeated occasions of dynastic strife in Georgia combined with the efforts of regional successors of the [[Seljuk Empire]] such as the [[Eldiguzids]], [[Shirvanshahs]], and [[Shah-Armens]], had slowed down the dynamic of conquest the Georgians had achieved during the reigns of Tamar's great-grandfather, [[David IV]], and her father, George III. However, the Georgians became again active under Tamar, more prominently in the second decade of her rule. Early in the 1190s, the Georgian government began to interfere in the affairs of the Eldiguzids and of the Shirvanshahs, aiding rivaling local princes and reducing [[Shirvan]] to a tributary state. The Eldiguzid atabeg [[Nusrat al-Din Abu Bakr|Abu Bakr]] attempted to stem the Georgian advance, but suffered a defeat at the hands of David Soslan at the [[Battle of Shamkor]]<ref name="Suny-39" /> and lost his capital to a Georgian protégé in 1195. Although Abu Bakr was able to resume his reign a year later, the Eldiguzids were only barely able to contain further Georgian forays.<ref>Luther, Kenneth Allin. "[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/atabakan-e-adarbayjan Atābākan-e Adārbāyĵān]", in: ''[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]'' (Online edition). Retrieved on 2006-06-26.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|p=148}}.</ref>

The question of the liberation of Armenia remained of prime importance in Georgia's foreign policy. Tamar's armies led by two Armenian generals, [[Zakare II Zakarian|Zakare]] and [[Ivane I Zakarian|Ivane]] Mkhargrdzeli (Zakarian), overran fortresses and cities towards the [[Ararat Plain]], reclaiming one after another fortresses and districts from local Muslim rulers.<ref>https://phersu-atlas.com/chronology/polity4320.html</ref>

Alarmed by the Georgian successes, [[Suleiman II of Rum|Suleiman II]], the resurgent Seljukid [[Sultanate of Rum|Sultan of Rum]], rallied his vassal [[emir]]s and marched against Georgia, but his camp was attacked and destroyed by David Soslan at the [[Battle of Basiani|Battle of Basian]] in 1202, 1203 or 1204. The chronicler of Tamar describes how the army was assembled at the rock-hewn town of [[Vardzia]] before marching on to Basian and how the queen addressed the troops from the balcony of the church.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=121}}; {{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|pp=150–151}}.</ref> Exploiting her success in this battle, between 1203 and 1205 Georgians seized the town of [[Dvin (ancient city)|Dvin]]<ref>{{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|p=150}}.</ref> and entered Shah-Armens possessions twice and subdued the emir of [[Kars]] (vassal of the [[Saltukids]] in Erzurum), the Shah-Armens, and the emirs of Erzurum and [[House of Mengüjek|Erzincan]].

[[File:Georgian invasion of northern Iran.png|thumb|[[Eldiguzid campaign of Tamar of Georgia]] in 1208 and 1210–1211 years.|alt=]]
In 1206, the Georgian army, under the command of [[David Soslan]], [[Siege of Kars (1206–1207)|captured]] [[Kars]] and other fortresses and strongholds along the [[Aras (river)|Araxes]]. This campaign was evidently started because the ruler of Erzerum refused to submit to Georgia. The emir of Kars requested aid from the Shah-Armens, but the latter was unable to respond, it was soon taken over by the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid Sultanate]] in 1207. By 1209 Georgia challenged Ayyubid rule in [[Eastern Anatolia region|eastern Anatolia]] and led a liberation war for south Armenia. The Georgian army besieged [[Ahlat|Khlat]]. In response Ayyubid [[Sultan]] [[al-Adil I]] assembled and personally led a large Muslim army that included the ''[[emir]]s'' of [[Homs]], [[Hama]], and [[Baalbek]] as well as contingents from other Ayyubid principalities to support [[Al-Awhad Ayyub|al-Awhad]], emir of [[Upper Mesopotamia|Jazira]]. During the siege, Georgian general Ivane Mkhargrdzeli accidentally fell into the hands of the al-Awhad on the outskirts of Ahlat. Using Ivane as a bargaining chip, al-Awhad agreed to release him in return for a [[Thirty Years' Truce|thirty year truce]] with Georgia, thus ending the immediate Georgian threat to the Ayyubids.<ref>Humphreys, 1977 p. 131.</ref> This brought the struggle for the Armenian lands to a stall,<ref name="Lordkipanidze-154">{{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|p=154}}.</ref> leaving the [[Lake Van]] region to the Ayyubids of [[Damascus]].<ref>{{harvnb|Humphreys|1977|pp=130–131}}.</ref>

In 1209, starting the [[Georgian campaign against the Eldiguzids]], the brothers Mkhargrzeli laid waste to [[Ardabil]] – according to the Georgian and Armenian annals – as a revenge for the local Muslim ruler's attack on Ani and his massacre of the city's Christian population.<ref name="Lordkipanidze-154" /> In a great final burst, the brothers led an army marshaled throughout Tamar's possessions and vassal territories in a march, through [[Nakhchivan (city)|Nakhchivan]] and [[Julfa, Azerbaijan (city)|Julfa]], to [[Marand]], [[Tabriz]], and [[Qazvin]] in northwest [[Iran]], pillaging several settlements on their way.<ref name="Lordkipanidze-154" />

=== Trebizond and the Middle East ===
{{main|Byzantine–Georgian wars#Georgian expedition to Chaldia and the founding of the Trebizond Empire}}
[[File:Iviron Aug2006.jpg|thumb|The [[Iviron monastery]] on Mount Athos, a major center of Christian culture favored by the Georgian crown.]]Among the remarkable events of Tamar's reign was the foundation of the [[Empire of Trebizond]] on the [[Black Sea]] coast in 1204. This state was established by [[Alexios I of Trebizond|Alexios I Megas Komnenos]] ({{Reign|1204|1222}}) and his brother, [[David I of Trebizond|David]], in the northeastern [[Pontus (region)|Pontic]] provinces of the crumbling [[Byzantine Empire]] with the aid of Georgian troops. Alexios and David, Tamar's nephews,<ref>Tamar's paternal aunt was the [[Komnenos|Komnenoi]]'s grandmother on their father's side, as it has been conjectured by {{harvnb|Toumanoff|1940}}.</ref> were fugitive Byzantine princes raised at the Georgian court. According to Tamar's historian, the aim of the Georgian expedition to Trebizond was to punish the [[List of Byzantine emperors|Byzantine emperor]] [[Alexios IV Angelos]] ({{Reign|1203|1204}}) for his confiscation of a shipment of money from the Georgian queen to the monasteries of [[Antioch]] and [[Mount Athos]]. However, Tamar's Pontic endeavor can better be explained by her desire to take advantage of the [[Western Europe]]an [[Fourth Crusade]] against Constantinople to set up a friendly state in Georgia's immediate southwestern neighborhood, as well as by the dynastic solidarity to the dispossessed [[Komnenos|Komnenoi]].<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|pp=153–154}}; {{harvnb|Vasiliev|1935|pp=15–19}}.</ref> Tamar sought to make use of the weakness of the Byzantine Empire and the Crusaders' defeat at the hands of the Ayyubid [[Sultan of Egypt|sultan]] [[Saladin]] in order to gain Georgia's position on the international stage and to assume the traditional role of the Byzantine crown as a protector of the Christians of the [[Middle East]].<ref name="Pahlitzsch-38-39">{{harvnb|Pahlitzsch|1996|pp=38–39}}.</ref><ref name="Eastmond-96">{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=96}}.</ref>  Christian Georgian missionaries were active in the [[North Caucasus]] and the expatriate monastic communities were scattered throughout the Eastern [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]]. Tamar's chronicle praises her universal protection of Christianity and her support of churches and monasteries from [[Egypt]] to [[Bulgaria]] and [[Cyprus]].<ref name="Eastmond-122-123">{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|pp=122–123}}.</ref>[[File:MinzarHamatzleva ST 04.jpg|thumb|The [[Monastery of the Cross]] in Jerusalem was formerly populated by the Georgian monks and patronized by Queen Tamar.]]The Georgian court was primarily concerned with the protection of the Georgian monastic centers in the [[Holy Land]]. By the 12th century, eight Georgian monasteries were listed in [[Jerusalem]].<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=122}}.</ref> Saladin's biographer, [[Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad]], reports that after the Ayyubid conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, Tamar sent envoys to the sultan to request that the confiscated possessions of the Georgian monasteries in Jerusalem be returned. Saladin's response is not recorded, but the queen's efforts seem to have been successful: [[James of Vitry]], who attained to the [[Latin Catholic Diocese of Acre|bishopric of Acre]] shortly after Tamar's death, gives further evidence of the Georgians' presence in Jerusalem. He writes that the Georgians were – in contrast to the other Christian pilgrims – allowed a free passage into the city, with their banners unfurled. Ibn Shaddad furthermore claims that Tamar outbid the Byzantine emperor in her efforts to obtain the relics of the [[True Cross]], offering 200,000 gold pieces to Saladin who had taken the relics as booty at the [[Battle of Hattin]] – to no avail, however.<ref name="Pahlitzsch-38-39" /><ref name="Eastmond-122-123" />

== Golden age ==

=== Feudal monarchy ===
[[File:Tamar's fresco at Betania.jpg|thumb|left|150px|A fragment of the early 13th-century fresco of Queen Tamar from Betania.]]
Georgia's political and cultural exploits of Tamar's epoch were rooted in a long and complex past. Tamar owed her accomplishments most immediately to the reforms of her great-grandfather David IV ({{Reign|1089|1125}}) and, more remotely, to the unifying efforts of [[David III of Tao|David III]] and [[Bagrat III of Georgia|Bagrat III]] who became architects of a political unity of Georgian kingdoms and principalities in the opening decade of the 11th century. Tamar was able to build upon their successes.<ref>{{harvnb|Rapp|2003|p=413}}.</ref> By the last years of Tamar's reign, the Georgian state had reached the zenith of its power and prestige in the [[Middle Ages]]. Tamar's realm stretched from the [[Greater Caucasus]] crest in the north to [[Erzurum]] in the south, and from the [[Zygii]] in the northwest to the vicinity of [[Ganja, Azerbaijan|Ganja]] in the southeast, forming a pan-Caucasian empire, with the loyal [[Zachariads|Zachariad]] regime in northern and central Armenia, Shirvan as a vassal and Trebizond as an ally. A contemporary Georgian historian extols Tamar as the master of the lands "from the Sea of Pontus [i.e., the [[Black Sea]]] to the Sea of [[Gorgan|Gurgan]] [i.e., the [[Caspian Sea]]], from [[Speri (region)|Speri]] to [[Derbend]], and all the Hither and the Thither Caucasus up to [[Khazars|Khazaria]] and [[Scythia]]."<ref>{{in lang|ka}} Shengelia, N., [http://www.nplg.gov.ge/ic/DGL/work/SIN/sin%203+/nawili%201/5/2.htm#_ftnref75 საქართველოს საგარეო პოლიტიკური ურთიერთობანი თამარის მეფობაში] ("Foreign Relations of Georgia during the reign of Tamar"), in Melikishvili (1979).</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Salia|1983|pp=177–190}}.</ref>

The royal title was correspondingly aggrandized. It now reflected not only Tamar's sway over the traditional subdivisions of the Georgian realm, but also included new components, emphasizing the Georgian crown's hegemony over the neighboring lands. Thus, on the coins and charters issued in her name, Tamar is identified as:<ref>{{harvnb|Rapp|2003|p=422}}; {{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=135}}; {{harvnb|Lordkipanidze|Hewitt|1987|p=157}}.</ref>
{{Quote frame|By the will of God, King of Kings and Queen of Queens of the [[Kingdom of Abkhazia|Abkhazians]],{{efn|In the Middle Ages, the terms "Abkhazia" and "Abkhazians" were predominantly used in a wider sense, covering, for all practical purposes, the whole of western Georgia. It was not until the 15th/16th century, after the fragmentation of the unified Georgian kingdom, that these terms resumed their original, restricted sense, referring to the territory that corresponds to modern-day [[Abkhazia]] and to the [[Abkhaz people|ethnic group]] living there. [[Vasily Bartold|Barthold, Wasil]] & [[Vladimir Minorsky|Minorsky, Vladimir]], "Abkhaz", in ''[[The Encyclopaedia of Islam]]'', Vol. 1, 1960.}} [[Kartli|Kartvelians]],{{efn|name=Ethnonym|"Kartvelians", the modern self-designation of the Georgians, originally referred to the inhabitants of the core central Georgian province of [[Kartli]] (''[[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Iberia]]'' in [[Ancient Greek literature|Classical]] and [[Byzantine literature|Byzantine Greek sources]]). By the early 9th century, the Georgian literati had expanded the meaning of "Kartli" to other areas of medieval Georgia held together by religion, culture, and language ({{harvnb|Rapp|2003|pp=429–430}}).}} [[Arran (Caucasus)|Arranians]], [[First Kingdom of Kakheti|Kakhetians]], and [[Armenians]]; [[Shirvanshah]] and [[Shahanshah]]; [[autocracy|Autocrat]] of all the East and the West, Glory of the World and Faith; Champion of the [[Messiah]].|align=center}}

[[File:Tamar of Georgia Fals. Tiflis mint.jpg|thumb|A copper coin with Georgian and Arabic inscriptions featuring Tamar's [[monogram]] (1200).]]
The queen never achieved autocratic powers and the noble council continued to function. However, Tamar's own prestige and the expansion of ''[[Georgian feudalism|patronq'moba]]'' – a Georgian version of [[feudalism]] – kept the more powerful dynastic princes from fragmenting the kingdom. This period marked the apex of Georgian feudalism.<ref>{{harvnb|Suny|1994|p=43}}.</ref> Attempts at transplanting feudal practices in the areas where they had previously been almost unknown did not pass without resistance. There was a [[Rebellion in Pkhovi and Didoya|revolt]] among the mountainers of [[Pkhovi]] and [[Tsez people|Dido]] on Georgia's northeastern frontier in 1212, which was put down by [[Ivane I Zakarian|Ivane Mkhargrzeli]] after three months of heavy fighting.<ref>{{harvnb|Tuite|2003|pp=7–23}}.</ref>

With flourishing commercial centers now under Georgia's control, industry and commerce brought new wealth to the country and the court. Tribute extracted from the neighbors and war booty added to the royal treasury, giving rise to the saying that "the peasants were like nobles, the nobles like princes, and the princes like kings."<ref>{{harvnb|Suny|1994|p=40}}.</ref><ref name="CMH-624-5">{{harvnb|Toumanoff|1966|loc="Armenia and Georgia", pp. 624–625}}.</ref>

=== Culture ===
[[File:Descent into Hell. John the Evangelist. Vani Gospels A-1335, 210v, 12th c.jpg|thumb|A folio from the [[Vani Gospels]] manuscript, copied at the behest of Queen Tamar.]]
With this prosperity came an outburst of the distinct Georgian culture, emerging from the amalgam of [[Christianity|Christian]], secular, as well as Byzantine and Iranian influences.<ref>{{harvnb|Suny|1994|pp=38–39}}.</ref> Despite this, the Georgians continued to identify with the Byzantine West, rather than Islamic East, with the Georgian monarchy seeking to underscore its association with Christianity and present its position as [[Divine right of kings|God-given]].<ref name="Suny-39" /> It was in that period that the canon of Georgian Orthodox architecture was redesigned and a series of large-scale domed cathedrals were built. The Byzantine-derived expression of royal power was modified in various ways to bolster Tamar's unprecedented position as a woman ruling in her own right. The five extant monumental church portraits of the queen are clearly modeled on Byzantine imagery, but also highlight specifically Georgian themes and Persian-type ideals of female beauty.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|pp=94, 108–110}}.</ref> Despite Georgia's Byzantine-leaning culture, the country's intimate trade connections with the Middle East is evidenced on contemporary Georgian coinage, whose legends were composed in Georgian and [[Arabic]]. A series of coins minted in circa 1200 in the name of Queen Tamar depicted a local variant of the Byzantine [[obverse and reverse|obverse]] and an Arabic inscription on the reverse proclaiming Tamar as the "Champion of the Messiah".<ref>{{harvnb|Rapp|1993|pp=309–330}}.</ref>

The contemporary Georgian chronicles enshrined Christian morality and patristic literature continued to flourish, but it had, by that time, lost its earlier dominant position to secular literature, which was highly original, even though it developed close contact with neighboring cultures. The trend culminated in [[Shota Rustaveli]]'s [[epic poetry|epic poem]] ''[[The Knight in the Panther's Skin]]'' (''Vepkhistq'aosani''), which celebrates the ideals of an "[[Chivalry|Age of Chivalry]]" and is revered in Georgia as the greatest achievement of native literature.<ref name="Suny-39" /><ref name="Eastmond-96" /><ref>{{harvnb|Rayfield|1994|pp=73–83}}.</ref>

== Death and burial ==
[[File:Gelati Monastery 1.jpg |thumb|left|The [[Gelati Monastery]], a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], is a presumptive burial place of Queen Tamar.]]
Tamar outlived her consort, David Soslan, and died of a "devastating disease" not far from her capital [[Tbilisi]], having previously crowned her son, Lasha-Giorgi, [[Coregency|coregent]]. Tamar's historian relates that the queen suddenly fell ill when discussing state affairs with her ministers at the Nacharmagevi castle near the town of [[Gori, Georgia|Gori]], an illness her chronicle attributes to the toll years of military campaigns had on her body.<ref><iframe src="https://archive.org/details/georgia-12th-14th-centuries" width="560" height="384" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" allowfullscreen></iframe></ref> She was transported to Tbilisi and later to the nearby castle of Agarani, where Tamar died and was mourned by her subjects. Her remains were transferred to the [[Svetitskhoveli Cathedral|cathedral]] of [[Mtskheta]] and later to the [[Gelati Monastery]], a family burial ground of the Georgian royal dynasty. The traditional scholarly opinion is that Tamar died in 1213, although there are several indications that she might have died earlier, in 1207 or 1210.<ref>{{harvnb|Javakhishvili|1983|pp=280, 291–292}}; {{harvnb|Vateĭshvili|2003|loc=p. 135 (Footnote #3}}; {{harvnb|Japaridze|2012|p=348}}.</ref>[[File:Vardzia Cave Monastery 05.jpg|thumb|The ruined cave-town of [[Vardzia]].]]In later times, a number of legends emerged about Tamar's place of burial. One of them has it that Tamar was buried in a secret [[niche (architecture)|niche]] at the Gelati monastery so as to prevent the grave from being profaned by her enemies. Another version suggests that Tamar's remains were reburied in a remote location, possibly in the Holy Land. The [[French nobility|French knight]] Guillaume de Bois, in a letter dated from the early 13th century, written in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and addressed to the [[Archdiocese of Besançon|bishop of Besançon]], claimed that he had heard that the king of the Georgians was heading towards Jerusalem with a huge army and had already conquered many cities of the [[Saracen]]s. He was carrying, the report said, the remains of his mother, the "powerful queen Tamar" (''regina potentissima Thamar''), who had been unable to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in her lifetime and had bequeathed her body to be buried near the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre|Holy Sepulchre]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pahlitzsch|1996|p=38 (Footnote #17)}}; {{harvnb|Vateĭshvili|2003|pp=135–140}}.</ref>

In the 20th century, the quest for Tamar's grave became a subject of scholarly research, as well as the focus of broader public interest. The Georgian writer [[Grigol Robakidze]] wrote in his 1918 essay on Tamar: "Thus far, nobody knows where Tamar's grave is. She belongs to everyone and to no one: her grave is in the heart of the Georgian. And in the Georgians' perception, this is not a grave, but a beautiful vase in which an unfading flower, the great Tamar, flourishes."<ref>{{in lang|ka}} Robakidze, Grigol (13–15 May 1918), "[http://www.amsi.ge/istoria/gr/Tamar.html თამარ]" ("Tamar"). ''Sak'art'velo'' '''90'''/'''91'''.</ref> An orthodox academic view still places Tamar's grave at Gelati, but a series of archaeological studies, beginning with [[Ekvtime Takaishvili|Taqaishvili]] in 1920, has failed to locate it at the monastery.<ref>{{harvnb|Vateĭshvili|2003|p=135}}.</ref>

== Legacy and popular culture ==

=== Medieval ===
[[File:Vepkhistkaosani zichy.jpg|thumb|300px|''[[Shota Rustaveli]] presents his poem to Queen Tamar'', a painting by the [[Hungary|Hungarian]] artist [[Mihály Zichy]] (1880s).]]
[[File:The XIIc. cross of Queen Tamara of Georgia - Gold, rubies, emerald and pearls.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Golden cross of Queen Tamar, composed of [[rubies]], [[emeralds]], and large [[pearls]]]]
Over the centuries, Queen Tamar has emerged as a dominant figure in the Georgian historical [[Pantheon (religion)#Extension of the concept into structures and celebrities|pantheon]]. The construction of her reign as a "Golden age" began in the reign itself and Tamar became the focus of the era.<ref name="Eastmond-97">{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=97}}.</ref> Several medieval Georgian poets, including Shota Rustaveli, claimed Tamar as the inspiration for their works. A legend has it that Rustaveli was even consumed with love for the queen and ended his days in a monastery. A dramatic scene from Rustaveli's poem where the seasoned King Rostevan crowns his daughter Tinatin is an allegory to George III's co-option of Tamar. Rustaveli comments on this: "A lion cub is just as good, be it female or male".<ref>{{harvnb|Rayfield|1994|p=74}}.</ref>

The queen became a subject of several contemporary [[panegyric]]s, such as [[Chakhrukhadze]]'s ''Tamariani'' and [[Ioane Shavteli]]'s ''Abdul-Mesia''.<ref>{{harvnb|Rayfield|1994|pp=82–85}}.</ref> She was [[eulogy|eulogized]] in the chronicles, most notably in the two accounts centered on her reign – ''The Life of Tamar, Queen of Queens'' and ''The Histories and Eulogies of the Sovereigns'' – which became the primary sources of Tamar's sanctification in Georgian literature. The chroniclers exalt her as a "protector of the widowed" and "the thrice blessed", and place a particular emphasis on Tamar's virtues as a woman: beauty, humility, love of mercy, fidelity, and purity.<ref name="{{harvnb|eastmond|1997|pp=111–112}}." /> Although Tamar was [[canonization|canonized]] by the Georgian church much later, she was even named as a [[saint]] in her lifetime in a bilingual [[Greek language|Greco]]-Georgian [[colophon (publishing)|colophon]] attached to the manuscript of the [[Vani Gospels]].<ref name="Eastmond-97" />

The idealization of Tamar was further accentuated by the events that took place under her immediate successors; within two decades of Tamar's death, the [[Khwarazmian dynasty|Khwarezmian]] and [[Mongol invasions of Georgia|Mongol]] invasions brought Georgian ascendancy to an abrupt end.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|pp=97–98}}.</ref> Later periods of national revival were too ephemeral to match the achievements of Tamar's reign. All of these contributed to the cult of Tamar which blurred the distinction between the idealized queen and the real personality.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=98}}.</ref>

In popular memory, Tamar's image has acquired a legendary and romantic façade. A diverse set of folk songs, poems and tales illustrate her as an ideal ruler, a holy woman onto whom certain attributes of [[Georgian paganism|pagan deities]] and Christian saints were sometimes projected. For example, in an old [[Ossetians|Ossetian]] legend, Queen Tamar conceives her son through a sunbeam which shines through the window. Another myth, from the Georgian mountains, equates Tamar with the pagan deity of weather, Pirimze, who controls winter.<ref>{{harvnb|Sikharulidze|1979|pp=167–176}}.</ref> Similarly, in the highland district of [[Pshavi]], Tamar's image fused with a pagan goddess of healing and female fertility.<ref>{{harvnb|Dragadze|1984|p=179}}.</ref>

While Tamar occasionally accompanied her army and is described as planning some campaigns, she was never directly involved in the fighting.<ref name="Eastmond-94" /> Yet, the memory of the military victories of her reign contributed to Tamar's other popular image, that of a model warrior-queen. It also echoed in the ''[[The Tale of Tsaritsa Dinara|Tale of Queen Dinara]]'', a popular 16th-century [[Russian literature|Russian]] story about a fictional Georgian queen fighting against the [[Iran|Persians]].<ref>{{harvnb|Čiževskij|1971|p=236}}; {{harvnb|Suny|1994|p=49}}.</ref> [[Tsar]] of All the Russias [[Ivan the Terrible]] before the [[Siege of Kazan|seizure of Kazan]] encouraged his army by the examples of Tamar's battles<ref>История русской литературы, Дмитрий Дмитриевич Благой, Volume 1, p. 208.</ref> by describing her as "the wisest Queen of [[Kingdom of Georgia|Iberia]], endowed with the intelligence and courage of a man".<ref>{{harvnb|Salia|1983|p=189}}</ref>

=== Modern ===
[[File:Queentamar giorgi.jpg |thumb|left|[[Grigory Gagarin|Prince Gagarin]]'s reproduction of the royal panel at Betania, depicting George IV (left), Tamar (center), and George III (right), flanked by the warrior saints (1847).]]
[[File:Tamar 2013 stamp of Georgia.png|thumb|220px|left|Queen Tamar on the 2013 Georgian postage stamp.]]
Much of the modern perception of Queen Tamar was shaped under the influence of 19th-century [[Romanticism]] and growing [[nationalism]] 
among Georgian intellectuals of that time. In the Russian and Western literatures of the 19th century, Georgia was perceived as having "oriental tendencies", thus the image of Queen Tamar reflected some of these Western [[Orientalism|conceptions of the Orient]] and the characteristics of women in it.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1997|p=116 (Note #39)}}.</ref> The [[County of Tyrol|Tyrolean]] writer [[Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer]] described Tamar as a "Caucasian [[Semiramis]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Vasiliev|1936|p=13}}.</ref> Fascinated by the "[[exoticism|exotic]]" Caucasus, the Russian poet [[Mikhail Lermontov]] wrote the romantic poem ''Tamara'' ({{langx|ru|Тамара}}; 1841) in which he utilized the old Georgian legend about a [[siren (mythology)|siren]]-like mountainous princess whom the poet gave the name of Queen Tamar. Although Lermontov's depiction of the Georgian queen as a destructive seductress had no apparent historical background, it has been influential enough to raise the issue of Tamar's sexuality, a question that was given some prominence by the 19th-century European authors.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1997|pp=103–104}}.</ref> [[Knut Hamsun]]'s 1903 play ''[[Queen Tamara (play)|Queen Tamara]]'' was less successful; the theatre critics saw in it "a modern woman dressed in a medieval costume" and read the play as "a commentary on the new woman of the 1890s."<ref>{{harvnb|Oxfeldt|2005|p=220 (Note #117)}}.</ref> Russian conductor [[Mily Balakirev]] composed a [[symphonic poem]] named "[[Tamara (symphonic poem)|Tamara]]".

In Georgian literature, Tamar was also romanticized, but very differently from the Russian and Western European view. The Georgian romanticists followed a medieval tradition in Tamar's portrayal as a gentle, saintly woman who ruled a country permanently at war. This sentiment was further inspired by the rediscovery of a contemporary, 13th-century wall painting of Tamar in the then-ruined [[Betania Monastery]], which was uncovered and restored by Prince [[Grigory Gagarin]] in the 1840s. The fresco became a source of numerous engravings circulating in Georgia at that time and inspired the poet [[Grigol Orbeliani]] to dedicate a romantic poem to it. Furthermore, the Georgian literati, reacting to [[Russian Empire|Russian]] rule in Georgia and the suppression of national institutions, contrasted Tamar's era to their contemporary situation, lamenting the irretrievably lost past in their writings. Hence, Tamar became a personification of the heyday of Georgia, a perception that has persisted down to the present time.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1997|pp=103–111}}.</ref>

During [[World War II]], three battalions of the [[Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy|collaborationist]] [[Georgian Legion (1941–1945)|Georgian Legion]] were named after Tamar.

[[File:50_lari._Georgia,_2016_a.png|thumb|220px|right|Modern 50 [[Georgian lari|lari]] banknote depicting Tamar.]]

Tamar's marriage to the prince Yuri of the [[Grand Principality of Vladimir]] has become a subject of two resonant prose works in modern Georgia. [[Shalva Dadiani]]'s play, originally entitled ''The Unfortunate Russian'' (უბედური რუსი; 1916–1926), was attacked by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] critics for distorting the "centuries-long friendship of the Russian and Georgian peoples."<ref>{{harvnb|Suny|1994|p=290}}.</ref> Under [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]] pressure, Dadiani had to revise both the title and plot in accordance with the official ideology of the Soviet state.<ref>{{harvnb|Tillett|1969|p=329}}.</ref> In 2002, a satirical short story ''The First Russian'' (პირველი რუსი) penned by the young Georgian writer [[Lasha Bugadze|Lasha Bughadze]] and focused on a frustrated wedding night of Tamar and Yuri outraged many conservatives and triggered a nationwide controversy, including heated discussions in the [[Media of Georgia|media]], the [[Parliament of Georgia]] and the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.<ref>{{harvnb|Spurling|2001|p=96}}.</ref> In 2018, a Georgian court banned the sale of condoms from the company Aiisa, which depicted Tamar.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dfwatch.net/georgian-court-bans-condoms-depicting-queen-tamar-50293 | title=Georgian court bans condoms depicting Queen Tamar | date=5 May 2018 }}</ref>

She is a playable leader of Georgia in the [[4X]] video game ''[[Civilization VI]]'', in the ''Rise and Fall'' expansion. She also has a dedicated campaign in [[Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition|Age of Empires II]] introduced with the ''Mountain Royals'' expansion.

=== Veneration ===
{{Infobox saint
| honorific_prefix = ''[[Saint]]''
| name             = Tamar
| honorific_suffix = 
| image            = File:Icon (23995344942).jpg
| imagesize        = 200px
| alt              = 
| caption          = Icon of Tamar
| titles           =[[Right-Believing]] 
| birth_name       = 
| birth_date       = {{circa}} 1160
| birth_place      = 
| home_town        = 
| residence        = 
| death_date       = 18 January 1213
| death_place      = 
| death_cause      =
| venerated_in     = [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
| beatified_date   = 
| beatified_place  = 
| beatified_by     = 
| canonized_date   = 
| canonized_place  = 
| canonized_by     = 
| major_shrine     = 
| feast_day        = 14 May
| attributes       = 
| patronage        = 
| issues           = 
| suppressed_date  = 
| suppressed_by    = 
| influences       = 
| influenced       = 
| tradition        = 
| major_works      = 
| module           = 
}}

Tamar has been [[canonized]] by the [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] as the Holy Righteous Queen Tamar (წმიდა კეთილმსახური მეფე თამარი, ''ts'mida k'etilmsakhuri mepe tamari''; also venerated as "Right-believing Tamara"), with her [[Calendar of saints|feast day]] commemorated on [[May 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)|1 May]]<ref>Machitadze, Archpriest Zakaria (2006), [http://www.pravoslavie.ru/enarticles/070521130132 "Holy Queen Tamar (†1213)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517145513/http://www.pravoslavie.ru/enarticles/070521130132 |date=2008-05-17 }}, in [http://www.pravoslavie.ru/enarticles/070306192614 ''The Lives of the Georgian Saints'']  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614125437/http://www.pravoslavie.ru/enarticles/070306192614 |date=2008-06-14 }}.''pravoslavie.ru''. Retrieved on 2008-07-21.</ref><ref>{{in lang|el}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/2842/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ἡ Ἁγία Ταμάρα ἡ βασίλισσα].'' 1 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref> (of the [[Julian Calendar]], which equates to 14 May on the [[Gregorian Calendar]]) and on Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Благоверная Тама́ра Грузинская, царица |url=https://azbyka.ru/days/sv-tamara-gruzinskaja-carica |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=azbyka.ru |language=ru}}</ref> The [[Antiochian Orthodox]] observe the feast of St Tamara on 22 April.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://ww1.antiochian.org/node/18296|title=St. Tamara, Queen of Georgia &#124; Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese|website=ww1.antiochian.org|access-date=2019-06-17|archive-date=2020-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217194906/http://ww1.antiochian.org/node/18296|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Genealogy ==
The chart below shows the abbreviated genealogy of Tamar and her family, tracing it from Tamar's grandfather to her grandchildren.<ref>{{harvnb|Eastmond|1998|p=262}}.</ref>
{{Chart top|Genealogy of Tamar and her family|collapsed=no|width=auto}}
{{Tree chart/start}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | De1 | | | | | | | | |De1=[[Demetrius I of Georgia|Demetrius I]]<br />King of Georgia, 1125–1154|}}
{{Tree chart | |,|-|-|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| }}
{{Tree chart | Da5 | | | | G2a |y| G2b | | G2c |Da5=[[David V of Georgia|David V]]<br />King of Georgia, 1154–1155|G2a=[[George III of Georgia|George III]]<br />King of Georgia, 1155–1184|G2b=[[Burdukhan of Alania]]|G2c=[[Rusudan, daughter of Demetre I of Georgia|Rusudan]]}}
{{Tree chart | |!| | | | | | | |)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| }}
{{Tree chart | Dem | | Yur |~| Tmr |y| DSo | | Rdn |~| MKo |Dem=[[Demna of Georgia|Demna]]|Tmr='''Tamar'''<br />Queen of Georgia, 1184–1213|Yur=1. [[Yuri Bogolyubsky]]|DSo=2. [[David Soslan]]|Rdn=[[Rusudan, daughter of Giorgi III of Georgia|Rusudan]]|MKo=[[Manuel Komnenos (son of Andronikos I)|Manuel Komnenos]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | | | | | |!| }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | Ge4 | | Rsd |y| Ghi | | Al1 |Ge4=[[George IV of Georgia|George IV]]<br />King of Georgia, 1213–1223|Rsd=[[Rusudan of Georgia|Rusudan]]<br />Queen of Georgia, 1223–1245|Ghi=[[Ghias ad-din]]|Al1=[[Alexios I of Trebizond|Alexios I Megas Komnenos]]<br>emperor of Trebizond}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | |!| | | |,|-|^|-|.| }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | Da7 | | Da6 | | Tam |Da7=[[David VII of Georgia|David VII]]<br />King of Georgia, 1247–1270|Da6=[[David VI of Georgia|David VI]]<br />King of Georgia, 1245–1293|Tam=[[Gürcü Hatun|Tamar]]}}
{{Tree chart/end}}
{{chart bottom}}

== See also ==
* [[Order of Queen Tamara (disambiguation)]]
* [[Dinar of Hereti]]
* [[Olga of Kiev]]

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{reflist|colwidth=27em}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{cite book|last=Alemany|first=Agustí|year=2000|title=Sources of the Alans: A Critical Compilation|location=Leiden, Boston and Köln|publisher=Brill|isbn=90-04-11442-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8bZ4c5oZpNAC}}
* {{cite book|last=Allen|first=William Edward David|author-link=William Edward David Allen|year=1971|orig-year=1932|title=A History of the Georgian People: From the Beginning Down to the Russian Conquest in the Nineteenth Century|edition=2nd|location=New York|publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul|isbn=0-7100-6959-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=08c9AAAAIAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Čiževskij|first=Dmitrij|year=1971|orig-year=1960|title=History of Russian Literature: From the Eleventh Century to the End of the Baroque|location=The Hague|publisher=De Gruyter (Mouton & Co.)|isbn=978-9027919175|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j__y-WPTtVEC}}
* {{cite book|last1=Dondua|first1=Varlam|last2=Berdzenishvili|first2=Niko|year=1985|title=Жизнь царицы цариц Тамар (The Life of the Queen of Queens Tamar)|location=Tbilisi|publisher=Metsniereba|language=ru|url=http://www.nplg.gov.ge/ic/DGL/work/Jizn_carici_tamar/soderjanie.htm}} ([http://www.nplg.gov.ge/ic/DGL/work/Jizn_carici_tamar/The%20Life.htm English Summary])
* {{cite book|last=Dragadze|first=Tamara|year=1984|title=Kinship and Marriage in the Soviet Union: Field Studies|location=London and Boston|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=0-7100-0995-X|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s-09AAAAIAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Eastmond|first=Antony |authorlink=Antony Eastmond |chapter=Gender and Orientalism in Georgia in the Age of Queen Tamar|pages=100–118|editor-last=James|editor-first=Liz|title=Women, Men and Eunuchs: Gender in Byzantium|year=1997|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-14685-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vjygR4HsT28C}}
* {{cite book|last=Eastmond|first=Antony |authorlink=Antony Eastmond |year=1998|title=Royal Imagery in Medieval Georgia|location=University Park |publisher=Pennsylvania State Press|isbn=0-271-01628-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kX9UngEACAAJ}}
* Fähnrich, Heinz (2010). ''Geschichte Georgiens'' [History of Georgia]. Handbook of Oriental Studies, series 8, volume 21. Leiden: Brill, {{ISBN|978-90-04-18601-9}}, pp.&nbsp;208–230.
* {{cite book|last=Humphreys|first=R. Stephen|year=1977|title=From Saladin to the Mongols: The Ayyubids of Damascus, 1193–1260|location=Albany |publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=0-87395-263-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JfXl5kvabhoC}}
* {{cite journal|last=Japaridze|first=Gocha|year=2012|title=თამარ მეფის გარდაცვალების თარიღის შესახებ [On the Date of the Death of Queen Tamar]|journal=Saistorio Krebuli|volume=2|language=ka|pages=348–363|issn=1987-7285|url=http://saunje.ge/index.php?id=1379&lang=ka}}
* {{cite book|last=Javakhishvili|first=Ivane|author-link=Ivane Javakhishvili|year=1983|title=ქართველი ერის ისტორია, ტ. 2. (History of the Georgian Nation, Volume 2)|location=Tbilisi|publisher=Metsniereba|language=ka|url=http://www.nplg.gov.ge/dlibrary/collect/0001/000095/Javaxishvili%202%20Mtliani.pdf|access-date=2008-06-28|archive-date=2011-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517230423/http://www.nplg.gov.ge/dlibrary/collect/0001/000095/Javaxishvili%202%20Mtliani.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Khazanov|editor1-first=Anatoly M.|editor2-last=Wink|editor2-first=André|year=2001|title=Nomads in the Sedentary World|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-7007-1369-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t7qjEjCrZmEC}}
* {{cite book|last1=Lordkipanidze|first1=Mariam Davydovna|last2=Hewitt|first2=George B.|year=1987|title=Georgia in the XI–XII Centuries|location=Tbilisi|publisher=Ganatleba Publishers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8hYdAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last1=Melikishvili|first1=Giorgi|last2=Anchabadze|first2=Zurab|year=1979|title=საქართველოს ისტორიის ნარკვევები ტ. 3: საქართველო XI–XV საუკუნეებში (Studies in the History of Georgia, Volume 3: Georgia in the 11th–15th Centuries)|location=Tbilisi|publisher=Sabchota Sakartvelo|language=ka|url=http://www.nplg.gov.ge/dlibrary/collect/0001/000055/3.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.nplg.gov.ge/dlibrary/collect/0001/000055/3.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{cite book|last=Metreveli|first=Roin|author-link=Roin Metreveli|year=1992|title=მეფე თამარი (Queen Tamar)|location=Tbilisi|publisher=Ganatleba Publishers|language=ka|isbn=5-520-01229-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Oxfeldt|first=Elisabeth|year=2005|title=Nordic Orientalism: Paris and the Cosmopolitan Imagination|location=Copenhagen|publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press (University of Copenhagen)|isbn=87-635-0134-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M0e9dUO3c50C}}
* {{cite book|last=Pahlitzsch|first=Johannes|chapter=Georgians and Greeks in Jerusalem (1099–1310)|pages=35–52|editor1-last=Ciggaar|editor1-first=Krijnie|editor2-last=Teule|editor2-first=Herman|year=1996|title=East and West in the Crusader States|location=Leuven and Dudley|publisher=Peeters Press|isbn=90-429-1287-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SnVbY5knmigC}}
* {{cite journal|last=Rapp|first=Stephen H.|year=1993|title=Coinage of T'amar, Sovereign of Georgia in Caucasia|journal=Le Muséon|volume=106|issue=3–4|pages=309–330|doi=10.2143/MUS.106.3.2006033}}
* {{cite book|last=Rapp|first=Stephen H.|year=2003|title=Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts|location=Leuven|publisher=Peeters|isbn=90-429-1318-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHIwAAAAYAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Rayfield|first=Donald|author-link=Donald Rayfield|year=1994|title=The Literature of Georgia: A History|location=Oxford|publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn=978-0-19-815191-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2hoAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Salia|first=Kalistrat|author-link=Kalistrat Salia|year=1983|title=History of the Georgian Nation (Translator: Katharine Vivian)|edition=2nd|location=Paris|publisher=Académie française|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xjAhAQAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Kuehn|first=Sara|year=2011|title=The Dragon in Medieval East Christian and Islamic Art|location=Leiden|publisher=Koninklijke Brill NV|isbn=978-9004186637|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZWgdBCgmLYC}}
* {{cite book|last=Sikharulidze|first=Ksenia|year=1979|chapter=Rituals and Songs of Weather in Georgian Poetic Folklore|pages=167–176|editor1-last=Blacking|editor1-first=John A.R.|editor2-last=Keali'inohomoku|editor2-first=Joann W.|title=The Performing Arts: Music and Dance. IXth International Congress of Anthropologica|location=The Hague, Paris and New York|publisher=De Gruyter (Mouton Publishers)|isbn=90-279-7870-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QKs16WBAaiIC}}
* {{cite book|last=Suny|first=Ronald Grigor|author-link=Ronald Grigor Suny|year=1994|orig-year=1988|edition=2nd|title=The Making of the Georgian Nation|location=Bloomington and Indianapolis|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=0-253-20915-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=riW0kKzat2sC}}
* {{cite journal|last=Spurling|first=Amy|year=2001|title=The Georgian Literary Scene|journal=PEN Bulletin of Selected Books|volume=51–53|page=96|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eUgXAQAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Tillett|first=Lowell|year=1969|title=The Great Friendship: Soviet Historians on the Non-Russian Nationalities|location=Chapel Hill|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|url=https://archive.org/details/greatfriendships00till|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Toumanoff|first=Cyril|author-link=Cyril Toumanoff|year=1966|chapter=Armenia and Georgia|pages=593–637|title=The Cambridge Medieval History (Volume 4)|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|chapter-url=http://rbedrosian.com/Ref/cmh4.htm}}
* {{cite journal|last=Toumanoff|first=Cyril|date=July 1940|title=On the Relationship between the Founder of the Empire of Trebizond and the Georgian Queen Thamar|journal=Speculum|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|volume=15|issue=3|pages=299–312|doi=10.2307/2855207|jstor=2855207|s2cid=162584594}}
* {{cite journal|last=Tuite|first=Kevin|year=2003|title=Political and Social Significance of Highland Shrines in Post-Soviet Georgia|journal=Amirani|volume=9|pages=7–23}}
*{{cite book|last=Vasiliev|first=A. A.|author-link=Alexander Vasiliev (historian)|others=French ed.: [[Henri Grégoire (historian)|Henri Grégoire]], [[Marius Canard]]|title=Byzance et les Arabes, Tome I: La Dynastie d'Amorium (820–867)|year=1935|location=Brussels, Belgium|publisher=Éditions de l'Institut de Philologie et d'Histoire Orientales|language=fr|pages=195–198|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jlTPAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite journal|last=Vasiliev|first=Alexander|date=January 1936|title=The Foundation of the Empire of Trebizond (1204–1222)|journal=Speculum|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|volume=11|number=1|pages=3–37|doi=10.2307/2846872|jstor=2846872|s2cid=162791512}}
* {{cite book|last=Vateĭshvili|first=Dzhuansher Levanovich|year=2003|title=Грузия и европейские страны. Очерки истории взаимоотношений, XIII–XIX века. Том 1. Грузия и Западная Европа, XIII–XVII века. Книга 1. (Georgia and the European Countries: Studies of Interrelationship in the 13th–19th Centuries. Volume 1: Georgia and Western Europe, 13th–17th Centuries. Book 1.)|location=Moscow|publisher=Nauka|language=ru|isbn=5-02-008869-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MygjAQAAMAAJ}}
{{refend|2}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Tamar of Georgia}}
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cszjvx Queen Tamar: The myth of a perfect ruler] ''The Forum'', [[BBC Sounds]]
* [http://www.zeno.ru/showgallery.php?cat=1971 Georgian coins minted in Tamar's reign], Zeno – Oriental Coins Database.
* Irakli Paghava, [http://www.openstarts.units.it/dspace/bitstream/10077/8712/1/AssemaniStudi3_The-Firts-Arabic.pdf The First Arabic Coinage of Georgian Monarchs: Rediscovering the Specie of Davit IV the Builder (1089–1125), King of Kings and Sword of Messiah]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Bagrationi dynasty]]|1160||1213}}
{{s-reg}}
|-
{{s-bef|before = [[George III of Georgia|George III]]}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[List of monarchs of Georgia|Queen of Georgia]]|years=1178–1213|regent1=George III|years1=1178–1184|regent2=George IV|years2=1207–1213}}
{{s-aft|after = [[George IV of Georgia|George IV]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Kings of United Georgia}}
{{Tamar the Great}}
{{Authority control}}
{{good article}}

[[Category:1160s births]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:1213 deaths]]
[[Category:12th-century queens regnant]]
[[Category:13th-century queens regnant]]
[[Category:13th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox saints]]
[[Category:History of Trabzon]]
[[Category:Kings of Georgia]]
[[Category:Queens regnant in Europe]]
[[Category:Royal saints from Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Women from Georgia (country) in politics]]
[[Category:12th-century people from Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:13th-century people from Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:13th-century women from Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Daughters of kings]]
[[Category:Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Georgia]]