3. Tamar the Great

Tamar the Great was the queen of Georgia 1184 to 1213. She was a member of the Bagrationi dynasty, her position as the first woman to rule Georgia in her own right.

I need mastery, a language and a heart
to sing about her.
Give me power and inspiration!
And the mind itself will serve her ...»

Shota Rustaveli

In The first years of her rein the domestic affairs were not cloudless. Tamar faced significant opposition from the aristocracy upon her ascension to full ruling powers after her father`s death. She addressed the clergy with wisdom and humility: “Judge according to the righteousness, affirming good and condemning evil,” she advised.

“Begin with me- If sin I should be censured, for the royal crown is set down from above as a sign of divine service. Allow neither the wealth of the nobles nor the poverty of the masses to hinder your work.

You by word and I by deed, you by preaching and I by the law, you by upbringing and I by educating will care for those souls whom God has entrusted to us, and together we will abide by the low of the God, in order to escape eternal condemnation…

You as priests and I as a ruler, you as stewards of good and I as the watchman of the good.”

Tamar pursued a policy of conquest. She conquered Tabriz, Erzurum, had a brilliant victory over the Sultan of Ardabil.

The battle of Shamkor brought her a great reputation, echoes of which are heard in the Russian legend about the Queen of Iberia Dinara.

So the period between the early 12th and the early 13th centuries, and especially the era of Tamar the Great, can truly be considered as the golden age of Georgia. Besides the political and military achievements, it was marked by the development of Georgian culture, including architecture, literature, philosophy and sciences.