Everyone knows that there was such a Queen Tamara. Few people didn't read at school romantic poem Lermontov about how in “the deep gorge of Daryal, where the Terek rummages in the darkness,” Queen Tamara lived in an ancient tower, who lured travelers to a bed of love, and in the morning ordered them to be killed. In the famous book by Ilf and Petrov “The Twelve Chairs”, Father Fyodor, who has gone crazy, sitting on a rock near the Georgian Military Road, also has a vision of the legendary Queen Tamara, offering to come for a visit and play cards. These seemingly far from the truth references to Tamara do not indicate a lack of respect for the memory of the great woman, but rather the enormous popularity of the ruler who lived eight centuries ago.
Everyone knows that there was such a Queen Tamara. It was rare that someone at school did not read Lermontov’s romantic poem about how in “the deep gorge of Daryal, where the Terek rummages in the darkness,” Queen Tamara lived in an ancient tower, who lured travelers to a bed of love, and in the morning ordered them to be killed. In the famous book by Ilf and Petrov “The Twelve Chairs”, Father Fyodor, who has gone crazy, sitting on a rock near the Georgian Military Road, also has a vision of the legendary Queen Tamara, offering to come for a visit and play cards. These seemingly far from the truth references to Tamara do not indicate a lack of respect for the memory of the great woman, but rather the enormous popularity of the ruler who lived eight centuries ago.
Born to surpass great men
Of course, the real Queen Tamara (1166-1213) never lured travelers with bad goals and never played neighborly cards. She had no time to deal with such frivolous matters.
The great-granddaughter of the great ruler David the Builder, she surpassed the glory of her great-grandfather: the golden age of Georgia and the period of its greatest state power are associated with the name of Tamara.
By the way, Tamara’s rights to the throne were somewhat dubious. Her father Georgy III force took away power from the rightful heir - his early orphaned nephew Dmitry. And when he, with the support of some of the Georgian nobles, decided to regain what he had lost, George brutally suppressed the uprising. Tsarevich Dmitry was either executed or blinded, and the Orbeli family that supported him was almost exterminated. This happened in 1177, when Tamara was only eleven years old or even less. After all, the exact date of her birth is unknown, it was too long ago, and too many tragic events The land of Georgia has seen over the past centuries.
Most of the evidence of that era has sunk into oblivion, but the story of Tamara’s life is overgrown with legends and versions. There is even one that in fact Tsarevich Dmitry escaped execution and later lived under the name Shota Rustaveli. As if he loved his cousin Tamara, to whom he dedicated the poem “The Knight in the Skin of a Tiger.” Over eight centuries, you can come up with a lot by mixing rumors and facts.
But the queen’s real life was very difficult, and people in Georgia love to remember the golden age she created. Moreover, Georgia during the time of Queen Tamara was a state with a territory much larger than the modern one, largely thanks to... the happy marriage of the ruler.
Ascended to the throne - get married!
George III, married to the Ossetian princess Burdukhan, had no sons - only two daughters, the eldest of whom was Tamara.
In honor of the birth of the girl, the father ordered the construction of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Gave her excellent education- according to official version Her aunt Rusudan was involved in raising the princess. At a very young age, the father made the princess his co-ruler, rightly believing that it would be more reliable this way. There were plenty of people dissatisfied with the tsar’s harsh rule and the fact that he seized the throne of his nephew even after the suppression of the rebellion. So a year after the suppression of the uprising, in 1178, Tamara ascended the throne.
Historians date back to 1180 a fresco in the Vardzia monastery, on which Tamara is next to George. This is the only surviving image of her during her lifetime.
In 1184, George died - still not an old man. But the Georgian kings in those days were rarely distinguished by Caucasian longevity; their life was too complex and dangerous. Tamara fully felt this when she was left alone on the throne.
Apparently, in the first years of her reign, even after being crowned king again, she had to obey the Georgian nobles, who clearly did not want to give power into the hands of a young girl. Advisors were appointed to the young queen; faithful people, in the end they were even forced to marry a complete stranger.
Tamara resisted as best she could, but was forced to give in - the Georgian feudal lords decided that the son expelled from Russian lands Prince of Vladimir Andrei Bogolyubsky Yuri will be a suitable groom. Firstly, he was a Christian, and secondly, he had no relatives or supporters in Georgia, which means he would submit to those who elevated him. In vain Tamara asked to wait until marriage in order to take a closer look at her future husband. The wedding took place already in 1185.
When a husband is indifferent to his wife
Yuri clearly did not want to put up with the role of prince consort. Having carried out two successful military campaigns, he showed himself to be a skilled commander and gained the sympathy of some nobles, masterfully using differences in the Georgian elite. The Russian prince gradually became influential, and his claims to real power became more and more obvious.
And he turned out to be, to put it mildly, not an ideal husband. In his personal life, Yuri showed himself to be a rude, quarrelsome person (apparently, it was not for nothing that he was expelled from Rus') and did not at all consider himself the happiest of mortals, having the most beautiful woman Georgia. The beauty of Tamara, which was sung by poets, left her husband indifferent.
Another young woman in such a situation might lose heart - the throne was practically taken away, different groups of influential and cruel men are now fighting for it, her own husband does not consider or love you, there is unrest in the country... But the smart and beautiful Tamara, who also had with rare charm, she knew how to wait and act.
She gradually gathered her supporters, pushed aside and quarreled her opponents, won the sympathy of her subjects - and by 1187 she turned out to be the real ruler of her country. Yuri was sent to Constantinople, and was given a decent fortune as a consolation. The reason for the divorce was Yuri's drunken excesses and his homosexual inclinations. Whether the prince was susceptible to this sin or whether such an occasion seemed convenient is unknown. But there were no children in this marriage, which is suggestive.
The queen managed to restore order in the country - somewhere with tough measures, somewhere with generous gifts, but peace reigned in Georgia. Young beautiful queen managed, as it is now fashionable to say, to unite the nation. And finally, she found love.
They found each other and love
There is another mystery in this story - how did they find each other? The Ossetian prince David Soslan seemed to have been raised together with Tamara since childhood by the same aunt Rusudan.
That is, he was a childhood friend of the queen and even a relative of the Bagration dynasty. Other historians claim that Tamara and David barely knew each other. And just after the divorce from Yuri, it was necessary to urgently look for a new husband: the throne needed heirs.
But it makes no difference how exactly the first acquaintance went, the main thing is that Tamara and David sincerely fell in love with each other. If this had not happened, perhaps there would have been no golden age.
They married in 1188 in the Didubi Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, the same one that Tamara’s father built in honor of her birth.
History has not preserved for us the portrait of David Soslan. He was described as an educated man, a handsome man with a heroic physique, a brave warrior and a wise commander, loving husband and father. Even if there is an exaggeration in these descriptions, it is a slight one.
It is unlikely that Tamara could fall in love with a man who did not have undoubted merits. Moreover, David’s military victories brought him well-deserved glory. It was he who, in 1191, defeated the army of Yuri, who returned from Constantinople, who wanted to regain his throne and his wife. When some historians write that Tamara herself pacified the rebels, it is hard to believe. Just in 1191, she gave birth to a son, George, the future Georgian king George IV. Then David Soslan defeated the ruler of Azerbaijan Abu Bekr, then the Rum Sultan Rukn ad-Din.
He had to fight a lot, and she prayed for him and built monasteries and temples. At this time, a lot was built in Georgia - fortresses, palaces, roads and bridges. It was not for nothing that Tamara was the great-granddaughter of David the Builder.
The expansion of the state brought new revenues, which were invested in making Georgia a prosperous country. The successfully carried out military reform led to the fact that the country could field sixty thousand, well-trained troops.
Administrative reform made it possible to improve the governance of the country and reduce the abuses of those in power.
The people loved their queen and even during her lifetime they created legends about her.
The perfect pair of rulers
Their family life admired their contemporaries: while maintaining the greatness of the rulers, Tamara and David were touchingly attached to each other and to their children - Tsarevich George and Princess Rusudan.
One legend says that when one great nobleman came with a report to David, he rode his son on his back, pretending to be a horse. Seeing the surprised look, David asked: “You also have children, don’t you?” And, having received an affirmative answer, he said: “Then we continue.” So he listened to the newcomer without interrupting the game with his son.
The queen’s court was striking not even with its luxury, but with the fact that it was dominated by poets and philosophers. Tamara and David's favorite pastime were conversations with educated people and poetry tournaments. There are studies that claim that David Soslan himself wrote and published books, that he sent forty young people to Greece to study. Tamara paid scholarships to sixty students who studied at the Athos school. In Georgian schools of that time, of which many were opened under Tamara, ancient languages, poetry, history, philosophy, arithmetic, astrology, theology and oratory were taught.
In legends, feelings live forever
The magnificent history of this happy marriage is overshadowed by only one thing - it turned out to be short-lived. In 1207, David died, possibly murdered. There is a version that the Georgian nobility eliminated him, fearing the increasing influence of the talented commander. In any case, immediately after his death, Tamara made her sixteen-year-old son her co-ruler, clearly taking advantage of her father’s experience.
After that, she lived very little; according to some sources, she even died that same year. Her death and burial are surrounded by mystery. Officially, Tamara died in 1213 from illness in the Agarani castle; by the way, it was not possible to establish which castle was called that at that time.
Where Tamara's grave is is also unknown. Her body was transferred to Mtskheta, then to Gelati, to the Bagrationi family crypt. But archaeological excavations found no traces of her burial.
There are Vatican documents that, according to the queen’s will, her ashes were transported to the Cross Monastery in Jerusalem. There is a legend that the great poet Shota Rustaveli, who had loved the queen all his life, ended his life there and became a monk. There is also an opinion that Tamara was secretly buried next to her husband, in the family chapel in Ossetia, but this, most likely, is also a legend.
Queen Tamara, canonized by the Georgian church, still lives in legends. It is believed that she did not die at all, but sleeps somewhere in golden peace and will wake up when the people need her help.
On May 14, Georgia celebrates the day of remembrance of Tamara - this day is called Tamaroba. An asteroid discovered in 1892 was named after St. Tamara, there are monuments dedicated to the queen in Georgia, and an airport named after her was opened in 2010. Much has been written about the love of Tamara and David.
And recently the opera “Tamara and David Soslan” appeared on stages. And this is unlikely to be the end of their story...
Text: Alisa Betskaya
which was at one time permanent place rest of Queen Tamara. And the question may arise (and, we hope, it did) - who is this Queen Tamara? How would I find out all about Queen Tamara? At least, this question arose for the author - since he is familiar with Queen Tamara primarily from the film “12 Chairs” and Father Fyodor’s dream. Accordingly, you need to figure it out.
Everything about Queen Tamara is, of course, said loudly. It would be more correct to say “a little bit about everything about Queen Tamara.” Well, for those who want to go deeper, the Internet can help :) And we’ll start from the beginning.
Queen Tamara came from the Bagration dynasty and was the daughter of George III and Queen Burdukhan, daughter of the Ossetian king Khudan. She was raised by her highly educated aunt Rusudan. Contemporary poets of the queen praised her intelligence and beauty. They called her not a queen, but a king, a vessel of wisdom, a smiling sun, a slender reed, a radiant face; they glorified her meekness, hard work, obedience, religiosity, and enchanting beauty. There were legends about her perfections that have survived in oral transmission to our times. Byzantine princes, the Sultan of Aleppo, and the Shah of Persia sought her hand. Tamara's entire reign is surrounded by a poetic aura.
It all started with the fact that King George III of Georgia, to whom God did not give male heirs, decided to transfer the throne to the eldest of his daughters, Tamar. Moreover, to do this during your lifetime in order to stop the machinations of ill-wishers. It is unknown what King George felt as a father when he doomed his young daughter to such a difficult fate, but as a ruler he turned out to be wise and perspicacious: after his death in 1184, a serious struggle unfolded around the throne. But through the efforts of Tamar’s followers, and first of all her paternal aunt Rusudan, the young queen took her destined place. She was not even twenty that day.
The young queen instantly felt a change in those around her. Before she had time to mourn her father with dignity, representatives of the church and the nobility came to her Isani palace and humbly asked to accept power from their hands, as if she did not have it. Tamara was made clear: she would rule when they, the didebuls (that was the name of the assembly of the highest spiritual and secular nobility, which represented a kind of parliament of ancient Georgia), wished it.
At the cost of heavy concessions - she had to send away people loyal to the throne and appease self-interested churchmen - she was crowned king a second time. The new Catholicos Michael, who demanded the position of first vizier of the state for the support of the queen, constantly put spokes in the wheels, making it impossible to receive independent decisions. In addition, their beloved, Tsarevich David Soslani, the only surviving representative of the Bagratids, from the Ossetian branch, was removed from the court. And suddenly another blow - the feudal lords decided that it was time for the queen to walk down the aisle.
Wars at that time were fought constantly, and a woman leading an army was not serious. We need a king, strong, well-born. They went through overseas sultans, Byzantine kings and Persian shahs, and found only Prince Yuri of Russia, the son of the famous Andrei Bogolyubsky, worthy. After his father's death he left native land and since then he has been with his retinue in Byzantium. In vain Tamara sadly appealed to the feudal lords: “How can you take such a rash step? We know neither about the behavior of this stranger, nor about his affairs, nor about his military valor, nor about rights. Let me wait until I see its merits or demerits.” The Didebuls sent an ambassador to Yuri, and soon he brought a stately and strong man.
When they saw him, everyone liked him, and the queen had to share a bed with her forced husband. But the nobility were greatly mistaken, believing that, in gratitude for the throne, Yuri would become a pawn in their hands. The Russian prince turned out to be tough nut to crack. True, he led troops and won victories, but he drank, cursed, and was self-willed for more than two years so that everyone’s patience soon ran out. They poured him a full measure of gold and sent him royally back to Byzantium.
However, Yuri did not accept the divorce. He gathered a huge army from the Greeks, which was joined by some of the Georgian ill-wishers of the queen, and set out to conquer Georgia. This time, Tamara herself led the troops and, showing the remarkable talent of a commander, defeated her husband on the outskirts of Tbilisi.
In world history, the era of Tamar is the time when a bloody dawn breaks over the world: in the East, in the steppes of Mongolia, Temujin is plotting his future empire, having already become Genghis Khan. A third is raging in the West crusade, and the formidable Saladin, having defeated the knights of Europe at Lake Tiberias, enters Jerusalem. In the North, in the Dnieper steppes, the Novgorod-Seversk prince had just made his ill-fated campaign, and one of his brilliant contemporaries composed the “Tale of Igor’s Campaign” about it; Rus' is fragmented, and in half a century it will become easy prey for Batu’s army...
Whereas in Georgia there is dawn. Like any woman, Tamara managed to recover from mental wounds and she is trying for the second time to find happiness in marriage. Who became her new chosen one? It was a man she knew from early childhood and his name was David. He was the son of an Ossetian king and, like Tamara, was raised by his aunt Rusudan.
Some historians claim that Queen Tamara fell in love with him as a girl, but one thing is clear to us - their marriage turned out to be extremely happy and harmonious. Since then, the name of Tamara has been closely associated with the name of David. Thanks to him, Tamara won all the loudest victories and fought brilliant battles. She herself did not participate in the battles, this is not a woman’s business, but the faithful field marshal Zachary and her beloved husband David led the troops, and Queen Tamara was the inspirer of victories. Such a tandem was invincible.
War trophies and huge tribute from the occupied territories made Georgia richest country medieval world, but the wise ruler turned the resulting treasures into new fortresses, monasteries, roads, bridges, ships, schools. Tamara understood that her subjects needed to be given a good education if she wanted her endeavors to be continued by her descendants and for Georgia to reach a high global level. She made sure that the quality of education in Georgian schools was unusually high and even in our time the volume school curriculum amazes: theology, philosophy, history, Greek, Hebrew languages, interpretation of poetic texts, study of polite conversation, arithmetic, astrology, writing poetry.
This unique woman was truly ahead of her time. She can also be called the “godmother” of Georgian culture. The best musicians, poets, and philosophers were gathered at the queen's court. Tamara received unspeakable pleasure from long philosophical debates, and no ball could compare for her with the competition between the best poets.
The weakening of the Byzantine Empire opened the way for Georgia to the southeastern shores of the Black Sea. This territory was mainly inhabited by tribes of Georgian origin. The Georgian army occupied seaside towns: Trebizond, Limnia, Samsun, Sinop, Kerasunt, Kotiora, Heraclea. The Trabizonian Empire was formed, headed by Alexius Komnenos, a representative of the house of Komnenos raised in Georgia (overthrown from the imperial throne in Byzantium). The Trabizonian Empire found itself in the Georgian sphere of influence.
David Soslan died in 1206. In the same year, Queen Tamar placed her son George-Lasha on the throne as co-ruler.
In 1210, a campaign was made in Iran. The campaign turned out to be particularly successful: the Georgians took many cities and penetrated deep into Iran. The army, loaded with large booty, could not advance further forward and turned back. This trip once again demonstrated military power Georgia.
Tamar spent the last years of her life in the cave monastery of Vardzia. The queen had a cell connected through a window with the temple, from which she could offer prayers to God during divine services. In 1213, Queen Tamar died (there are versions that she died in 1207 or 1210). According to the chronicler of Tamara's era, she was buried in Gelati. There is also an opinion that her ashes were subsequently transported to the Jerusalem Cross Monastery. The Georgian Church canonized Queen Tamar and set May 1 (14) as her day of remembrance.
In general, the reign of Queen Tamara is still a “golden age” for Georgia. The state is strong and powerful. For almost 20 years, the queen has been leading successful wars with large and small opponents: with the atabek of Iranian Azerbaijan Abubekr, with Byzantium, with the Turks, with the rulers of Armenia, with the population of rebellious mountain provinces own country and adjacent territories. As a result of such active foreign policy V varying degrees dependencies on Georgia of the 12th century were North Caucasus, Eastern Transcaucasia, Southern Azerbaijan, Armenia, southern coast of the Black Sea...
So, all about Queen Tamara
"...I need skill, language and heart to sing about her. Give me strength, inspiration! The mind itself will serve her..."
Shota Rustaveli "The Knight in the Skin of a Tiger"
She came from the Bagration dynasty and was the daughter of George III and Queen Burdukhan, daughter of the Ossetian king Khudan. She was raised by her highly educated aunt Rusudan. Contemporary poets of the queen praised her intelligence and beauty. They called her not a queen, but a king, a vessel of wisdom, a smiling sun, a slender reed, a radiant face; they glorified her meekness, hard work, obedience, religiosity, and enchanting beauty. There were legends about her perfections that have survived in oral transmission to our times. Byzantine princes, the Sultan of Aleppo, and the Shah of Persia sought her hand. Tamara's entire reign is surrounded by a poetic aura.
There are names known to every resident of the former great country- THE USSR. These include the name of the legendary Queen Tamara (1166-1209). Back at school we were told about the cruel ruler of Georgia who lived in the Daryal Gorge. We learned about her from the inspired poem by M.Yu. Lermontov. Every night the Caucasian beauty feasted with a new lover - a young man who idolized her - and every morning the bloody corpse of her lover was taken by the waves of the mighty Terek.
Sh. Rustaveli wrote about Tamara:
"...The lion, serving Tamar the queen, holds her sword and shield. I, the singer, what deed should serve her? The royal braids are agates, the heat on the cheeks is brighter than lalov. He who sees the sun drinks in nectar. Let us sing to Tamar the queen , revered sacredly! I once dedicated wonderfully composed hymns to her. My pen was a reed, my ink was a lake of agate. Whoever listened to my creations was struck down by a damask blade..."
But in historical works, and even novels, a different Tamara appears. This is a wise ruler, whose memory is preserved in the Caucasus in the form of numerous fortresses preserving peace in mountain gorges. There is another Tamara, not a queen, but faithful friend, who carried throughout her life a great love for her childhood friend, the warlike Alan Soslan, who received after baptism christian name David. We have reached our time and romantic legends about Queen Tamara. One of them, the most recent, haunts historians. Tamara ruled Georgia and her own court in Mtskheta with a firm, sometimes cruel hand, often causing discontent among individual feudal lords who were accustomed to viewing their fiefdoms as independent principalities. It was unusual for the freedom-loving Georgian nobility to submit to a “weak” woman.
After the death of the queen, the relatives, not without reason, feared desecration of her remains. To prevent this from happening, four absolutely identical oak coffins were made. The deceased queen was placed in one of them, and the bodies of women similar to her were placed in the other three. At night four processions secretly left royal palace and left for different sides. The locations of all four burials are still unknown. They kept their secret very well in a simple way. Participants in each procession, after returning to Mtskheta, were surrounded by soldiers and mercilessly hacked to pieces. The foresight of the queen's entourage, who covered the body of their mistress, went further. They were not sure that any of the killed participants in the funeral processions in last minutes did not tell his life where the coffin was hidden. Special Squad The most loyal warriors to the queen destroyed those warriors who eliminated the participants in the funeral processions.
The coffin with the body of Queen Tamara was searched for eight centuries. All places that could become the last refuge of the legendary ruler were carefully examined: the royal cemetery of Gelati in Mtskheta, the monastery on the slopes of Mount Kazbek, caves in the Kasar Gorge and many others. All searches ended in failure. Gradually, archaeologists and amateur searchers gave up trying to find the resting place of the queen or at least one of the three women killed after her death.
But scientists early abandoned the opportunity to reveal one of the historical secrets. There is a place in Georgia where one of the coffins can be kept. The supposed burial place of Queen Tamara remained in Georgia, with which Russia today is in strained relations. But sooner or later, countries that have lived together for hundreds of years must make peace, and then such an expedition will become a reality. In the winter of 1967, athletes from the Moscow Geological Exploration Institute, under the guidance of their coach, master of sports in mountaineering Eduard Grekov, climbed the peaks in the Georgian corner area. The first overnight stay was in the kosh, located in the upper reaches of the Kistinka River. As often happens, the excitement from the dark beauty of the mountains surrounding the gorge and the spectacle of the fast river carrying its waters to the Terek kept them awake, and they listened half the night to the trainer’s stories about his adventures in the mountains. Among others, we heard a story that was directly related to Queen Tamara.
Around 1963-1964, a tragedy occurred on the Georgian Military Road, near the high-mountain village of Kazbegi. At a sharp turn, the driver was unable to hold the car, and it, along with four passengers, fell into the Terek gorge. The mine rescue team that arrived at the scene had to lift the bodies onto the road. dead travelers. While descending down the climbing rope, one of the rescuers saw under the ledge of the rock a dark opening of the entrance to the cave, blocked by a forged rusty lattice. Attempts to “pump up” to the exit were unsuccessful. The rescuers did not have a cat with which to cling to the grate, so the exploration of the cave was postponed until better times. But they never came. On next year All participants rescue work died while climbing one of the peaks.
Eduard Grekov learned about the mysterious cave from his boss rescue squad. Both had heard about the mysterious burial of Queen Tamara and believed that the coffin with her remains was hidden behind that forged lattice. But the head of the detachment died, and Grekov soon moved to Moscow and was no longer in the mood for expeditions with dubious hope of success.
So the cave found in the Terek Gorge is still waiting for enthusiasts who, perhaps, will be able to unravel the last secret of the legendary Queen Tamara.
Tamara died not yet an old woman, as evidenced historical sources, from some serious and long illness, leaving behind two children - a son, George, named after his grandfather, and a daughter, Rusudan. This happened around 1207. She spent the last years of her life in the cave monastery of Vardzia. missus queen had a cell connected through a window with the temple, from which she could offer prayers to God during Divine services.
Tamar died on January 18, 1212 from a serious illness. She was buried in the family crypt in Gelati. Several centuries later, the crypt was opened, but the queen’s remains were not found there. According to legend, when the great ruler lived to last days, she asked to hide the place of her burial from people. Tamar did not want her tomb to be found and desecrated by Muslims who long years The struggles were never able to defeat the Georgian queen. Apparently, Tamar’s ashes were secretly taken out of the monastery, and no one knows where he rests now.
One way or another, chronicles were discovered in the Vatican, according to which the Georgian ruler was allegedly buried in Palestine, in the ancient Georgian monastery of the Holy Cross. As if she so passionately wanted to visit this monastery, but due to numerous wars she did not have time to do this, and therefore bequeathed to take her there after her death. Perhaps, in eternity, Tamar wanted to remain with her faithful poet.
The death of Rustaveli is also shrouded in legends. All that is known for sure is that one day the headless body of a Georgian poet was found in a small cell of the monastery. The killer was never found.
Many years later, a fresco depicting an old man was discovered in Jerusalem. It is believed that this is the face of the great Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli. Evidence that she was buried next to him Georgian queen Tamar, was not found.
Apparently, the poet decided that the one whose life always belonged to the world, to the bustle of state affairs, should unite in another dimension with his Muse.
I’ll sing about love, but you won’t listen.
The stars will play with rays.
And the desert is like a tender mother,
He will open his arms to me!
I'm leaving - sorry!
No offensive rewards
I will complete my creation:
But it will be confirmed
Our grandchildren will be grandchildren -
May your name be glorified!
This is what the Russian poet Ya. Polonsky wrote about the love of Tamara and Shota Rustaveli.
After the death of Tamar, Georgia began to quickly lose its power. Years of prosperity have changed difficult years Mongol-Tatar yoke, then Türkiye seized power over the country.
Now Tamar has been canonized. There are numerous legends about her. In particular, they say that at night she appears to the sick and treats them of serious illnesses. Kings rule over the people, and the best of them serve their subjects as their masters. In long prayers, like those of a schema-nun, they passed sleepless nights queen, and her tears - sometimes transparent, like a diamond, sometimes bloody, like a ruby - flowed down like streams of peace onto the earth. Her prayer was the flame that the demons feared: just as wild animals are afraid of a lit torch, just as wolves cannot approach the fire of a fire and only howl piercingly from afar.
Unfortunately, historical sources are very contradictory and this mystery has not yet been resolved. But something else is important - this is the people's memory of great queen and the gratitude of descendants.
Queen Tamara and her husband Georgy Andreevich.
There is no corner in Georgia where the name of Queen Tamar is not pronounced with blessing. The queen knew that the enemies of Christ would want to take revenge on her after death, and therefore she bequeathed to bury her secretly, so that the grave would forever remain hidden from the world. Georgia fulfilled her will. Her grave was preserved from the Mohammedans and the Mongols, and from those vandals who tear up and desecrate the tombs of their kings. The whole country mourned the queen, the whole people felt orphaned. It seemed that the glory and greatness of Georgia were embodied in the person of the queen, and now formidable trials lay ahead. At night, ten detachments left the gates of the castle where Queen Tamar died. Everyone carried a coffin, ten coffins were secretly buried in different places. No one knew which of them contained the queen’s body.
And yet, two more or less coherent legends about Tamarina’s grave have survived. One is Georgian, the other is European.
According to the first, the queen bequeathed to bury her secretly, hiding her final refuge from friends and enemies, so that in the event of an invasion of infidels, which she foresaw, to avoid outrage. Nine funeral carts set off in nine directions, and nine boxwood coffins were buried in nine provinces of a fairly vast kingdom. Sometimes temperamental Georgians go even further and claim that after this, nine young brothers, who performed the “rite” and were devoted to the queen even on the other side of life, pierced each other with swords, so as not to inadvertently give away the secret. But this is perhaps too much...
But here is a European legend: at the beginning of the 13th century, a certain knight of De Bois wrote from the East to the Archbishop of Besançon in France: “Now listen to the news, amazing and important. I learned from rumors, and then established the truth of this matter through trustworthy ambassadors, that from Iberia Christians called Georgens (Georgians - Ed.), with countless cavalry and infantry, inspired by God's assistance, very heavily armed, came out against the infidel pagans and with a quick onslaught they had already taken three hundred fortresses and nine big cities, from which the strong took possession, and the weak were reduced to ashes. Of these cities, one, located on the Euphrates, is considered the most famous and rich of all pagan cities (meaning Erzurum. - Ed.). The owner of that city was the son of the Babylonian Sultan... The above-mentioned are coming to liberate the land of sacred Jerusalem and conquer the entire pagan world. Their noble king is sixteen years old, he is like Alexander in courage and virtue, but not in faith (the author means that Alexander the Great was a pagan, and Georgian king, V in this case Lasha, Georgy, is a Christian. — Approx. ed.). This young man is carrying with him the bones of his mother, the powerful Queen Tamara, who during her lifetime made a vow to visit Jerusalem and asked her son: if she dies without having been there, to take her bones to the Holy Sepulcher. And he, remembering his mother’s request... decided to transport her remains, whether the pagans wanted it or not.”
The mountaineers have a legend that when troubles and sorrows increase, Queen Tamar will come to Georgia again, sit again on her golden throne and console the people. But Queen Tamar, reigning not on earth, but in heaven with her spirit and love, never left Georgia and will never leave it.
Few people have been the subject of so many legends and tales in Georgian history as Queen Tamara. She lives in people's memory, the best poets they sang in odes of her wisdom, piety and beauty. Depicting the slender figure, dark eyes, majestic look and pleasantness of speech. Shota Rustaveli dedicated his immortal poem “The Knight in the Skin of a Tiger” to her.
Biography of Queen Tamara
The time of her reign is rightfully considered the century of prosperity for Georgia. Tamara was the daughter of King George III Bagration and Burdukhan was the daughter of the Ossetian king Khudan.
It is known from the chronicles that when George III, the grandson of David IV the Builder, began to reign, the first child, a girl, was born a few years later. It was Tamara.
In 1184, when her father died, Tamara was 18 years old. An important role in the upbringing and training of the future queen was played by her aunt, her father’s sister Queen Rusudan. She was the daughter-in-law of the Supreme Sultan of the Seljuk family, Sanjar, but when she was widowed, she returned to Georgia, where she played a significant role in state politics.
There was no unanimity among the clergy, dignitaries and nobles on the issue of Tamara’s accession to the throne. A woman at the head of state? Tsar George foresaw this, and during his lifetime in 1179, Tamara was crowned in the Gelati monastery as her father’s co-ruler. She was only 12 years old. It was from this time that she was aware of government affairs, concerns and problems.
The situation with the succession to the throne was difficult. It arose as a consequence of the controversial decisions of David IV the Builder. George III was youngest son Demeter I. At the time of his accession to the throne, the son of George’s elder brother, David V, Prince Demeter, was still a minor.
In 1177, Demeter rebelled to seize the throne. Military detachments from some regions of Georgia joined him. The rebel army numbered about 30 thousand soldiers, but there was no unanimity in their ranks, and George III dealt with the rebels. Prince Demeter, like many of his closest supporters, was executed.
After the suppression of the uprising, George surrounded himself with devoted people, but nevertheless, at the time of Tamara’s accession, the situation inside the country, as well as foreign policy situation, was restless. The integrity and independence of the united kingdom was threatened by the Turkish sultans and emirs, waging wars of conquest in the Middle East and adjacent territories.
There was also a potential threat from the kings of the West. That is why the unification of lands and the search for reliable allies were so important. The Tbilisi royal court had a well-armed army, and this created the conditions for building relations of feudal dependence with less powerful and not so large principalities and kingdoms.
The support of the Church was no less important. Queen Tamara considered the elimination of heresies and the cessation of church troubles to be a matter of state. She returned the Catholicos of Kartli, who, having resigned his rank, fled to Jerusalem and convened a Council to organize the affairs of the Church, eradicate abuses and remove negligent shepherds from their positions.
Bishops, theologians, hermits and monks arrived at the Council. And so, when the Council was coming to an end and some order had been established, and a certain agreement had been reached in spiritual matters, a delegation of spalsalars (military leaders) and eristavis came and demanded to find a spouse for the queen.
About the marriages of Queen Tamara
It was not possible to choose a party from representatives of noble families, since this would cause strife at court and throughout the kingdom. Through the merchants they learned that there was a good party of crowned princes in the Russian lands. Soon the groom arrived to Tamara.
Prince Yuri, son Suzdal prince Andrei Bogolyubsky was orphaned early, his uncle took the throne from him and expelled him from the country, Yuri had to flee to the Kipchaks. Since he was well-born, valiant and pleasant in appearance, it was decided to make him the husband of Queen Tamara.
Writers of everyday life mention that Tamara asked to wait, saying that she needed to see what kind of person he was and what kind of character he was, but the advisers, concerned about the queen’s lack of children and the future of the royal house, rushed the wedding. And soon after the magnificent wedding celebrations ended, Yuri began to show his “Scythian” morals. The husband's character became more and more violent, and his actions were simply inhuman. In constant drunkenness, he indulged in the most base sins.
Tamara endured and forgave her husband for two years, but neither her persuasion nor the exhortations of the monks yielded results, and she was forced to demand a divorce. Yuri was sent to Constantinople, however, he soon gathered an army and moved to Georgia to regain his throne. He occupied Kutaisi and was crowned by his followers, but his army was completely defeated. No reliable information has been preserved about his fate after the battle.
Tamara’s marriage to Prince Yuri remained childless, and, yielding to the insistence of those close to her, in 1188 she married David Soslan, a prince from the Ossetian Bagration dynasty. In the middle of the 11th century, Demeter's son, David, found refuge in Ossetia and became the founder of the Ossetian Bagrations.
This time, there were no surprises in the character of her husband for the queen: David was brought up in the palace of Tamara’s aunt, Queen Rusudan, and Tamara had known him since childhood. He became a valiant commander, went to fight more than once and won resounding victories over the enemy.
Contemporaries believed that this marriage was happy, seeing evidence of this in numerous military victories and the dispersion of internal and external enemies. The only thing that saddened the queen was the absence of children. But this sadness, three years later, gave way to joy: in 1191 Tamara gave birth to a son, who was named George in honor of his grandfather. And, a year later, a daughter was born - she was given the name Rusudan.
Why did you love Queen Tamara?
Annexing new lands, strengthening the kingdom and resisting external threat, Tamara continued the work of her father George III and great-grandfather David IV the Builder. When in 1195 hordes headed by the atabek of Azerbaijan Abu Bakr (1191-1210) from the Ildegizid dynasty moved to Georgia, the queen ordered to gather her troops, pray tirelessly in monasteries, and generously distribute alms to the poor.
The chronicler tells us the words of the queen, with which she addressed the brave knights before decisive battle. Having blessed the soldiers, Tamara visited the Church of the Mother of God in Mtskheta and fell prostrate before the icon, tearfully praying for victory.
In the Battle of Shamkhor on June 1, 1195, the army defeated the enemy and, with military trophies, many prisoners and camels loaded with rich booty, moved towards the capital. The queen solemnly rode out to meet him.
They brought her booty as a gift: precious stones, pearls, weapons and armor, helmets, chain mail, skillfully made and richly decorated, gold-woven clothes and vessels with incense. Among the trophies there were also captured enemy banners. The main trophy is the caliph's banner - Tamara, following family tradition, brought as a gift to the Khakhul Icon Mother of God in the Gelati monastery.
When government concerns allowed, the queen loved to go hunting with her courtiers and household members. They hunted on the banks of Iori and on the banks of the Kura. To relax, they pitched tents and spent time delighting the ears with music, songs and poetry. Another one glorious victory was won by the Georgian army led by David Soslan in the Battle of Basiani on July 27, 1202 over the troops of Sultan Ruknaddin.
The royal treasury was again replenished with gold items, precious stones, pearls, brocade and exquisite fabrics. The chronicler can find a mention that now, with royal court Silver utensils were no longer favored, and dishes, cups and other objects made of crystal, decorated with precious stones, and gold were used.
Tamara donated many of these valuable items to decorate churches and monasteries. Following the traditions of her ancestors, the queen freed the churches from taxes and quitrents. She founded churches and monasteries not only in Georgia, but also in Jerusalem and Palestine, helped the Church in Constantinople a lot, cared for orphans, widows, the sick and infirm.
The most famous object associated with the name of Queen Tamara is the monastery city of Vardzia.
She died around 2013 from illness in the Agary fortress (now the Kojori fortress) in the mountains, not far from Tbilisi, where there was a summer royal residence. The place of her burial is unknown.
The popularity of Queen Tamara was extremely great both during her lifetime and subsequently. She was credited with all the good things, even those things to which she had no direct connection.
Her children will have to experience the bitterness of defeat when internal strife worsens and the country is attacked by the merciless Mongols.
The image of the queen is depicted in the frescoes of the Gelati Monastery, Vardzia and Betania.
Queen Tamara was canonized by the Georgian and Russian Orthodox churches for his actions in Christianizing the North Caucasian highlanders, godly deeds and truly Christian life.
In Svaneti, in folk tradition, she is revered as a healer and they pray to her for deliverance from ailments. Her memorial day is celebrated twice: on May 14 and on the third Sunday after Easter, dedicated to the myrrh-bearing women. In 1892, an asteroid discovered by an Austrian scientist was named in honor of the queen.
About St. Nino - another legendary personality.
The year 2013 was declared by His Holiness Patriarch-Catholicos of All Georgia Ilia II, for, according to most historians, 800 years have passed since this amazing holy ruler of Iberia passed away to the Lord. The portal presents a biography of the holy Queen Tamara, prepared based on extremely interesting Georgian chronicles.
In Georgia, the people have exceptional love for the two holy wives - and the blessed Queen Tamara. Over the centuries that have passed since her death, this love has not weakened at all, and cannot weaken, for Saint Tamara not only exalted Georgia during her earthly reign, but even after her death she only multiplied prayers for her suffering homeland, which was plunged into ruin for many centuries. into the unbearable horror of the Islamic yoke. The very reign of the blessed queen became a real miracle and a gift for Georgia, since it was in this fragile, unusually beautiful woman that the Georgians found their best ruler, fair and merciful, not femininely wise, but angelically judicious. And most importantly, it was in her that they found the eternal, until the very Last Judgment a vigilant prayer book and representative at the Throne of God.
Two major works have survived to our time, in which the holy queen’s contemporaries describe her life and reign. The first of them - “The Life of the Queen of Queens Tamar” - was written, according to the most authoritative Georgian researchers, by a close associate of Queen Basili Ezosmodzgvari. In this work, attention is paid primarily to the moral character of the saint, which, in fact, should be most consistent with the hagiographic genre. Another work, “History and Praise of the Crowned People,” was written by a man more secular in spirit than the author of “The Life of the Queen of Queens,” but also an eyewitness to most of the events he describes. It is replete with detailed geographical information, descriptions of battles and state councils. Together, both of these works recreate the life of the era in question in sufficient detail. All other information about the life of Saint Tamara is contained in separate surviving decrees and documents like deeds of gift. Fortunately, both works were translated into Russian in the first half of the 20th century, so we can rely on primary sources, detailed information which you can read about in the relevant articles.
The Life of the Holy Blessed Queen Tamara
Childhood and youth
Holy Queen Tamara (1166-1213) came from the Bagratid family, which, according to established Georgian tradition, is usually traced back to the descendants of King David. The author of “History and Praise of the Crowned Bearers” at the very beginning of his narrative writes that he will “broadcast “praise of praise” to the one who came from the seed of Solomon,” for she “fully corresponded to her ancestors - the Davidids, Khosrovids and Pankratids.”
The father of Saint Tamara was the “king of kings” George, the grandson of the famous Saint David the Builder. He fought a lot with the Mohammedans. Under him, the borders of Georgia were further expanded, so that “the Greek, Alemannic in Jerusalem, Roman, Indian and Chinese kings brought him gifts and fraternized with him; the sultans of Khvarasan, Babylon, Sham, Egypt and Iconium served him.” Burdukhan, the mother of Saint Tamara, was beautiful and smart. From such parents came the one who was to become the adornment of Georgia, and indeed the entire Mediterranean.
In 1178, George, having gathered representatives of his seven kingdoms, with the consent of the patriarchs and all bishops, nobles, military leaders and generals, declared Tamara queen.
Two marriages and confirmation on the throne
From the very beginning of her reign, Tamara showed remarkable intelligence, being concerned, first of all, with electing the most worthy persons to the positions of viziers and military leaders. During this time, Tamara provided the bishops with donations, freeing the churches from dues and taxes. According to the chronicler, “during her reign, farmers became aznaurs, aznaurs became nobles, and the latter became rulers.”
She made Antony Glonistavisdze from Gareji and the two sons of Amirspasalar Mkhargrdzeli: Zacharia and Ivane her close associates. Although they were Armenians by faith, they highly revered Orthodoxy, so that one of them - Ivane - subsequently “understood the crookedness of the Armenian faith, crossed himself and became a true Christian.” In the future, all these people will show their best sides.
However, not everyone appreciated the tenacious mind of the young queen. Some of the highest officials conspired to rise even higher and not to miss new ones close to them higher up. career ladder. Minister of Finance Kutlu-Arslan openly proposed creating some kind of parliament that would deal with the affairs of government, and Tamara’s power would be reduced only to the formal approval of all the laws they adopted. The queen detained the minister, the military stood up for him, but through negotiations the situation was resolved.
In 1185, by unanimous decision of the Patriarch, bishops and courtiers, it was decided to find a husband for young Tamara. For this purpose, the merchant Zerubbabel was sent to Rus', “due to the belonging of the Russian tribes to Christianity and Orthodoxy.” Arriving in Rus' and meeting George, the son of the holy martyr Andrei Bogolyubsky, “a valiant youth, perfect in physique and pleasant to contemplate,” Zankan brought him to Georgia. Everyone approved of the groom’s choice, but Tamara, judicious beyond her age, said: “How can you take such a rash step? Let me wait until you see his advantages or disadvantages.” But the courtiers insisted on their decision, forced her consent and arranged a wedding.
A little later, Tamara’s fears were justified: our compatriot, alas, proved himself to be a drunkard who committed “many indecent things.” For two and a half years the saint endured her husband’s vices, addressed him through worthy monks, and then she herself began to denounce him face to face. But George became even more furious and began to commit more destructive offenses. Then Tamara, “shedding tears, sent him into exile, providing him with untold wealth and jewelry.” In 1187, George settled in Constantinople.
Thanks to her natural beauty, intelligence and charm, the saint became a desired bride for many kings and princes from all over the world. The eldest son of the Byzantine emperor Manuel almost went crazy because of her. Several sultans were ready to betray Islam just to win her hand. But Tamara remained adamant, because. Due to her innate craving for purity, she generally wanted to remain celibate.
However, the courtiers were worried about the lack of an heir, and only for his sake did the saint agree to marry the Ossetian prince David, a pupil of her aunt Rusudan, in 1188. This marriage turned out to be successful. In David, Saint Tamara found a wonderful husband and a fearless military leader. Contemporaries said about his abilities that “this David, within one year, surpassed everyone in everything that comes from the hands of man.” Soon Tamara gave birth to an heir, whom she named after her grandfather George, and then a daughter, whom she named after her aunt - Rusudan.
Having learned about the marriage of Saint Tamara, the Russian prince decided to compete for the lost throne. He left Constantinople and came to the country of Ezinkan. There he was joined by numerous traitors. Having gathered a large army, they went to war against Tamara, but were defeated in a night battle at the Kura River. The saint showed mercy and did not execute any of the traitors, even releasing her ex-husband.
George twice after this tried to regain the Georgian throne, but each time he was defeated by vassals loyal to Tamara.
State achievements
The reign became a time of prosperity not only for Georgia, but also for the surrounding peoples. According to the chronicler, “she sat as a judge between neighboring kings, making sure that no one started wars or tried to throw the yoke of violence on each other.” At the same time, she herself never relaxed from the action of time and did not show disdain for management. And it was during her reign that Georgia achieved such glory and power that it had never possessed before or since.
The enumeration of the cities she took alone could fill a whole book. And therefore we will dwell in detail only on two brilliant victories, which she defeated over those who, out of hatred for Christianity, wanted to wipe Georgia off the face of the earth.
Caliph Abu Bakr, who hated Christianity, “opened the ancient treasuries” to gather a huge army from India, Samarkand and Derbent and move to Georgia. There were so many troops he collected that, according to the chronicler, they “did not have the opportunity to fit into one country.” Having learned about the impending invasion, Saint Tamara ordered the dissemination of a decree so that an army would immediately gather, that all-night vigils and litias would be held in all churches and monasteries, and that the courtiers would send “more money and everything necessary for the poor.” In ten days they managed to gather a considerable army. The saint turned to the soldiers: “My brothers, do not be afraid because there are so many of them, and you are few, because God is with us.” After which she entrusted them to God, and she herself took off her shoes and came barefoot to the Church of the Mother of God in Metekhi, where, falling in front of the holy icon, she did not stop praying with tears.
The Georgians were the first to attack the enemy. Seeing the Islamic forces between Gandza and Shamkhor, they dismounted, bowed to God and prayed before the Holy Cross with tears, and then struck the enemies and won. The number of prisoners was so great that they were sold for a wooden measure of flour.
“Did Tamar’s heart become proud?” the biography writer asks her and immediately answers: “On the contrary, she became even more humble before God.”
In 1202, the Sultan of Rum Rukn ad-Din spoke out against Saint Tamara, who feignedly entered into a series of relations with her peace treaties, and at that time he himself was recruiting troops throughout Ecumene: in Mesopotamia and Kalonero, in Galatia, Gangra, Ankyria, Isauria, Cappadocia, Great Armenia, Bithynia and on the borders of Paphlagonia.
Rukn-ad-Din, seeing the army he had assembled, sent an envoy to Tamara: “I, Rukn-ad-Din, the Sultan of all the heavens, co-seating with God, I notify you, the queen of Georgia, Tamara. I am going so that you will never dare to take up the sword again. And I will give life only to the one who professes the faith of the Prophet Muhammad, rejects your faith and begins to break the cross with his own hand. Expect reprisals from me for the misfortune you brought upon Muslims.” Tamara, placing all her trust in God, called the courtiers and began to confer with them “not like a woman and not with disregard for the dictates of reason.” In a few days it was possible to gather soldiers who first headed to the temple Holy Mother of God in Vardzia. The queen entrusted her husband and his entire army to the Mother of God, and wrote a letter to the Sultan: “Having entrusted myself to Almighty God the Almighty and eternally praying to the Virgin Mary and trusting with faith in the honorable Cross, I read your message, which angers God, Nucardin. Anyone who falsely swears in the name of the Lord will be wiped off the face of the earth by God. I am sending a Christ-loving army to crush your pride and arrogance." The soldiers bowed to the Life-Giving Cross and went on a campaign, and the queen devoted herself to fasting and prayer.
When the Georgian troops arrived in Basiani, they saw that the Sultan had no guards posted. They attacked first, the Turks abandoned their camp and rushed to the fortifications. The Georgians surrounded them and frightened them so much that the defeated themselves tied up their fellow tribesmen. The townspeople decorated Tbilisi for the arrival of the king and queen, and they entered the city with the banner of Rukn ad-Din. The royal treasuries were filled with gold and golden utensils.
It is interesting that through the efforts of Queen Tamara, the entire Trebizond Empire was established, which appeared in 1204 after. As you know, Saint Tamara patronized a lot. One day, many monks came to her from the Black Mountain, Cyprus and other places. The saint gave them a large number of gold. When the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Angelos saw it, he took it away from the monks. The queen sent gold to the venerable fathers in another more. At the same time, angry with the Greek king, she sent an army from Western Georgia to the Greek possessions, so that the Georgians took Lazika, Trebizond, Limon, Samison, Sinop, Kerasund, Kitiora, Amastris, Araklia and all the lands of Paphlagonia and Pontus from the Greeks. Over all these lands she placed her distant relative Alexius Komnenos, who became the emperor of the Trebizond Empire.
The rise of Georgian culture
Immediately after her election, Saint Tamara expressed her will that a church council be convened. She called Nikolai Gulaberisdze from Jerusalem, who, due to his modesty, at one time fled the rank of Catholicos of Kartli. When he arrived in Kartli, she gathered all the clergy, monks and hermits of her kingdom and people, experts in the law of God, striving to ensure that the evil seeds that had sprouted in the soil of Orthodoxy were destroyed in her kingdom. Having gathered everyone for the Council in one room and seated them on thrones, the queen sat down at a distance and said: “Oh, holy fathers, examine everything well and confirm what is straight and drive out what is crooked. Do not be partial to princes because of their wealth, and do not despise the poor because of their poverty. You in word, and I in deed, you in teaching, and I in teaching, you in instruction, and I in institution, let us all give each other a helping hand in order to keep God’s laws undefiled.”
The queen did everything to ensure that during her reign the rite of church service was carried out in full, according to the instructions of the Typikon and according to the Rules of the Palestinian monasteries.
Saint Tamara cared a lot about landscaping God's temples. In the palace itself, vigils and prayers were continuously served, and the Bloodless Sacrifice was offered. During this period, the churches of Ikorta and Kvatakhevi were built in Kartli, and Lurji Monastery in Tbilisi. Only the ruins of the once magnificent Geguta Palace have reached us. A unique monument The 12th century is a rock-hewn monastery complex in Javakheti. This is a fortified city, which consists of several hundred caves. Near Vardzia there is also the Vakhan Monastery carved into the rock. ABOUT high level engineering art is evidenced by the Besletsky, Rkonsky bridges and the Dandalo bridge.
She also sent her confidants all over the world, asking them: “Go around, starting from Alexandria, all of Libya and Mount Sinai.” She grieved over the needs of the churches, monasteries and Christian peoples of those countries, sent chalices, paten, covers for shrines and innumerable gold for monks and beggars. She did the same in the regions of Hellas and the Holy Mountain, also in Macedonia and Bulgaria, in the regions of Thrace and in monasteries of Constantinople, in Isauria and all around the Black Mountain and Cyprus.
In general, the very time of the reign of Saint Tamara became the “Golden Age” of Georgian culture. Even if we do not mention the names of Chakhrukhadze and Shavteli, who wrote “Tamariani” and “Abdul-Messiah,” little known to the Russian reader, everyone is familiar with the most famous Georgian poetic work"The Knight in Tiger's Skin." It is interesting that its author, the brilliant Shote Rustaveli, according to one version, was hopelessly in love with his mistress and brought out her bright image in the personality of one of the heroines of his great poem.
Death and posthumous veneration
In 1206, the husband of Saint Tamara, David Soslan, died, a man “full of all goodness, divine and human, beautiful in appearance, brave and courageous in battles and war, generous, humble and exalted in virtues.”
The saint made her son George Lasha her co-ruler, and she herself, according to the inevitable law of the universe, began to prepare for death. First she took care of state affairs and managed them, then she managed church and monastic affairs. It was then that she developed an unknown illness. All human art turned out to be in vain. Everywhere lithiums and continuous all-night vigils were served for her health, and one could see “how tears shed equally from both the rich and the poor.” People cried out to God: “If only she alone would remain alive, but destroy us all!”
Wise Tamara called to her all the eminent people of the kingdom: “My brothers and children! So I am called by the Terrible Judge. I kept love for you in my heart. I pray to all of you to do good deeds and remember me. I leave you my children, George and Rusudan, as heirs of my house; accept them in my place.” After which she turned to God: “Christ, my One God, I entrust to You this kingdom, which You have entrusted to me, and this people, redeemed by Your honest Blood, and these children of mine, whom You have given me, and then my soul.”
The ashes of Saint Tamara were placed in the cathedral in Mtskheta for several days, and then buried in Gelati in the Bagrationi family tomb. However, no one knows where her relics actually rest. Knowing that the enemies of Christ would want to take revenge on her after death, she bequeathed to bury herself secretly so that the grave would remain hidden from the world. At night, ten detachments left the gates of the castle where Queen Tamara died. Everyone carried a coffin, ten coffins were secretly buried in different places. No one knew which of them contained the queen’s body. According to one legend, she was buried in the Gelati monastery. Another claims that she was buried in the Cross Monastery of Jerusalem, since she made a promise to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but during her lifetime she could not do this, and the new king Lasha fulfilled cherished wish to his mother.
Moral qualities holy queen
The name of Saint Tamara spread everywhere, like “the name of the angel of the four corners of the world, from east to west, from north to south.”
People loved her without regard and the animals themselves obeyed her. Once the Sultan sent her a lion cub as a gift; he grew up in the palace and became so attached to the saint that when he - already a huge, ferocious-looking lion - was taken out for a walk, he put his muzzle on her lap and caressed her like the lion of the Monk Gerasim. When they took him away, he cried profusely, flooding the ground with tears.
Saint Tamara made every effort to “her human nature remained simple, according to the nature of her internal make-up, without connection with passions.” She turned out to be wiser than Solomon, for she loved God and began to shun all the temptations of the world. To the surprise of everyone, she “spent the whole night standing on her feet, staying awake, praying, bowing and tearful supplications to the Lord, as well as doing needlework to help the poor.” She possessed the beginning of all good things - she was imbued with fear of the Almighty and served God faithfully. The prayer services and vigils performed in her palace, according to the chronicler, “exceeded the prayers of Theodosius the Great and even the hermits.”
The saint spent the days of her life in joy because she herself brought joy to all the poor and weak every day. She placed faithful caretakers over the poor. She gave a tenth of all state income - external and internal - to the poor and made sure that not even one grain of barley was lost.
In all of Georgia it was impossible to meet a single person who, with her knowledge, had been subjected to violence. During the 31 years of her reign, by her order, no one was punished even with a whip.
It is impossible to describe her love for priests and monks. Before her there were always people who followed the rules of a righteous life.
Saint Tamara became one of the saints closest to the entire Orthodox world. It is not for nothing that so many women not only in Georgia, but also in Russia bear her name. Caring for her beloved Georgia, during her lifetime she did not forget about Byzantium and the Orthodox Slavic countries, sending help to Christians languishing in captivity, establishing magnificent monasteries and churches. Moreover, now, after death, she has become an intercessor for all of us. Her wisdom in governing the country had a truly Divine basis and is therefore very useful for all of us to study.
Finally, the love for God revealed in her life, the trust in His holy will and Providence is an example to all of us who are looking forward to the life of the next century, which through the prayers of the holy, blessed Queen Tamara, may the All-Merciful Lord, who so generously rewarded His servant, honor us!
Among Georgians who speak Russian, it is customary to call Saint Tamara Queen Tamar.
See Russian translation: Life of the Queen of Queens Tamar / Trans. and input V.D. Dondua. Research and note. M. M. Berdzenishvili. - Tb.: Metsniereba, 1985.
The life of the queen of queens Tamar. pp. 6–8.
See Russian translation: History and praise of the crown bearers / Trans. and input K.S. Kekelidze. - Tb.: AN Georgian SSR, 1954.
“I have now conveyed to History and Vasylography, which means “The Story of the Kings,” only what I either saw myself or heard from wise and reasonable people.”
History and praise of the crowned people. pp. 5–12; The life of the queen of queens Tamar. pp. 6–24.
The exact years of the life of the holy Queen Tamara are still discussed among historians. Cm. Berdznishvili M. M. About the author and time of writing “The Life of the Queen of Queens Tamar” // Life of the Queen of Queens Tamar. P. 18.