16 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Georgia’s Queen of Kings “Tamar the Great”

Queen Tamar (1160-1235 CE) reigned during Georgia’s Golden Age, when the country’s frontiers stretched from the Black Sea to the Caspian, over the mountainous Caucasus to the north, and into modern-day Armenia and Iran to the south.

She was regarded as a wise patron of culture, arts, and sciences, a devoted follower of the Christian Church, and a formidable warrior queen in her own day and throughout history. Georgia was governed by several queens, but only Tamar was given the title of “mepe,” or “king.” She was dubbed “Queen of Kings, Glory of the World, Kingdom, and Faith, Queen of Queens” by her contemporaries.

The daughter of King George III and Queen Burdukhan of Georgia, Tamar was born in 1166. Her status as King George III’s heir was unique: a woman had never governed Georgia before, but her father determined in designating her his heir, declaring, “it matters not if a lion is male or female.” While he was still alive, he proclaimed Tamar queen and vowed that they would reign jointly. George III thought that by doing so, he would be able to teach Tamar the art of monarchy while also securing her succession. Tamar, on the other hand, gave her first political test just after her father’s death in 1184.

She forged connections with other senior royals as well as the head of the Georgian Church, Michael IV Mirianisdze, to strengthen her claim to the throne. Tamar was pushed into an unhappy marriage with the Rus Prince Yuri initially, but she later publicly accused him of drinking and sodomy. The nobility was obliged to sanction her divorce, and the humiliated Yuri was deported to Constantinople.

Beauty Queen Tamar
Tamar was as beautiful as she was smart, according to all contemporary chronicles.

Despite Yuri’s attempts to return again, Tamar found herself a new suitor – the Alan prince David Soslan – and the two of them kept him at bay.

Tamar started on an ambitious plan of expansion, leveraging her new husband’s previous experience as a military commander to develop and implement daring initiatives. She also had two children by David Soslan, a descendant of the noble Bagrationi family.

She was able to establish a new empire at Trebizond (Turkey) in 1204, extending down the Black Sea coast, and she used the crumbling Byzantine Empire to enhance Georgia’s reputation and power on the world scene. Tamar’s envoys were welcomed as far as Jerusalem, where, unlike other Christian visitors, they were given free passage.

However, Tamar’s achievements were not limited to the battlefield. She was a brilliant reformer who was able to unite various kingdoms and principalities inside Georgia, ushering in the country’s Golden Age.

Shota Rustavelli, Georgia's most famous poet, dedicated his epic poem "The Knight in the Panther Skin," to Tamar during her reign.
Shota Rustavelli, Georgia’s most famous poet, dedicated his epic poem “The Knight in the Panther Skin,” to Tamar during her reign.

Georgian culture thrived under Queen Tamar’s rule. Tamar was really interested in construction. She funded the building of several of Georgia’s beautiful cathedrals and churches, as well as the intriguing Vardzia Caves Monastery. The queen was an enthusiastic patroness of science and learning, as well as poets and authors. Shota Rustavelli, Georgia’s most famous poet, dedicated his epic poem “The Knight in the Panther Skin,” to Tamar during her reign.

Tamar was as beautiful as she was smart, according to all contemporary chronicles. Superlatives abound in descriptions of her physical characteristics, and even two-dimensional, other-worldly depictions of her in ancient icons and frescoes on the walls of Georgia’s magnificent cathedrals depict an attractive young woman with abundant dark hair, a swan-like neck, emotional, intelligent eyes, and dressed in elegant robes. She is a beloved saint of the Orthodox Church, numerous churches and cathedrals bear her name, as do countless girls and women in the Caucuses.

The location of Queen Tamar’s tomb is a mystery that has spawned various legends similar to those of Arthur of Camelot. Some claim her ashes were transferred to Jerusalem for safekeeping. Others claim Tamar is alive and well, sleeping in a cave deep in the Caucasus. She will awaken and emerge from the cave one day, ushering in a new Golden Age for Georgia.

Source: Lordkipanidze, M. Georgia in the 11th-12th Centuries. Ganatleba Publishers, 1987.

Rapp, S. Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography. Peeters Publishers, 2003.

Related Articles

Jade Burial Suits of the Han Dynasty

12 September 2021

12 September 2021

Threaded hand-crafted from thousands of precious stone slabs with silver and gold during the Han Dynasty about 2000 years ago,...

Bristol Redcliff Quarter’s outstanding medieval knife

17 May 2022

17 May 2022

In 2017 and 2018, Cotswold Archeology and Oxford Archeology, in a joint venture, undertook excavations ahead of redevelopment at Redcliff...

India’s Ancient ‘Dwarf Chambers’: Hire Benkal’s 2,500-Year-Old Mysterious Megalithic Legacy

26 July 2025

26 July 2025

Tucked away in the rugged granite hills of Karnataka lies Hire Benkal, a vast prehistoric necropolis that silently guards the...

“Oracle Bone Inscriptions”, the world’s oldest writing system that has not disappeared in history

5 June 2023

5 June 2023

“Jiaguwen,” or the oracle bone inscriptions, are thought to be the earliest fully-developed characters as well as the source of...

Forged 5,000 Years Ago: The World’s Oldest Swords Discovered at Arslantepe Mound, Türkiye

10 June 2025

10 June 2025

In the arid plains of Eastern Anatolia, nestled along the western bank of the Euphrates River near Malatya, Turkey, lies...

Seven Roman altars multicolored in the Great Northern Museum

12 November 2021

12 November 2021

We know that the ancient world is now very colorful. But these colors weren’t just limited to robes and other...

A Pagan cemetery belongs to the Late Roman Empire period in Istanbul

12 June 2022

12 June 2022

During the restoration of the ancient Sheikh Suleiman Mosque, which was restored as part of the Med-Art Education Project by...

Derinkuyu: A Subterranean Marvel of Ancient Engineering with 18 Levels and Capacity for 20,000 Inhabitants

2 May 2025

2 May 2025

Beneath the sun-drenched plains of Cappadocia, where otherworldly “fairy chimney” rock formations pierce the sky, lies a secret world carved...

Tutankhamun of Kazakhstan, “Golden Man”

1 August 2024

1 August 2024

The Golden Man, the main symbol of Kazakhstan’s independence, is a warrior’s costume from about the 5th century BC that...

The Ephesus Massacre: 80,000 Romans Slaughtered in a Single Night of Blood and Betrayal

29 May 2025

29 May 2025

The Ephesus Massacre saw 80,000 or more Romans killed overnight during the Asiatic Vespers — one of the deadliest uprisings...

2000-Year-Old Marvel: The Mystery of the Parthian Battery

1 March 2024

1 March 2024

The Parthian Battery is believed to be about 2000 years old (from the Parthian period, roughly 250 BCE to CE...

500-year-old Inca mummy, as if in a deep sleep “La Doncella”

24 August 2021

24 August 2021

Three Inca mummies found near the high Volcán Llullaillaco peak in Argentina in 1999 stunned all scientists. The 3 Incas...

Ancient musical instrument “Chang” symbolizing Azerbaijan’s rich cultural heritage

16 March 2022

16 March 2022

Harp is a world-famous, ancient, stringed musical instrument. Chang, in terms of structure, is a harp-like stringed musical instrument. The...

The 1000-year Curse of the Croatian King Zvonimir

26 September 2023

26 September 2023

Croatia is a fascinating country that continually rises up people’s must-visit lists thanks to its sparkling Adriatic coastline, 1,244 islands,...

A Byzantine Princess, a Mongol Khan, and a Church: The Bloody Church and Its Unknown History

13 May 2025

13 May 2025

Nestled at the base of the imposing Phanar Greek Orthodox College, a landmark intrinsically linked to the panoramic vistas of...