The style of the Georgian sovereign (Georgian: ქართველი მეფის წოდება, romanized: kartveli mepis ts'odeba) refers to the formal mode of address to a Georgian monarch (mepe) that evolved and changed many times since the establishment of the ancient Kingdom of Iberia, its transformation to the unified Kingdom of Georgia and its successive monarchies after the disintegration of the realm.
Pre-Christian Georgian monarchs of the Pharnavazid dynasty were divinely assigned pharnah and its loss usually led to the monarch's imminent death or overthrow in Georgian kingship.[a] Introductory part of the style for the monarchs from the Bagrationi dynasty always started with "By the Grace of God, We, of Jesse, David, Solomon, Bagrationi, Supreme by God, anointed and crowned by God", underlining their divine right and claim for biblical descent. The consolidation of the deified Bagrationi dynasty and its unprecedented political unification of lands, would inaugurate the Georgian Golden Age and creation of the only medieval pan-Caucasian empire that would rule for a thousand years. Georgian monarchs would have intense religious and political competition with the Byzantine emperors, saw themselves as the successors of the emperor Constantine the Great and even as rulers of a new Byzantium based in the Caucasus, whence the clergy would view the Georgian Orthodoxy as an "imperial church" that would fight the heretics. Even though unprecedentedly "Byzantinized Georgia" entertained its powerful neighbor's concepts and models of Constantinopolitan bureaucracy and aristocracy, it was never slavishly adopted or mimicked; rather, it was creatively and deliberately adapted to the local culture and environment. At the same time, the rulers of Christian Georgia would still be embracing the traditional influences of the Persian Shahnameh and Arabic legends that would remain strong and intact; some of their styles would even become Islamic[m] in type. As the Crown would be gathering additional lands the style would continue to expand, but remain distinctly enumerated and include all the subjects of the Georgian monarch. Even after the collapse of the unified kingdom, Georgian kings would continue to emblazon themselves with the former imperial style and they would stake the claim to be the absolute rulers of all-Georgia. This imperial legacy of the Bagrations continues to bear fruit even today, with its self-image as the unrivalled pinnacle of the Georgian politics, culture and society.
According to the chronicler of Queen Tamar, verbally insulting a monarch was punishable with tongue mutilation and decapitation, always carried out by non-Georgian executioners. Even though the capital punishment was extremely rare in high medieval Georgia, the royal court would never pardon the insult towards a monarch. King Vakhtang VI, however, maintained that there was no official punishment for lèse-majesté.
Style
Sovereigns of Iberia
| Style | Sovereign |
|---|---|
| King of all Kartli and Eguri.[b] | King Pharnavaz I |
| King of the Iberians.[c] | King Artoces |
| King of the Iberians. | King Pharnavaz II |
| King of the Iberians. | King Artaxias II |
| Great King of Iberia. | King Pharasmanes I |
| King of the Iberians.[d] | King Mihrdat I |
| King of Iberia.[e] | King Pharasmanes II |
| Great King of the Iberians. | King Ghadam |
| Great King of the Iberians. | King Amazasp II |
| King of the Iberians. | King Aspacures I |
| King of Iberia, Somkhiti, Rani, Hereti, Movakani and Colchis. | King Mirian III |
| King of the Iberians. | King Mihrdat V |
| King of Iberia, King of the Ten Kings. | King Vakhtang I |
| King of the Iberians. | King Bacurius III |
| King of the Iberians. | King Adarnase IV |
| King of the Iberians. | King David II |
| King of the Iberians. | King Bagrat II |
| King of the Iberians, the kouropalates of all the East, the eye of Orthodoxy. | King David III |
| King of Kings of the Iberians. | King Gurgen |
Sovereigns of the united Georgia
| Style | Sovereign |
|---|---|
| King of the Abkhazians[h] and Iberians, of Tao, and of the Ranis and Kakhetians,[n] and the great kouropalates of all the East. | King Bagrat III |
| King of the Abkhazians and Iberians, the kourapalates of all the East. | King George I |
| King of Kings, of the Abkhazians and Iberians, strong and invincible, the nobilissimus of all the East, the kouropalates, the sebastos, the Orthodox king. | King Bagrat IV |
| King of the Abkhazians and Iberians, the nobilissimus, the sebastos, the caesar of all the East and the West. | King George II |
| King of Kings, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis,[n] Kakhetians,[n] Armenians,[j] of Shaki, Alania and the Rus, Sword of the Messiah,[f] emperor (basileus) of all the East, the invincible, servant and defender of God, the Orthodox king. | King David IV |
| King of Kings, Sword of the Messiah, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, king of all the East. | King Demetrius I |
| King of Kings, sword of the Messiah. | King David V |
| King of Kings, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians, Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah,[g][m] master of the East and the North, son of Demetre, sword of the Messiah, son of King of Kings. | King George III |
| King of Kings, Queen of Queens, empress (autokrator) of all the East and West, champion[i] of the Messiah, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians, and Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah, the great queen, the Glory of the World and of the Faith, daughter of the great King of Kings, sovereign of Christendom. | Queen Tamar I |
| King of Kings, son of Tamar, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah, the Sovereign of all the East and the West, sword of the Messiah, lord of the Javakhians, the great king, glory of the world and faith. | King George IV |
| Queen of Kings and Queens, the glory of the world, kingdom and of the faith, daughter of Tamar, champion[i] of the Messiah. | Queen Rusudan |
| King of Kings, son of King of Kings Rusudan, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah, the Sovereign of all Georgia and the North, slave of Qaan, of the ruler of the world, David the king. | King David VI |
| King of Kings, son of Giorgi, sword of the Messiah. | King David VII |
| King of Kings, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. | King David VIII |
| King, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. | King Vakhtang III |
| King of Kings of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians, Armenians, Shahanshah and Shirvanshah, of the East and the West, of the South and the North, of both countries, of two[q] thrones and crowns, the godlike Suzerain and the Sovereign. | King George V |
| King of Kings of all. | King David IX |
| King of Kings of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shahanshah and Shirvanshah, the Suzerain and Sovereign of all the North, the East and the West, descendant of Gorgasali. | King Bagrat V |
| King of Kings of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah, of all Georgia, of all the East and the West, of the North, the Sovereign and Suzerain of two[q] kingdoms, the ruler of all, the victorious king. | King George VII |
| King of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah of all the East and North, the Sovereign. | King Constantine I |
| King of Kings, of many, Shirvanshah, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians, Armenians, of all Georgia and the North, of the West and the East, the Suzerain and Sovereign of two[q] golden thrones and all the lands. | King Alexander I |
| King of Kings, Suzerain and Sovereign of two[q] thrones and kingdoms, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, descendant of Nimrod, slave of God. | King George VIII |
| King of Kings, strong and invincible, majestic and protector of the holy kingdom, of the Jikians, Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shirvanshah, of all the East and the West, of all Georgia, of all the North, the Suzerain and Sovereign of the throne. | King Bagrat VI |
Sovereigns of Kartli
| Style | Sovereign |
|---|---|
| King of Kings, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians, Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah. | King Simon I |
| King of Kings and Sovereign of Kartli. | King George X |
| King of Kings and Sovereign of Kartli. | King Rostom |
| King of Kings and Sovereign of Kartli. | King Vakhtang V |
| King of Kings and Sovereign of Kartli. | King Luarsab II |
| King of Kings and Sovereign of Kartli, by will of God, by mercy of Shah Abbas. | King Bagrat VII |
| King of Kings of Kartli, by will of God, by order of Shah Abbas. | King Simon II |
| King of Kings, Suzerain and Sovereign of Kartli. | King George XI |
| King and Sovereign of Kartli, Lord of all Georgia. | King Vakhtang VI |
| Queen of Queens. | Queen Tamar II |
Sovereigns of Kakheti
| Style | Sovereign |
|---|---|
| King and Sovereign of Kakheti. | King Levan |
| King of Kings, Suzerain and Sovereign of Kakheti. | King Alexander II |
| King and Sovereign of Kakheti. | King Teimuraz I |
| King of Imereti and Kakheti.[o] | King Archil |
| King of Kings, Suzerain and Sovereign of Kakheti. | King Heraclius I |
| King of Kings, Sovereign of Kakheti, son of Great King and High Sovereign of Iran. | King David II |
| King of Kings, Sovereign of Kakheti, Beglarbeg of Yerevan, Lord of Shamshadin and Qazax. | King Constantine II |
| King of Kings, Suzerain and Sovereign of Kartli, Kakheti, Lord of Qazax and Borchali. | King Teimuraz II |
Sovereigns of Imereti
| Style | Sovereign |
|---|---|
| King of Kings, Suzerain and Sovereign of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shahanshah and Shirvanshah, of all the East and the West, the South and the North, of both two[q] thrones and kingdoms. | King Alexander II |
| King of Kings and the Sovereign of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shahanshah and Shirvanshah, of the East and the West. | King Bagrat III |
| King of Kings, Suzerain and Sovereign of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians and Armenians, Shahanshah and Shirvanshah, of all the East and the West, the South and the North, of both two[q] kingdoms and countries, the High King, Godly anointed and invincible, the most excellent King of all, of the most brilliant purple crown, son of Great, all-powerful and invincible King of Kings. | King George II |
| King of Kings, the Sovereign of both two[q] thrones. | King Levan |
| King of Kings, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Kakhetians, Armenians, Shahanshah and Shirvanshah, of all the East and the West, the South and the North, the Sovereign of both two[q] thrones and countries, Godly given and anointed, great and invincible, the most excellent King of all, of the brilliant sceptre and a purple crown. | King Rostom |
| King of Kings, the Sovereign, of the Abkhazians, Iberians, Ranis, Kakhetians, Armenians, Shahanshah and Shirvanshah of all the other kings and countries, strong and invincible, supreme by God and unyielding by God. | King George III |
| King of Kings, the Sovereign. | King Alexander III |
| King of Imereti and Kakheti.[o] | King Archil |
| King of Kings, the King. | King Alexander V |
| King of Kings, Suzerain and Sovereign of all Imereti. | King Solomon I |
| King of Kings of all Imereti. | King David II |
| King of all Imeretians. | King Solomon II |
Sovereigns of Kartli—Kakheti
| Style | Sovereign |
|---|---|
| King of Kartli, Kakheti and all Georgia, successor sovereign and lord of Samtskhe-Saatabago, the mtavari of Qazax, Borchali, Shamshadin, Qax, Shaki, Shirvan, sovereign and ruler of Ganja and Erivan. | King Heraclius II |
| King of all Georgia, King of all Kartli, Kakheti and all the other lands, the Lord. | King George XII |
See also
- Georgian Crown Jewels
- Monarchism in Georgia
Bibliography
- The Georgian Chronicles, Life of the Georgian kings, royal annals
- Eastmond, A. (1998) Royal imagery in medieval Georgia, Pennsylvania State University, ISBN 0-271-01628-0
- Zagareli, A. (1898) Gramoty i drugie istoricheskie dokumenty XVIII stoletia, otnosieschia k Gruzii: Vol. 1, Gruzinskie teksty s 1765 po 1774 god, Komissiia pechataniia gosudarstvennykh gramot i dogovorov, Tip. V. Kirshbauma, Moscow
- Javakhishvili, I. (1929) History of the Georgian Justice, Vol. II, Tiflis
- Rapp, S. H. Jr. (1997) Imagining History at the Crossroads: Persia, Byzantium, and the Architects of the Written Georgian Past, Volume II, University of Michigan
- Rapp, S. H. Jr. (2014) Caucasia and Byzantine Culture, Edited by Dean Sakel, Ankara
- Rapp, S. H. Jr. (2016) The Sasanian World Through Georgian Eyes, Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature, Sam Houston State University, USA, Routledge, ISBN 9781472425522
- Rayfield, D. (2013) Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia, Reaktion Books, ISBN 9781780230702
- Bakhtadze, M. (2015) Georgian titles of the Bagrationi rulers of Tao-Klarjeti, Institute of the Georgian History, Tbilisi State University, ISSN 1987-9970
- Khakhanov, A. (1895) Title, coronation and regalia of the Georgian kings, Tbilisi
- Takaishvili, E. (1909) The Georgian Antiquities, Georgian History and Ethnography, Volume II, Tbilisi
- Takaishvili, E. (1910) The Georgian Antiquities, Georgian History and Ethnography, Volume III, Tbilisi
- Kakabadze, S. (1921) Diplomata ecclesiastica Georgiae occidentalis, Monumenta Georgica, V, Tbilisi State University
- Dundua, T. & Tavadze, L. (2017) Imperial Titulature of the Georgian Kings, Tbilisi State University
- Silogava, V. (1984) Georgian Historical Documents of IX-XIII centuries, Vol. I, Metsniereba Publishing, Tbilisi
- Kartvelishvili, T. Jojua, T. Baindurashvili, Kh. Gelashvili, I. Gogoladze, T. & Shaorshadze, M. (2019) Sources of the XVII century about the Kings of Kartli and Kakheti, Vol. I, Tbilisi, ISBN 978-9941-9677-8-8
- Dolidze, I. (1965) Georgian monuments of Law, V. II, Metsniereba Publishing, Tbilisi
- Paghava, I. (2012) Rediscovering the Specie of Davit IV the Builder (1089-1125), King of Kings and Sword of Messiah, Eds. Bruno Callegher and Arianna D’Ottone, Trieste
- Paghava, I. (2021) Copper Coin with the Effigy of David the Builder and the Titulary of Georgian Monarchs, V. VIII, Mkhedari Publishing
- Paghava, I. & Chanishvili, E. (2021) Numismatic history of David IV the Builder: Money Circulation, Issued Coinage, and Monetary Policy, Tsereteli Institute of Oriental Studies of the Ilia State University, ISSN 2587-4780
- Tavadze, L. (2012) Byzantine imperial style in Georgia, Tbilisi State University, The Institute of the Georgian History, Tbilisi
- Gamkrelidze, G. (2010) War and Arms in Iberia and Colchis, Sulakauri Publishers, Tbilisi, ISBN 978-99941-15-242-9
- Catalogue of Georgian Numismatics; CoGN (2013) Tbilisi State University, Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation
- TITUS (Online Version) Historical Materials from Southern Georgia, Text collection: HMSG, XV century archives
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