DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27365#0031
7W/Z DOM9R
19
After the death of Zakare in 1213 Ivane received the tide of atabek. Ivane was
offered the post of amirspasaiar, a Georgian historian recounts, but he refused^:
77?e /zozzozzr w/zz'c/z yozz /zave Jozze M vezy great zzzJeeJ. BzzZ Z azzz zzzzt
wort/zy to /ze ca//eJ Zy /zzy /zrzzZ/zer'y zzazzze azzJ Jo zzoZ wzx/z to tze
av/zazzzeJ o/* * taking /zzs* /z/ace, AO grazzt zzze ttze titte o/* atatzek, /or izz
Georgia yoa, ki/zg.s', Jo not yet izave .sac/z a titie. By .so Joizzg yozz wiii
azzgznent yozzr /avozzr to nze, /or yon wiii izesiozv a new izigiz izonoar on
/ne, oworJ zzze tize titie o/Ataizek, ay iy tize caytozn witiz tize yaitazzy _/or,
accorJzzzg to tize iaw o/* tize yaitany, tize ataizek iy /cozzsiJereJ to ize/ tize
/izZizer azzJ tator q/* kizzgy azzJ yaitazzy azzJ //or tizzy reayozz/ iy caiieJ
ataizek.
The new titie marked the attainment of the highest power. In the reign of Queen
Tamar's heirs, her son George Lasha (1213-22) and daughter Rusudan (1223-47),
the "father and tutor of kings" Ivane became the reai head of state. This period was
very different from the "goiden age" of Queen Tamar. Outstanding successes were
replaced by increasingly frequent military failures explained by the changed
international situation. In addition, it is possible that Ivane was not dissembling when
he refused his brother's title of amirspasaiar but rather giving an objective assessment
of his military talents. The gradual worsening of the situation led to a grave crisis
during the Khwaramzian invasion. In September 1225 near Garni the army of Djelal
ad-din inflicted a devastating defeat on the Georgian-Armenian army led by Ivane
Mkhargrdzeli.^ Ivane himself only just managed to escape by hiding in a fortress^.
Kuirakos explains this defeat as a punishment for a wrongful vow taken by Ivane
and his men: "And they did boast in great pride and vowed that if they defeated him
they would convert all the Armenians subject to them to the Georgian faith and put to
the sword those who resisted"^. The confessional tendentiousness of this
interpretation is self-evident. However, it may reflect Ivane's real intentions about
converting the whole of Armenia to Chalcedonianism. If this is so, in domestic policy
he also proceeded from principles which had brought success in the past and
determined the unity of the people in the face of the enemy.
His last years, just before his death, were without a doubt the most sombre, for
several years the country was devastated by the Khwaramzians. Historians speak of
the looting of many towns, massacres of Christians, destruction of monasteries and
desecration of churches. Ivane Mkhargrdzeli was destined to witness the tragic end of
the "golden age", to the service of which he had devoted his whole life.
For us Ivane Mkhargrdzeli's activities as donor are of special interest. Relatively
little information has survived about his part in the building of Chalcedonian
monasteries. One of his major initiatives was the founding of the Tejaruik Monastery
See Babaian, /yZcrZyg, p. 95.
*57 Kuirakos, p. 149.
*58 See Muradian, Georgian Ep^ra^Try, p. 294.
19
After the death of Zakare in 1213 Ivane received the tide of atabek. Ivane was
offered the post of amirspasaiar, a Georgian historian recounts, but he refused^:
77?e /zozzozzr w/zz'c/z yozz /zave Jozze M vezy great zzzJeeJ. BzzZ Z azzz zzzzt
wort/zy to /ze ca//eJ Zy /zzy /zrzzZ/zer'y zzazzze azzJ Jo zzoZ wzx/z to tze
av/zazzzeJ o/* * taking /zzs* /z/ace, AO grazzt zzze ttze titte o/* atatzek, /or izz
Georgia yoa, ki/zg.s', Jo not yet izave .sac/z a titie. By .so Joizzg yozz wiii
azzgznent yozzr /avozzr to nze, /or yon wiii izesiozv a new izigiz izonoar on
/ne, oworJ zzze tize titie o/Ataizek, ay iy tize caytozn witiz tize yaitazzy _/or,
accorJzzzg to tize iaw o/* tize yaitany, tize ataizek iy /cozzsiJereJ to ize/ tize
/izZizer azzJ tator q/* kizzgy azzJ yaitazzy azzJ //or tizzy reayozz/ iy caiieJ
ataizek.
The new titie marked the attainment of the highest power. In the reign of Queen
Tamar's heirs, her son George Lasha (1213-22) and daughter Rusudan (1223-47),
the "father and tutor of kings" Ivane became the reai head of state. This period was
very different from the "goiden age" of Queen Tamar. Outstanding successes were
replaced by increasingly frequent military failures explained by the changed
international situation. In addition, it is possible that Ivane was not dissembling when
he refused his brother's title of amirspasaiar but rather giving an objective assessment
of his military talents. The gradual worsening of the situation led to a grave crisis
during the Khwaramzian invasion. In September 1225 near Garni the army of Djelal
ad-din inflicted a devastating defeat on the Georgian-Armenian army led by Ivane
Mkhargrdzeli.^ Ivane himself only just managed to escape by hiding in a fortress^.
Kuirakos explains this defeat as a punishment for a wrongful vow taken by Ivane
and his men: "And they did boast in great pride and vowed that if they defeated him
they would convert all the Armenians subject to them to the Georgian faith and put to
the sword those who resisted"^. The confessional tendentiousness of this
interpretation is self-evident. However, it may reflect Ivane's real intentions about
converting the whole of Armenia to Chalcedonianism. If this is so, in domestic policy
he also proceeded from principles which had brought success in the past and
determined the unity of the people in the face of the enemy.
His last years, just before his death, were without a doubt the most sombre, for
several years the country was devastated by the Khwaramzians. Historians speak of
the looting of many towns, massacres of Christians, destruction of monasteries and
desecration of churches. Ivane Mkhargrdzeli was destined to witness the tragic end of
the "golden age", to the service of which he had devoted his whole life.
For us Ivane Mkhargrdzeli's activities as donor are of special interest. Relatively
little information has survived about his part in the building of Chalcedonian
monasteries. One of his major initiatives was the founding of the Tejaruik Monastery
See Babaian, /yZcrZyg, p. 95.
*57 Kuirakos, p. 149.
*58 See Muradian, Georgian Ep^ra^Try, p. 294.