Tamar the Great of Georgia (1160-1213) was tasked with leading a kingdom at just 18 years old. By the end of her rule, she had solidified her position as one of the greatest medieval monarchs of Georgia.
Tamar the Great of Georgia (1160-1213) was tasked with leading a kingdom at just 18 years old. By the end of her rule, she had solidified her position as one of the greatest medieval monarchs of Georgia.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Luvvie Ajayi Jones. I’m a New York Times Best Selling author and host of the podcast Professional Troublemaker. I’m so excited to be your guest host for this month of Womanica!
This month we’re highlighting Prodigies: women who achieved greatness at a young age.
Today, we’re talking about a woman who was tasked with leading a kingdom at just 18 years old. By the end of her rule, she had solidified her position as one of the greatest medieval monarchs of Georgia. Let’s talk about Tamar the Great of Georgia.
Tamar was born in 1160 to the King of Georgia, George the Third. Tamar’s father had no male heirs, and in 1177, rebellious nobles tried to replace him with his nephew. George quelled the uprising, and to solidify his family's royal status, he crowned Tamar a co-monarch in 1178, when she was just eighteen.
After six years of co-ruling, George died, leaving Tamar the sole ruler. Her reign was met with immediate resistance. Many nobles doubted that such a young woman could handle the crown. Tamar appeased these nobles by making a series of concessions - she would let the nobles choose her new royal appointees, and whom she would marry.
The nobles chose Yuri Bogolyubsky, a duke-in-exile, to be Tamar’s new husband. Tamar didn’t care for Yuri, and she began expanding her power, strategically filling her royal court with loyal supporters. Eventually, Tamar divorced Yuri.
But Yuri wanted the Georgian throne - so he attempted a coup with some support from Georgian nobility. Tamar sent a loyalist army to defeat the rebels. Eventually Yuri surrendered. Tamar exiled him to Constantinople, and stripped the rebel nobles of their titles.
After her divorce, Tamar married David Soslan, an Ossetian prince. David became Tamar’s military commander, leading the Georgian army into battle. Tamar had her sights set on territorial expansion. Over the course of her rule, Georgia greatly increased its territory, encapsulating parts of modern Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.
Tamar’s expansionist tactics were not without its detractors. In 1201, the powerful Seljuq sultan of Rum captured a city under the Georgian crown. War was on the horizon. He sent an ultimatum: Georgia was to surrender, or he’d conquer them, and make Tamar a concubine.
Tamar didn’t back down - and eventually her Georgian army defeated Suleyman and recaptured the city.
Tamar’s reign also brought about a golden age in Georgian culture. Georgian control over commercial centers meant that new wealth poured into the kingdom, and there was an outburst in distinct Georgian culture - like impressive cathedrals with domed tops. Tamar was responsible for this - she encouraged art and poetry.
Tamar died in 1213, and was succeeded by her son, George the fourth. Today, over seven centuries later, Tamar is still revered. And Tamar remains one of the most popular Georgian names for baby girls.
All month, we’re talking about prodigies. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan for inviting me to guest host.
Talk to you tomorrow!