Alda of Alania
Encyclopedia
Alda or Alde was an 11th-century Alan
princess and the second wife of King George I of Georgia
(r. 1014–1027). The couple had a son, Demetre
, who played a notable role in the civil unrest of Georgia during the reign of his half-brother Bagrat IV
.
The "second wife" of George I is mentioned by the medieval Georgian chronicles in a passage relating a futile attempt by a noble party to promote her son, who lived in Anakopia on the shores of Abkhazia
, to the throne of Georgia after George's death. Subsequently Demetre defected to the Byzantines and surrendered Anakopia to the emperor Romanos III Argyros (c. 1033). In the same passage, she is referred to as a "daughter of the king of the Ossetes", "Ossetes" being a Georgian designation of the Alans
. Her name Alda is known from the contemporaneous Byzantine
sources. John Skylitzes
, corroborating with the Georgian annals, reports that Alda, "wife of George... of the Alan race" surrendered "the very strong fort of Anakopia" to the emperor who honored her son Demetre with the rank of magistros.
As no direct reference to George's repudiation of his first wife Mariam
is found in the Georgian chronicles, Alda is thought by some historians, such as Marie-Félicité Brosset
, to have been a concubine, but the legitimacy of George's marriage to Alda does not appear to be questioned in the contemporary sources. After Mariam's return to prominence following George's death and her ascension to the regency for her underage son Bagrat IV, Alda and her son Demetre fled to the Byzantine empire. Demetre spent nearly two decades in attempts to seize the Georgian crown, supported in his struggle by the powerful duke Liparit of Kldekari
and the Byzantines. He died c. 1053. After this, according to the 18th-century Georgian historian Prince Vakhushti, Demetre's son David was taken by his grandmother (i.e., Alda, not mentioned by her name) to Alania, where his descendants flourished, producing a local "royal" line, of which came David Soslan
, the second husband of Queen Tamar of Georgia
(r. 1184–1213).
Alania
Alania may refer to:*Alania, the medieval state of the Alans or Alani people in the North Caucasus*The short name of the modern North Ossetia-Alania, one of the Caucasian republics in the Russian Federation...
princess and the second wife of King George I of Georgia
George I of Georgia
Giorgi I , of the House of Bagrationi, was the king of Georgia from 1014 until his death in 1027. He spent most of his seven-year-long reign waging a bloody and fruitless territorial war with the Byzantine Empire.-Early reign:...
(r. 1014–1027). The couple had a son, Demetre
Demetrius of Anacopia
Demetrius was a Georgian prince of the Bagrationi royal dynasty, and a claimant to the throne of Georgia. He was the younger son of George I of Georgia by his second wife Alda, daughter of the king of Alania....
, who played a notable role in the civil unrest of Georgia during the reign of his half-brother Bagrat IV
Bagrat IV of Georgia
Bagrat IV , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the King of Georgia from 1027 to 1072. During his long and eventful reign, Bagrat sought to repress the great nobility and to secure Georgia's sovereignty from the Byzantine and Seljuqid empires...
.
The "second wife" of George I is mentioned by the medieval Georgian chronicles in a passage relating a futile attempt by a noble party to promote her son, who lived in Anakopia on the shores of Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
, to the throne of Georgia after George's death. Subsequently Demetre defected to the Byzantines and surrendered Anakopia to the emperor Romanos III Argyros (c. 1033). In the same passage, she is referred to as a "daughter of the king of the Ossetes", "Ossetes" being a Georgian designation of the Alans
Alans
The Alans, or the Alani, occasionally termed Alauni or Halani, were a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian.-Name:The various forms of Alan —...
. Her name Alda is known from the contemporaneous Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
sources. John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes was a Greek historian of the late 11th century. He was born in the beginning of 1040's and died after 1101.- Life :Very little is known about his life...
, corroborating with the Georgian annals, reports that Alda, "wife of George... of the Alan race" surrendered "the very strong fort of Anakopia" to the emperor who honored her son Demetre with the rank of magistros.
As no direct reference to George's repudiation of his first wife Mariam
Mariam of Vaspurakan
Mariam was the daughter of John-Senekerim II Artsruni, an Armenian king of Vaspurakan, and the first consort of the king George I of Georgia. As a Dowager Queen of Georgia, she was a regent for her underage son, Bagrat IV, from 1027 to 1037, and was involved in diplomacy with the Byzantine...
is found in the Georgian chronicles, Alda is thought by some historians, such as Marie-Félicité Brosset
Marie-Félicité Brosset
Marie-Félicité Brosset was a French orientalist who specialized in Georgian and Armenian studies.He was born in Paris into the family of a poor merchant who died the same year that Brosset was born...
, to have been a concubine, but the legitimacy of George's marriage to Alda does not appear to be questioned in the contemporary sources. After Mariam's return to prominence following George's death and her ascension to the regency for her underage son Bagrat IV, Alda and her son Demetre fled to the Byzantine empire. Demetre spent nearly two decades in attempts to seize the Georgian crown, supported in his struggle by the powerful duke Liparit of Kldekari
Liparit IV, Duke of Kldekari
Liparit IV, sometimes known as Liparit III , was an 11th-century Georgian general and political figure who was at times the most valuable support of King Bagrat IV of Georgia and his most dangerous rival...
and the Byzantines. He died c. 1053. After this, according to the 18th-century Georgian historian Prince Vakhushti, Demetre's son David was taken by his grandmother (i.e., Alda, not mentioned by her name) to Alania, where his descendants flourished, producing a local "royal" line, of which came David Soslan
David Soslan
David Soslan was an Alan prince and a King Consort of Georgia as the second husband of Queen Regnant Tamar who married him c. 1189. He is chiefly known for his military exploits during Georgia’s wars against its Muslim neighbors.- Origins :...
, the second husband of Queen Tamar of Georgia
Tamar of Georgia
Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
(r. 1184–1213).
External links
- Alde, wife of Giorgi I of Abchasia/Georgia. Prosopography of the Byzantine WorldProsopography of the Byzantine WorldThe Prosopography of the Byzantine World is a project to create a prosopographical database of individuals named in textual sources in the Byzantine Empire and surrounding areas in the period from 642 to 1265...
. Accessed May 29, 2011.