Mariam of Vaspurakan
Encyclopedia
Mariam was the daughter of John-Senekerim II Artsruni
, an Armenia
n 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 Empire
.
Mariam was married to George I (r. 1014-1027) as his first wife, but seems to have been divorced by the king so that he could marry Alda, daughter of the king of Alania
. Mariam returned to prominence upon the death of George and the ascension of their son, Bagrat IV, to the throne of Georgia in 1027. During Bagart’s minority, she shared the regency with the grandees, particularly with the dukes
Liparit
and Ivane
. In 1031/2, Mariam paid a visit to Romanos III Argyros's court at Constantinople
on behalf of Bagrat, and returned with a peace treaty, the dignity of curopalates
and the Byzantine bride Helena (daughter of Romanos III’s brother Basil
) for her son.
Mariam continued to play a prominent role in Georgia’s politics even after Bagrat assumed full reigning powers. The Georgian chronicles speak of the Armenians being her subjects because of her parentage, a possible reference to a three-month long Georgian control of Ani
before the city was finally annexed by the Byzantines in 1045, and report a disagreement between Bagrat and Mariam regarding the future of Bagrat’s half-brother Demetre
, who defected to the Byzantines in 1033 handing over the fortress of Anacopia. Mariam advocated the reconciliation between the brothers and made a futile attempt at bringing the rebellious Demetre back to loyalty. During Bagrat’s enforced exile at the Byzantine court in the 1050s, Mariam accompanied her son and spent three years with him in residence at Constantinople during the reign of Constantine IX Monomachos
.
Mariam was distinguished by her contributions to the Christian church and monastic foundations. She is commemorated for donations to the Iviron monastery
(on Mount Athos
) in its Synodicon. He was known for his association with the eminent Georgian monk and scholar George the Hagiorite
under whose auspices Mariam would eventually become a nun
. According to the Life of George the Hagiorite, after the marriage of her granddaughter Martha-Maria to Michael VII Ducas
(1065), Mariam traveled to Antioch
with the intention to make a further pilgrimage to Jerusalem, carrying with her an imperial order for the governor
and patriarch
of Antioch. These, however, persuaded the queen to refrain from visiting the Saracen
-held Jerusalem; George the Hagiorite himself took her money and distributed it among the poor and the monasteries there.
The death of Mariam is not mentioned in the chronicles; she was present at Bagrat IV’s deathbed in 1072, and was certainly dead by 1103 when she is commemorated in the record of the Georgian church council at Ruisi–Urbnisi.
Artsruni
Artsruni was an ancient Armenian noble family that claimed descent from Sennacherib, King of Assyria . Although it mirrors the Bagratuni claim of Davidic descent and the Mamikonian claim of descent from the royal Han Dynasty, it is usually interpreted as a piece of genealogical mythology...
, an Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n king of Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...
, and the first consort of the 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:...
. As a Dowager Queen of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, she was a regent for her underage son, 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...
, from 1027 to 1037, and was involved in diplomacy with the Byzantine Empire
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...
.
Mariam was married to George I (r. 1014-1027) as his first wife, but seems to have been divorced by the king so that he could marry Alda, daughter of the king of Alania
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...
. Mariam returned to prominence upon the death of George and the ascension of their son, Bagrat IV, to the throne of Georgia in 1027. During Bagart’s minority, she shared the regency with the grandees, particularly with the dukes
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
Liparit
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 Ivane
Ivane Abazasdze
Ivane Abazasdze was a 11th-century Georgian feudal lord who functioned as an eristavi of Kartli under King Bagrat IV of Georgia . During the king’s minority, he assumed an important place in the country’s aristocratic regency government...
. In 1031/2, Mariam paid a visit to Romanos III Argyros's court at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
on behalf of Bagrat, and returned with a peace treaty, the dignity of curopalates
Curopalates
Kouropalatēs, Latinized as curopalates or curopalata and Anglicized as curopalate, was a Byzantine court title, one of the highest from the time of Emperor Justinian I to that of the Komnenoi in the 12th century...
and the Byzantine bride Helena (daughter of Romanos III’s brother Basil
Basil Argyros
Agent of Byzantium is a collection of short stories by Harry Turtledove, centred around the exploits of the eponymous Basil Argyros, a Byzantine secret agent...
) for her son.
Mariam continued to play a prominent role in Georgia’s politics even after Bagrat assumed full reigning powers. The Georgian chronicles speak of the Armenians being her subjects because of her parentage, a possible reference to a three-month long Georgian control of Ani
Ani
Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey...
before the city was finally annexed by the Byzantines in 1045, and report a disagreement between Bagrat and Mariam regarding the future of Bagrat’s half-brother 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 defected to the Byzantines in 1033 handing over the fortress of Anacopia. Mariam advocated the reconciliation between the brothers and made a futile attempt at bringing the rebellious Demetre back to loyalty. During Bagrat’s enforced exile at the Byzantine court in the 1050s, Mariam accompanied her son and spent three years with him in residence at Constantinople during the reign of Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos, Latinized as Constantine IX Monomachus , c. 1000 – January 11, 1055, reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 11, 1042 to January 11, 1055. He had been chosen by the Empress Zoe as a husband and co-emperor in 1042, although he had been exiled for conspiring...
.
Mariam was distinguished by her contributions to the Christian church and monastic foundations. She is commemorated for donations to the Iviron monastery
Iviron monastery
Holy Monastery of Iviron is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece...
(on Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
) in its Synodicon. He was known for his association with the eminent Georgian monk and scholar George the Hagiorite
George the Hagiorite
George the Hagiorite – Giorgi Mt'ats'mindeli or Giorgi At'oneli – , was a Georgian monk, religious writer, and translator, who spearheaded the activities of Georgian monastic communities in the Byzantine Empire...
under whose auspices Mariam would eventually become a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
. According to the Life of George the Hagiorite, after the marriage of her granddaughter Martha-Maria to Michael VII Ducas
Michael VII
Michael VII Doukas or Ducas , nicknamed Parapinakēs , was Byzantine emperor from 1071 to 1078.- Life :...
(1065), Mariam traveled to Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
with the intention to make a further pilgrimage to Jerusalem, carrying with her an imperial order for the governor
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
and patriarch
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its earliest period...
of Antioch. These, however, persuaded the queen to refrain from visiting the Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
-held Jerusalem; George the Hagiorite himself took her money and distributed it among the poor and the monasteries there.
The death of Mariam is not mentioned in the chronicles; she was present at Bagrat IV’s deathbed in 1072, and was certainly dead by 1103 when she is commemorated in the record of the Georgian church council at Ruisi–Urbnisi.