Prince Demna of Georgia
Encyclopedia
Demna (born before 1155 - died c. 1178) was a Georgian
prince and pretender to the throne proclaimed as king during the failed nobles’ revolt of 1177/8.
He was the only son and heir of King David V of Georgia
who had deposed his father, Demetrius I, in a palace coup in 1155. Shortly after David’s death (1155), Demetrius declared his younger son, George (the future King George III
), heir apparent violating thus a principal law of succession and depriving Demna of his rights to the throne.
The medieval Georgian and Armenia
n chronicles are confused about the circumstances in which David died. According to the medieval Armenian historians, George was somehow implicated in his murder though Georgian sources say nothing about it. An Armenian chronicler, Vardan Araveltsi, says that David was murdered “by Sumbat and Ivane [Orbeli] in a plot of the Orbels
... They had made an agreement with Giorgi, Davit’s brother, that he would appoint them generals”. Ivane Orbeli was indeed rewarded by George III with the title of amirspasalar
on his coronation. Another Armenian Stepanos Orbelian
, a descendent of the Orbeli clan, writing shortly after Vardan, denies any family involvement in the murder of the king and claims George had sworn to his reigning brother that he would rule only until Demna reached his majority, but then reneged on his vow. He claims that the Orbelis had been the witnesses of this vow and that they led the 1177 revolt to restore Demna, who was now adult, to his rightful position. Either way, Demna was considered by many as a lawful pretender to the Georgian crown and victim of injustice. Furthermore, he had married the daughter of Ivane Orbeli and the family’s interest in the revolt was clear. Demna was also sympathized by several high-ranking courtiers and military officers who had their fiefdoms mainly in southern Georgian and Georgian-dominated Armenian lands.
The rebellion led by Ivane Orbeli broke out in 1177. The insurgents crowned Demna the king at the Agara Castle and marched, with 30,000 men, to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi
. However, Orbeli’s plan of a surprise attack failed. George III relied mainly on crack troops provided by the Kipchak mercenaries
and Caucasian
mountaineers. By force and diplomacy, he induced many of rebelled nobles to surrender. Orbeli, however, refused to comply and retired to the Lorhe fortress (now Lorri
, Armenia). The royal army quickly overran the fiefdoms of rebel lords and put Lorhe under siege. Orbeli requested aid from the neighbouring Seljuk rulers but his forces completely exhausted before the reinforcements could arrive. Demna was the first to surrender. Throwing himself and his followers on the mercy of his uncle, he was blinded and castrated to ensure the primacy of George’s branch of the family, and the Orbelis were extirpated and their lands and wealth seized. Imprisoned, Demna did not survive the punishment and soon died.
The Georgian female poet Tamar Eristavi proposed, in 1988, a romantic though unreliable and otherwise unproved hypothesis identifying the famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli
with Prince Demna who was allegedly in love with his cousin, Princess Tamar
; survived the repressions and wrote his poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin
(dedicated to Tamar) in exile under the assumed identity of Rustaveli.
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...
prince and pretender to the throne proclaimed as king during the failed nobles’ revolt of 1177/8.
He was the only son and heir of King David V of Georgia
David V of Georgia
David V , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Georgia c. 1154/5.He was an elder son of King Demetre I. Fearing that Demetre would make his younger son Giorgi an heir to the throne, David attempted a revolt in 1130...
who had deposed his father, Demetrius I, in a palace coup in 1155. Shortly after David’s death (1155), Demetrius declared his younger son, George (the future King George III
George III of Georgia
Giorgi III , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia from 1156 to 1184. His reign, and that of Tamar, are seen as the 'golden age' of Georgian history, the era of empire, diplomatic success, military triumphs, great learning, cultural, spiritual, and artistic flowering.-Life:He succeeded on...
), heir apparent violating thus a principal law of succession and depriving Demna of his rights to the throne.
The medieval Georgian and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n chronicles are confused about the circumstances in which David died. According to the medieval Armenian historians, George was somehow implicated in his murder though Georgian sources say nothing about it. An Armenian chronicler, Vardan Araveltsi, says that David was murdered “by Sumbat and Ivane [Orbeli] in a plot of the Orbels
Orbelian Dynasty
The Orbelian lords of Syunik were a noble family, documented in inscriptions throughout Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and recorded by the family bishop Stepanos in his 1297 History of Syunik....
... They had made an agreement with Giorgi, Davit’s brother, that he would appoint them generals”. Ivane Orbeli was indeed rewarded by George III with the title of amirspasalar
Amirspasalar
Amirspasalar was the commander in chief of the medieval Georgian army and one of the highest officials of the Kingdom of Georgia, commonly rendered as Lord High Constable in English...
on his coronation. Another Armenian Stepanos Orbelian
Stepanos Orbelian
Stepanos Orbelian was a thirteenth century Armenian historian and the Metropolitan of the province of Syunik. He is known for writing his well-researched Patmut'yun Nahangin Sisakan, or History of the Province of Syunik.-Biography:...
, a descendent of the Orbeli clan, writing shortly after Vardan, denies any family involvement in the murder of the king and claims George had sworn to his reigning brother that he would rule only until Demna reached his majority, but then reneged on his vow. He claims that the Orbelis had been the witnesses of this vow and that they led the 1177 revolt to restore Demna, who was now adult, to his rightful position. Either way, Demna was considered by many as a lawful pretender to the Georgian crown and victim of injustice. Furthermore, he had married the daughter of Ivane Orbeli and the family’s interest in the revolt was clear. Demna was also sympathized by several high-ranking courtiers and military officers who had their fiefdoms mainly in southern Georgian and Georgian-dominated Armenian lands.
The rebellion led by Ivane Orbeli broke out in 1177. The insurgents crowned Demna the king at the Agara Castle and marched, with 30,000 men, to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
. However, Orbeli’s plan of a surprise attack failed. George III relied mainly on crack troops provided by the Kipchak mercenaries
Kipchaks in Georgia
Kipchaks are an ancient nomadic, Turkic people who occupied large territories from Central Asia to Eastern Europe. They, together with the Cumans played an important role in the history of many nations in the region, Georgia among them...
and Caucasian
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
mountaineers. By force and diplomacy, he induced many of rebelled nobles to surrender. Orbeli, however, refused to comply and retired to the Lorhe fortress (now Lorri
Lorri
-Given name:*Lorri Bagley, an American actress and model*Lorri Jean, a leader in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights movement in America-Acronym:...
, Armenia). The royal army quickly overran the fiefdoms of rebel lords and put Lorhe under siege. Orbeli requested aid from the neighbouring Seljuk rulers but his forces completely exhausted before the reinforcements could arrive. Demna was the first to surrender. Throwing himself and his followers on the mercy of his uncle, he was blinded and castrated to ensure the primacy of George’s branch of the family, and the Orbelis were extirpated and their lands and wealth seized. Imprisoned, Demna did not survive the punishment and soon died.
The Georgian female poet Tamar Eristavi proposed, in 1988, a romantic though unreliable and otherwise unproved hypothesis identifying the famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli
Shota Rustaveli
Shota Rustaveli was a Georgian poet of the 12th century, and one of the greatest contributors to Georgian literature. He is author of "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" , the Georgian national epic poem....
with Prince Demna who was allegedly in love with his cousin, Princess Tamar
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...
; survived the repressions and wrote his poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin
The Knight in the Panther's Skin
The Knight in the Panther's Skin is an epic poem, consisting of over 1600 shairi quatrains, was written in the 12th century by the Georgian epic-poet Shota Rustaveli, who was a Prince and Treasurer at the royal court of Queen Tamar of Georgia. The Knight in the Panther's Skin is often seen as...
(dedicated to Tamar) in exile under the assumed identity of Rustaveli.
See also
- Bagrationi
- History of GeorgiaHistory of Georgia (country)The nation of Georgia was first unified as a kingdom under the Bagrationi dynasty in the 9th to 10th century, arising from a number of predecessor states of ancient Colchis and Iberia...