Georgian monarchs family tree of Bagrationi dynasty of united Georgia

Notes

1. Bagrat III was the first king of a politically unified Georgia^[2] designated "Sakartvelo".^[3] The term "Sakartvelo" would literally mean "all-Georgian kingdom", "all Georgia" or "whole Georgia".^[4] Sakartvelo is still used in modern times as the official name of the country.^[5]
2. Queen Tamar was the first female monarch (mepe) of Georgia.^[6]
3. George IV, while relaxing in Kakheti, in the village of Velistsikhe, he spotted a pretty young woman, a freeman's daughter; he seduced her, and, although she was married, installed her at royal court. In 1215, she had a son with him (the future king David VII), whom the king gave to his sister Rusudan to bring up. This upset the Georgian Orthodox Church and deputation of bishops, the Catholicos and ministers came to remonstrate with the king: the woman was a commoner as well as another man’s wife. The king was forced to let nuns escort his mistress back to her husband. But he adamantly deemed the woman from Velistsikhe his wife and refused any marriage which his court might negotiate for him. The king would not beget a legitimate heir.^[7]

References

1. Rayfield, p. 433
2. Rapp (2016) location: 476
3. Rapp (2016) location: 648
4. Rayfield, p. 94
5. Rapp (2016) location: 656
6. Rapp (2016) location: 8763
7. Rayfield, p. 118

Bibliography

• Rapp, S. H. Jr. (2016) The Sasanian World Through Georgian Eyes, Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature, Sam Houston State University, USA, Routledge, ISBN 9781472425522
• Rayfield, D. (2013) Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia, Reaktion Books, ISBN 9781780230702