I'm Not Going to Sit Still and Look Pretty: Tamar the King

You’ve heard of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon, all men who did great things “all on their own.” But you know who never makes the list? Tamar the Great: one of the most important Georgian figures who was a king, despite being a woman. The word for king or queen sovereign in Georgian is “mepe,” which directly translates to “ruler.” Tamar ruled in spite of her gender, adopting the title of mepe, which had traditionally been the term applied to male rulers of Georgia. In fact, in Georgia, no word for queen even existed. By assuming the role of sole ruler, Tamar demonstrated a unique ability to work within a system that did not traditionally recognize women as rulers. She depended only initially on the power of a man, but soon displayed her absolute independence as mepe, leaving behind a legacy that stands today.

The story of Tamar, which was illustrated for us in The Life of Tamar by Basil Ezosmodzghvari, tells the tale of Tamar’s childhood and contextualizes the setting of her time. Her father was the king and had no male heirs who might claim the throne at the time of his death; as the question of succession began to arise in the kingdom, King George III rightfully named Tamar as his co-ruler. This solidified the later independence that Tamar held when her father passed away as she learned essential skills and was exposed to governance early; after his death she became the sole ruler but she was met with scrutiny. The elites of the time felt as though Tamar required a male partner to fulfill the greatest responsibility of the king; being a skillful soldier. They selected Rus Prince Yuri, who, although was a skilled warrior, was a horrible person– an avid drinker and unable to control his temper – and Tamar finally put her foot down, banishing him into exile. This relationship with Yuri was an essential indicator of how Tamar was perfectly equipped to be independent because Yuri brought along with him “baggage” that Tamar wouldn’t tolerate. Tamar used a very powerful force that was lacking amongst men, female persuasion, to convince the elites that Yuri was no good. She succeeded and Yuri found himself exiled; this force she exerted over the elites and Yuri was a show of how she was able to prove her independence of men. The complexity of her relationship also worked to show how she didn't need a man to make her position work; rather, the man further complicated it and brought disruption.

In addition to her relationships, her legacy was an astounding indicator of her independence. Often, when we think of powerful leaders that left their marks, we visualize their sovereign strength and powerful actions; Tamar elicits this visual for the Georgian people as we see with the longevity of her name. Her adorable addition to the Georgian empire was done at her request by the king consort, David, who captured back Georgian land from the Azerbaijanis and helped liberate their Armenian neighbors from Islamic control; they also protected their borders from growing forces and captured the city of Kars, all under the orders of Tamar. These successful conquests and expansion of the Georgian Empire further elaborated on her independence from the help of a man as her husband, David, was at her service. Another show of her strength was her diplomatic savvy; she was able to negotiate with the Ayyubid Sultanate to redefine borders between them. Her reign was a time of great Georgian pride and social prosperity as she created a welfare system to help allocate resources to the less fortunate and expanded the Georgian empire to its greatest extent in history; for this people admired and respected her, thus naming her tenure as the Golden Age of Georgia. Her legacy is immense and to this day her statues stand high in Georgia and she can be found painted or drawn in many churches, shrines, and buildings in Georgia.

Tamar the Great was an exceptional example of how women can rule without the need of association with a man, like through marriage, Tamar shows us how independence is a virtue, and she garnered this virtue through her eloquence and raw abilities for leadership. She was a gracious ruler, who actively worked to benefit her country and her people. Her relationship with both her husbands, Yuri and David, helped emphasize that she didn’t need a man to be successful as we see in her failed first marriage and more of a subservience in her second marriage. Overall, she was a testament to how women can successfully rule a land just as well or better than a male who would be holding the title of king; she is an inspiration and true example of what a ruler should be.