Demetrius I, King of Georgia, Georgia Kingdom, David IV, Rusudan of Lori, Shirvan, Seljuks, Eldiguzides, Cheddadides, Ani, Gandja
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Abstract
Demetrius I, King of Georgia from 1125 to 1156, faced numerous challenges and conflicts during his reign, including power struggles and military campaigns.
Extract
[...] Demetrius supported by his sister, who did not want a bloodbath, negotiated. Shirvan was then divided into two parts: it became partly Christian and Georgian and partly Muslim. Manuchir, Demetrius I's brother-in-law and adversary, became the emir of eastern Shirvan and acknowledged Georgia's suzerainty over his territory. And since Demetrius I negotiated, he would do so again in 1130, when the sovereign of the Shah Arman dynasty would try to drive the Georgians out of the northern and central parts of Armenia. [...]
[...] In 1139, Demetrius I would take the city of Gandja. The gate of the city, which is made of iron, would be removed, as a sign of great success, and brought back to Georgia, and offered to the monastery of Ghélat. Gandja would be taken again by its former owners, the Eldiguzides, in 1143, after a bitter defeat inflicted on the king of Georgia and his troops. Another version would be told: Demetrius having achieved his goals, during the capture of the city of Gandja, would have left it as a dowry, after the marriage of his daughter and the sultan, leaving the choice of the emir who would govern it to him. [...]
[...] He forced his father to abdicate, but Demetrius I would quickly return to the affairs of the kingdom. Only six months would have been enough for this to happen, because David V would die. But a year would have passed since his return to the head of the kingdom, when a new abdication would intervene, this time in favor of George III, his second son. This departure would be definitive, Demetrius I would call himself Daniel and would enter a monastery. He would die in 1156. [...]
[...] PRESENTATION Démétrius Ier was a king of Georgia from 1125 to 1155, then from 1155 to 1156. His father was David IV and his mother was Rusudan of Lori. He was a member of the Bagrationi dynasty. He was born in 1097 and died in 1156. B. ACCESSION TO POWER AND REIGN The eldest son of David IV and Rusudan of Lori became co-sovereign of the Kingdom of Georgia, receiving the crown from his father's hands. King David IV lavished praise on his son, commending his bravery, wisdom, and chastity, and foresaw him becoming a great future sovereign of the Kingdom of Georgia. [...]
