King George III of Georgia

Georgia had many kings and many named George, but one of the most memorable and distinguished was George III, who ruled the country from 1156 until his death 1184.

George III was a member of the Bagrationi dynasty, one of the oldest Christian ruling royal families in the world, who ruled Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century.

George followed his father Demetrios I as king of Georgia in 1156 and right from the start he pursued a rather aggressive foreign policy, leading into many conflicts with Georgia’s neighboring countries. But George was a mostly successful military leader and slowly expanded his country’s borders.

In 1177 nobles under the leadership of Prince Demna, a son of George’s late elder brother David, rose against King George. After a hard fight, George was able to defeat the alliance under Prince Demna. In order to avoid any further dispute about who would be the future ruler of Georgia, George III made his elder daughter Tamar co-ruler of the kingdom of Georgia just one year later in 1178.

The reign of George III, together with his daughter and successor Queen Tamar, is considered the Golden Age of Georgia. It was an era of diplomatic success and military triumph for Georgia, but at the same time of flourishing art and economic prosperity. During the Golden Age, Georgia saw its largest expansion of the Middle Ages, reaching from the north Caucasus to northern Iran.

The first blow to the Golden Age of Georgia was Queen Tamar’s death in 1213 and the period of Georgia’s power and prosperity was finally ended by the invasion of the Mongols in 1236.  

King George III of Georgia died in 1184 and was buried at Gelati Monastery near Kutaisi in the Imereti region in Western Georgia.

Picture Credits: DMO

Project “Increased regional added value in the tourism sectors of Georgia by Digital Heritage Tourism Guides” was funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) with funds of Austrian Development Cooperation.