Amirtamira

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Amirtamira (Georgian :ამირთამირა; Arabic : أميرʾamīr) was a mayor or head of the large cities in feudal Georgia, Amirtamira served as provincial governor with military and administrative authority. In the 17th century, the term amirtamira was replaced by Mouravi (town governor). The last amirtamira of Tbilisi was Giorgi Saakadze. Amirtamira was often subordinated to Mechurchletukhutsesi (Finance Minister).

Georgian language official language of Georgia

Georgian is a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians. It is the official language of Georgia. Georgian is written in its own writing system, the Georgian script. Georgian is the literary language for all regional subgroups of Georgians, including those who speak other Kartvelian languages: Svans, Mingrelians and the Laz.

In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town.

Georgian feudalism

Georgian feudalism, or patronqmoba, as the system of personal dependence or vassalage in ancient and medieval Georgia is referred to, arose from a tribal-dynastic organization of society upon which was imposed, by royal authority, an official hierarchy of regional governors, local officials and subordinates. It is thought to have its roots into the ancient Georgian, or Iberian, society of Hellenistic period.

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The "Amira" is Arabic term meaning "prince". The position was introduced to Georgia after the initial Arab conquests in the 8th century when Abbasid caliphs appointed emirs of Tbilisi. The ascendancy of emirs ended in 1122 when King David IV seized the city following his decisive victory at Didgori. Thereafter, the amirs became subordinated to the Georgian crown; known as amirtamira, they were appointed to rule large towns.

Arabic Central Semitic language

Arabical-ʻarabiyyah[alʕaraˈbijːa](listen) or ʻarabī[ˈʕarabiː](listen) or Arabic pronunciation: [ʕaraˈbij]) is a Central Semitic language that first emerged in Iron Age northwestern Arabia and is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. It is named after the Arabs, a term initially used to describe peoples living in the area bounded by Mesopotamia in the east and the Anti-Lebanon mountains in the west, in northwestern Arabia, and in the Sinai Peninsula. Arabic is classified as a macrolanguage comprising 30 modern varieties, including its standard form, Modern Standard Arabic, which is derived from Classical Arabic.

A prince is a male ruler ranked below a king and above a duke or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. Prince is also a title of nobility, often hereditary, in some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess. The English word derives, via the French word prince, from the Latin noun princeps, from primus (first) and capio, meaning "the chief, most distinguished, ruler, prince".

Kingdom of Georgia former kingdom of Georgia in the Caucasus

The Kingdom of Georgia, also known as the Georgian Empire, was a medieval Eurasian monarchy which emerged circa 1008 AD. It reached its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar the Great from 11th to 13th centuries. Georgia became one of the pre-eminent nations of the Christian East, her pan-Caucasian empire stretching, at its largest extent, from Eastern Europe and the North Caucasus to the northern portion of Iran and Anatolia, while also maintaining religious possessions abroad, such as the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem and the Monastery of Iviron in Greece. It was the principal historical precursor of present-day Georgia.

Unlike the countries of Medieval Europe, where the three elements of political compromise – towns, feudal lords and the church – divided power among themselves and consequently promoted the development of strong centralized nation-states, in Georgia the towns were too weak and were deprived of rights. However social and economic changes in Georgia and the development of feudalism during its Golden Age, encouraged gradual transition of fortress towns to a centre of trade and crafts. The development of handicraft and trade brought about the growth and strengthening of such Georgian cities as Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Dmanisi, Ateni, Gori, Zhinvani, Artanuji, Akhaltsikhe, Samshvilde, Khunani, Khornabuji, Telavi and others.

Middle Ages Period of European history from the 5th through the 15th centuries

In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.

Nation state political term for a state that is based around a nation

A nation state is a state in which the great majority shares the same culture and is conscious of it. The nation state is an ideal in which cultural boundaries match up with political ones. According to one definition, "a nation state is a sovereign state of which most of its subjects are united also by factors which defined a nation such as language or common descent." It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group.

Georgian Golden Age

The Georgian Golden Age describes a historical period in the High Middle Ages, spanning from roughly the late 11th to 13th centuries, during which the Kingdom of Georgia reached the peak of its power and development. In addition to military expansion, this period saw the flourishing of medieval Georgian architecture, painting and poetry, which was frequently expressed in the development of ecclesiastic art, as well as the creation of first major works of secular literature.

One of the few attempts of third estate to gain power can be traced to Qutlu-Arslan, as a Finance Minister, he led a party of third estate who proposed an idea of limiting the royal power by a parliamentary-type legislature which, in the view of Qutlu Arslan and his followers, would be consist of two chambers: Darbazi (Royal Council) or an assembly that would meet occasionally to follow the developments in the kingdom, and Karavi, a legislature in permanent sessions. The dispute between the “party of Karavi” and that of the unlimited royal power concluded with the arrest of Qutlu Arslan. In retaliation, the latter’s supporters rose in rebellion, and marched to the Queen’s palace. Tamar agreed to release the oppositionist leader, but his ideas were never materialised. However some other historians believe that in addition to members of the higher secular and ecclesiastical nobility, the "Darbazi" now included representatives of the merchant-class, such as Abulasan amirtamira of Tbilisi.

Estates of the realm broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society recognised in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe

The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom from the medieval period to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and evolved over time.

Qutlu Arslan was the 12th-century Georgian politician sometimes referred to as the Georgian Simon de Montfort for his rebellion, in circa 1184, against the unlimited royal power.

Curia regis is a Latin term meaning "royal council" or "king's court". It was the name given to councils of advisors and administrators who served early French kings as well as to those serving Norman and later kings of England.

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Asat Grigolisdze was a 12th-century Georgian noble (didebuli) and eristavi ("duke") of Hereti in eastern Georgia. Asat, son of Grigol, who took the post by force from Saghir Kolonkelisdze; a little later he handed it over to his son, Grigol, because he obtained for himself Arishiani, and the right to sit on a cushion. During a revolt of treasurer Qutlu Arslan, who led a group of nobles and wealthy citizens in a struggle to limit the royal authority in 1191, Asat was one of the few nobles who remained loyal to the Queen Tamar. Following the invitation of Asat, Tamar undertook the great and glorious march to the countries below Ganja and Beylagan, then over the Araxes up to the mountain of Ararat.

Chiaber was a Georgian noble (didebuli) from eastern Georgia in 12th century. A foster son of George III of Georgia.

Gamrekeli Toreli or Gamrekeli of Tori was a 12th-century Georgian noble (didebuli) and duke (eristavi) of Akhalkalakhi and Tori.

Abulasan was a 12th-century Georgian politician, who served as mayor of Tbilisi and Eristavi of Kartli (1185–1188).

Darbazi was medieval Georgian council of state, introduced by king David IV of Georgia after the important government reforms. It functioned as a council of representatives from Didebulis and from the church hierarchy. The Council was non-mandatory in the decision of major questions of government and the king could, at his discretion, take the will of the "darbazi" into consideration. The rights and obligations of Darbazi were significantly widened after an insurrection by Qutlu Arslan and his faction. It was the result of a social struggle that marked a further step in the advancement of Georgian society, however some historians believe that this extensions of the rights of the "Darbazi" was a victory for the "Didebulis". Some other historians believe that in addition to members of the higher secular and ecclesiastical nobility, the "Darbazi" included representatives of the merchant-class.

Georgian Shirvan

Georgian Shirvan refers to a period between 1124 and 1239 when Shirvan came under the Georgian political dominance and since then the Shirvanshahs became the protectorate of the Kingdom of Georgia, as the result of David IV of Georgia's gradual expansions against the Seljuk Turks. Until the Mongol invasion and subjugation of Georgia by resurgent Mongol Empire in 1239, Georgian kings officially bore the title of Shirvanshahs, and sporadically assumed this title down to sixteenth century.

References

    Sources

    David Muskhelishvili Georgian historian

    David Levan Muskhelishvili in Tbilisi, Georgia. A member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences.

    <i>Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia</i> encyclopedia

    The Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia is the first universal encyclopedia in the Georgian language, printed in Tbilisi from 1965, the editor in chief of which was Irakli Abashidze. The encyclopedia consists of 11 alphabetic volumes and a 12th exclusively dedicated to the Georgian SSR, printed in both Georgian and Russian.