Bagrat II ( ka, ბაგრატ II) (937–994) was a
Georgian prince of the
Bagratid dynasty of
Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to:
* Tao-Klarjeti, part of Georgian historical region of Upper Kartli
* Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, AD 888 to 1008
{{set index article
Kingdom of Iberia
Historical regions of Georgia (country) ...
and the titular king of
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
-
Kartli
Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role ...
from 958 until his death. He was also known as Bagrat Regueni (ბაგრატ რეგუენი), "Regueni" being a moniker rendered in English as "the Simple".
Bagrat was the elder son of
Sumbat I, whom he succeeded as “king of the Iberians” in 958. In spite of having a royal status, Bagrat only ruled
northern or Hither Tao and, unlike his father, was not bestowed with the high
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantino ...
court title of
curopalates, which was granted to Bagrat’s cousin and the ruler of southern or Thither Tao,
Adarnase V. Professor
Taqaishvili explains Bagrat’s
epithet
An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
"Regueni" by his younger age upon his accession to the throne. Bagrat frequently appeared as a collaborator of his relative
David III of Tao
David III Kuropalates (, ''Davit’ III Kurapalati'') or David III the Great (დავით III დიდი, ''Davit’ III Didi''), also known as David II, (c. 930s – 1000/1001) was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid family of Tao, a histo ...
, the most influential person among the Bagratids of that time, aiding him against the
Rawadids of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country, transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Wester ...
and even against his own son and co-king
Gurgen during a brief split among the Bagratids. By 978, Gurgen had become a de facto king of Iberia, while his son
Bagrat III had been adopted and designed as heir by David III of Tao, thus setting the stage for future unification of various Georgian polities into a single Bagratid realm.
Toumanoff, Cyril
Cyril Leo Toumanoff (russian: Кирилл Львович Туманов; 13 October 1913 – 4 February 1997) was a Russian-born Georgian historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armeni ...
(1967). ''Studies in Christian Caucasian History'', pp. 490-5. Georgetown University Press
Georgetown University Press is a university press affiliated with Georgetown University that publishes about forty new books a year. The press's major subject areas include bioethics, international affairs, languages and linguistics, political s ...
.
Bagrat had two sons:
*
Gurgen (died 1008), his successor as king of Iberia
*Sumbat (died 992)
References
937 births
994 deaths
Kings of Bagratid Iberia
Bagrationi dynasty of Iberia
10th-century rulers in Asia
10th-century monarchs of Georgia
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