Anton Gnolistavisdze ( ka, ანტონ გნოლისთავისძე) was a 12th-century

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

politician and monk. During

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

's reign Anton – "a wise and reasonable man faithful to his masters and an able manager" – served as ''Mtsignobartukhutses-Chkondideli'' (

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

) and Grand

vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

(1179-1184) at

royal court, however after the king's death, Catholicos-Patriarch Michael IV took that office from him. Afterward Anton left secular life to become a monk at

Gareja monastery David Gareja ( ka, დავითგარეჯის სამონასტრო კომპლექსი) is a rock-hewn Georgian Orthodox monastery complex located in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia, on the half-desert slopes o ...

. The turning point in Anton's fortunes came with the death of the powerful Catholicos-Patriarch Michael whom the

Queen Tamar Tamar the Great ( ka, თამარ მეფე, tr, lit. "King Tamar") ( 1160 – 18 January 1213) reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age. A member of the Bagrationi dynasty ...

replaced, as a

, with her supporter, Anton Gnolistavisdze. Tamar also granted him

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Samtavisi Samtavisi ( ka, სამთავისი) is an eleventh-century Georgian Orthodox cathedral in eastern Georgia, in the region of Shida Kartli, some 45 km from the nation's capital Tbilisi, near Igoeti village. The cathedral is now one of t ...

. Anton Gnolistavisdze "a real knight by his appearance and origin" participated in

Battle of Shamkor Battle of Shamkor was fought on June 1, 1195 near the city of Shamkor, Arran. The battle was a major victory won by the Georgian army, commanded by David Soslan, over the army of the Eldiguzid ruler of Nusrat al-Din Abu Bakr. The battle was ...

in 1195. He was ordered to bear in front the "Life-creating Cross", which is the

scepter A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The ''Was'' and other ...

and armor of kings. Being a monk, Anton did not keep a sword, but with his two knights, he seized from the enemy three hundred mules and camels.Georgian National Academy of Sciences, Kartlis Tskhovreba (History of Georgia), Artanuji pub. Tbilisi 2014

References

Politicians from Georgia (country) 12th-century people from Georgia (country) {{Georgia-hist-stub