Demetrius II the Self-Sacrificer or the Devoted ( ka, დემეტრე II თავდადებული) (1259–12 March 1289) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in 1270–1289.

Life

Son of King David VII and his wife Gvantsa, Demetrius was only 2 years old when his mother was killed by the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

in 1261. He succeeded on his father's death in 1270, when he was 11 years old. He ruled under the regency of Sadun Mankaberdeli for some time. In 1277–1281, he took part in

Abaqa Khan Abaqa Khan (27 February 1234 – 4 April 1282, mn, Абаха/Абага хан (Khalkha Cyrillic), ( Traditional script), "paternal uncle", also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler (''Ilkhan'') of the Ilkhanate. The son of Hul ...

's campaigns against

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

and in particularly distinguished himself at the

Second Battle of Homs The Second Battle of Homs was fought in western Syria on 29 October 1281, between the armies of the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt and the Ilkhanate, a division of the Mongol Empire centered on Iran. The battle was part of Abaqa Khan's attempt at taki ...

, (29 October 1281). Although he continued to be titled "king of Georgians and Abkhazians, etc", Demetrius's rule extended only over the eastern part of the kingdom. Western

was under the rule of the

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...

an branch of the Bagrationi dynasty. King Demetrius was considered quite a controversial person. Devoted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

, he was criticized for his polygamy. In 1288, on the order of Arghun Khan, he subdued the rebel province of

Derbend Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It is ...

at the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central A ...

. The same year, Arghun revealed a plot organized by his powerful minister Buqa, whose son was married to Demetrius's daughter. Bugha and his family were massacred, and the Georgian king, suspected to be involved in a plot, was ordered to the Mongol capital, or Arghun threatened to invade

. Despite much advice from nobles, Demetrius headed for the Khan's residence to face apparent death, and was imprisoned there. He was beheaded at Movakan on 12 March 1289. He was buried at

Mtskheta Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of ...

, and canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. He was succeeded by his cousin

Vakhtang II Vakhtang II (died 1292), of the dynasty of Bagrationi, was king of Georgia from 1289 to 1292. He reigned during the Mongol dominance of Georgia. A son of the western Georgian ruler, king David VI Narin, by his first wife Tamar, daughter of P ...

Marriages and children

At one point, Demetrius had three wives. In 1277, he married a daughter of

Manuel I of Trebizond Manuel I Megas Komnenos ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός; died March 1263) was Emperor of Trebizond from 1238 until his death. He was the son of Emperor Alexios I and his wife, Theodora. At the time Manuel reigned, the Empire of Trebizond com ...

by whom he had five children * David VIII * Vakhtang III * Prince Lasha * Prince Manuel * Princess Rusudan Demetrius also had three children by his second wife, Mongol princess Solghar: * Prince Baidu * Prince Iadgar * Princess Jigda, married Emperor

Alexios II of Trebizond Alexios II Megas Komnenos ( el, Αλέξιος Μέγας Κομνηνός , translit=Alexios Megas Komnēnos; Sept./Dec. 1282 – 3 May 1330), was Emperor of Trebizond from 1297 to 1330. He was the elder son of John II and Eudokia Palaiologina. ...

George Finlay George Finlay (21 December 1799 – 26 January 1875) was a Scottish historian. Biography Finlay was born in Faversham, Kent, where his Scottish father, Captain John Finlay FRS, an officer in the Royal Engineers, was inspector of government powd ...

, ''The History of Greece and the Empire of Trebizond, (1204-1461)'' (Edinburgh: William Blackwood, 1851), p. 436 In ca. 1280, he married his third wife, Natela, daughter of

Beka I Jaqeli Beka I Jaqeli ( ka, ბექა I ჯაყელი) (c. 1240 – 1306) was a Georgian ruling prince (''mtavari'') of Samtskhe (1285–1306). His principality included Samtskhe, Adjara, Shavsheti, Klarjeti, Lazia (Chaneti), Tao, Kola, Artaani ...

, Atabeg of Samtskhe and Lord High Steward of Georgia. They were the parents of: * George V the Brilliant.

References

* George Finlay, The History of Greece and the Empire of Trebizond, (1204-1461) (Edinburgh: William Blackwood, 1851), p. 436 rong reference - the page number does not contain information about Jigda Khanun

External links

დემეტრე II თავდადებული
(in Georgian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Demetrius 02 of Georgia Kings of Georgia People executed by Mongolia by decapitation Medieval child rulers 13th-century people from Georgia (country) 1259 births 1289 deaths Executed people from Georgia (country) People executed by the Mongol Empire 13th-century executions Eastern Orthodox monarchs Eastern Orthodox Christians from Georgia (country) Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Georgia