''Amirspasalar'' or ''amirspasalari'' ( ka, ამირსპასალარი, from , ) was the commander-in-chief of the medieval Georgian army and one of the highest officials of the

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...

, commonly rendered as "Lord High Constable" (and sometimes also as ''

generalissimo ''Generalissimo'' ( ), also generalissimus, is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used. Usage The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative ...

'') in English. It is composed of ''

amir Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...

'', an

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

term meaning 'commander', 'governor', or 'prince'; and ''

sipahsalar () or (; ), in Arabic rendered as () or (), was a title used in much of the Islamic world during the 10th–15th centuries, to denote the senior-most military commanders, but also as a generic general officer rank. Islamic East and Persia Th ...

'', from the Persian for 'army commander'.Robert Bedrosian, "Amirspasalar", in: Joseph Reese Strayer (1983), ''

Dictionary of the Middle Ages The ''Dictionary of the Middle Ages'' is a 13-volume encyclopedia of the Middle Ages published by the American Council of Learned Societies between 1982 and 1989. It was first conceived and started in 1975 with American medieval historian Jos ...

'', p. 235. Scribner, . The ''amirspasalar'' was a wartime supreme commander-in-chief of the royal armies, and the bearer of the state flag. Under

Queen Tamar Tamar the Great ( ka, თამარ მეფე, tr , ; 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, her position ...

(r. 1184–1213), it was the third great office of the Georgian state, after King and ''

atabek Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was wi ...

''. '' The Institution of the Royal Court'', most probably codified during the second reign of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

(1314–1346) defines the office as "an honorary

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

and the head of army". The title of ''amirspasalar'' is first mentioned in the reign of

George III of Georgia George III ( ka, გიორგი III, tr) (died 27 March 1184), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 8th King ('' mepe'') of Georgia from 1156 to 1184. He became king when his father, Demetrius I, died in 1156, which was preceded by his brother ...

(1156–1184), but it was apparently introduced by George's grandfather

David IV David IV, also known as David IV the Builder ( ka, დავით IV აღმაშენებელი, tr; 1073 – 24 January 1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th List of monarchs of Georgia, king (''mepe'') of the Kingdom of Ge ...

(r. 1089–1125), who had substantially reformed Georgia's military and civil administration. In the early 12th century the ''amirspasalar'' was chosen from the

House of Orbeli The House of Orbelian () was a noble family of Armenia and a dynasty of Armenian lords of the province of Syunik, with a long history of political influence documented in inscriptions throughout the provinces of Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and recor ...

, but in 1155,

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, son of

Demetrius I of Georgia Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumitru, Demitri, D ...

, overthrow his father and attempted to curb the Orbeli influence by transferring the post to their rival, Tirkash Abuletisdze. After Demetrius's restoration, the Orbeli again held the post down to their rebellion against George III in 1176–1177, when it was given to Qubasar, of

Kipchak Kipchak may refer to: * Kipchaks, a medieval Turkic people * Kipchak languages, a Turkic language group * Kipchak language, an extinct Turkic language of the Kipchak group * Kipchak Khanate or Golden Horde * Kipchak Mosque, a mosque in the villa ...

origin. In 1184, Queen Tamar removed Qubasar and appointed a member of the Gamrekeli family. Later, the office passed to the family of

Zachariads The Zakarid dynasty, also Zakarids or Zakarians () were an Armenian noble dynasty, rulers of Zakarid Armenia (1201–1350) under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Georgia, and from 1256 under the control of the Mongol Ilkhanate of Persia. Their dyn ...

(

Mkhargrdzeli The Zakarid dynasty, also Zakarids or Zakarians () were an Armenian noble dynasty, rulers of Zakarid Armenia (1201–1350) under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Georgia, and from 1256 under the control of the Mongol Ilkhanate of Persia. Their dyn ...

), succeeded by the

Jaqeli The House of Jaqeli ( ka, ჯაყელი) was an old Georgian princely family ('' mtavari'') and a ruling dynasty of the Principality of Samtskhe, an offshoot of the House of Chorchaneli. History "Jaqeli", literally meaning "of/from Jaqi ...

. The position was effectively abolished with the dismemberment of the Kingdom of Georgia later in the 15th century.

References

{{italic title Military ranks of Georgia (country) Noble titles of Georgia (country) Military history of the Kingdom of Georgia Georgian words and phrases Georgian military ranks of Persian origin 11th-century establishments in the Kingdom of Georgia 15th-century disestablishments in the Kingdom of Georgia

See also

References