Avag Zakarian

Avag Zakarian (Georgian: ავაგ მხარგრძელი, romanized: avag mkhargrdzeli; Armenian: Ավագ Զաքարյան) (died 1250 AD) was an Armenian noble of the Zakarid line,^[1][2] and a Court official of the Kingdom of Georgia, as atabeg and amirspasalar of Georgia from 1227 to 1250.^[3]

Avag Zakarian Ավագ Զաքարյան
Atabeg
In office 1227–1250
Preceded by	Ivane I Zakarian
Succeeded by	Ivane III Abuletisdze
Amirspasalar
In office 1242–1250
Preceded by	Shahnshah Zakarian
Succeeded by	Zakare III Zakarian
Personal details
Born	Unknown
Died	1250
Resting place	Haghpat Monastery
Children	Kuashak Zakarian
Parent(s)	Ivane I Zakarian (father) Khoshak (mother)
Military service
Battles/wars	Jalal al-Din's invasions of Georgia [ka] Battle of Bolnisi

The eastern areas Bjni, Gegharkunik, Vayots-dzor, Artsakh, Siunik, Nakhichevan, Dvin and Yerevan were under the jurisdiction of the atabeg Ivane Mkhargrdzeli and his son Avag. First Dvin and later Bjni were centres of this division. The subjects of Ivane's family were the Orbelians, Khaghbakians, Dopians, Hasan-Jalalyan and others.

His sister, Tamta, through forced marriages to members of the Saladin and Khwarazmian dynasties, and capture by the Mongol empire, served as governor, regent, or ruler of Akhlat at points throughout the early 13th century.^[4]

Biography

During Mongol invasion of Georgia in 1238-39 Queen Rusudan had to evacuate Tbilisi for Kutaisi, leaving eastern Georgia in the hands of atabeg Avag Mkhargrdzeli and Kakhetian lord, Egarslan Bakurtsikheli. The Mongol general Toghta was sent by Chaghatai to assault Avag's troops at the fortress of Kayan.^[5] After some resistance, Avag surrendered, and had to agree to pay tribute to the Mongols, and to provide let his troops join the Mongol army.^[5] Avag was the first of the Caucasian princes to submit to the Mongols, and was treated with great honor for his reddition,^[6] triggering the surrender of may more nobles in the rest of the campaign.^[7] The combined troops went on to Ani, the Armenian capital defended by Shahnshah Zakarian, but the city was eventually captured and destroyed.^[5]

Following this disastrous campaign of 1238-1239, the Armenians and Georgians made peace with the Mongols and agreed to pay them tribute and supply their troops (Georgian–Mongolian treaty of 1239).^[8]

Geghard first rock-cut church, built under Avag during the Zakarid period, circa 1240.

Avag Mkhargrdzeli, who was raised by Queen Rusudan from the rank of spasalar to amirspasalar (Lord High Constable), and then to that of atabeg (tutor) arranged the submission of Queen Rusudan to the Mongols in 1243, and Georgia officially acknowledged the Great Khan as its overlord. During this period of interregnum (1245–1250), with the two Davids absent at the court of the Great Khan in Karakorum, the Mongols divided the Kingdom of Georgia into eight districts (tumen), one of them commanded by Avag Mkhargrdzeli. Exploiting the complicated issue of succession on Georgian throne, the Mongols had the Georgian nobles divided into two rival parties, each of which advocated their own candidate to the crown, where Avag was supporting candidacy of David Narin.

David VII of Georgia visited the estates of atabag Avag when he died, leaving no son behind, but only a daughter by the name of Khuashak/Khoshak. The King came to the funeral in Bjni and noticed the good-looking widow of Avag, Gvantsa. He fell in love with her and a little time later took her as his wife and Queen, and brought her to his kingdom. And he left Avag's daughter to govern her estate, entrusting her to the supervision of Sadun of Mankaberdi. Khoshak eventually married Shams al-Din Juvayni, who was vizier in the service of the Mongols.^[9]

Matosavank monastery was constructed with the oversight of Avag. He also built the "Rock-cut church with spring" c.1240 in the Geghard Monastery.^[10] The Kirants Monastery was also probably founded by Avag, who was a of Chalcedonian faith like his father.^[11] The frescoes of the monastery can be dated to the 1230s-1240s.^[11]

Matosavank monastery.

References

1. B. Dashdondog. The Mongols and the Armenians (1220-1335). — BRILL. — 2010. — P. 72.
2. Encyclopaedia of Islam. — E. J. BRILL, 1986. — Vol. I. — P. 507."Ani was for the first time conquered by the Georgians in 1124, under David II, who laid the foundation of the power of the Georgian kings; the town was given as a fief to the Armenian family of the Zakarids"
3. Georgian National Academy of Sciences, Kartlis Tskhovreba (History of Georgia), Artanuji pub. Tbilisi 2014
4. Eastmond, Anthony (2017). Tamta's World: The Life and Encounters of a Medieval Noblewoman from the Middle East to Mongolia. New York: Cambridge University Press.
5. McDaniel, Ryan James (2005). THE MONGOL INVASIONS OF THE NEAR EAST. San Jose State University. pp. 127–128. Chaghatai dispatched Toghta to assault Awag's fortress of Kayan. (...) Awag surrendered in the name all of Georgia agreeing to pay tribute and to have his troops join the Mongol army. (...) Chormaqan took his own force west to the ancient capital of Armenia, Ani, and Awag accompanied him. The city was under the authority of Shahnshah and the leaders hesitated to surrender. A mob killed the Mongol envoys, and as was their custom in such circumstances, the Mongols relentlessly assaulted the city. Some of the princes surrendered in exchange for a promise of clemency, but after they came out the Mongols divided them up and killed them all. The survivors in the city were enslaved. The destruction was so fierce that the city of Kars surrendered without a fight, hoping to avoid Ani's fate.
6. Biran, Michal; Kim, Hodong (31 July 2023). The Cambridge History of the Mongol Empire 2 Volumes. Cambridge University Press. p. 714, note 41. ISBN 978-1-009-30197-8. When the Armenian noble Awag, ruler of Kayen, offered his loyalty to Chormaqan and was welcomed with honor by the Mongols.
7. Dashdondog, Bayarsaikhan (2010). The Mongols and the Armenians (1220–1335). Brill's Inner Asian Library. p. 72. Awag (d. 1250), the son of Iwané Zak'arian (d. 1234), was the first Caucasian noble to submit to the Mongols. Kirakos Gandzakets'i gives a detailed account of how this happened.' In 1236, Awag, seeing that the Mongols continued to besiege his stronghold, Kayen, even after taking his daughter and gifts, sent one of Khachen's nobles, Grigor called Tghay to meet the Mongol leader Chormaghan, who was camped at the time by the shores of Lake Geghark'unik* (Sevan). When the great Commander Chormaghan heard about Awag's intention to submit, he ordered his troops to stop besieging the fortress. Soon after, Awag was received by Chormaghan.
8. Dashdondog, Bayarsaikhan (2010). The Mongols and the Armenians (1220–1335). Brill's Inner Asian Library. p. 72. Awag (d. 1250), the son of Iwané Zak'arian (d. 1234), was the first Caucasian noble to submit to the Mongols. Kirakos Gandzakets'i gives a detailed account of how this happened.' In 1236, Awag, seeing that the Mongols continued to besiege his stronghold, Kayen, even after taking his daughter and gifts, sent one of Khachen's nobles, Grigor called Tghay to meet the Mongol leader Chormaghan, who was camped at the time by the shores of Lake Geghark'unik* (Sevan). When the great Commander Chormaghan heard about Awag's intention to submit, he ordered his troops to stop besieging the fortress. Soon after, Awag was received by Chormaghan.
9. Dashdondog, Bayarsaikhan (2011). The Mongols and the Armenians (1220-1335) (PDF). Brill. p. 166. ISBN 978-90-04-18635-4.
10. Geghard. p. 8. The first stone church is situated to the north-west of the "Kathoghikd" church, and according to the inscription on the south wall, was built during the Avang reign (died in 1250) son of Ivan and nephew of the Amirspahsalar - (commander in chief of the army) Zaccaria nicknamed Long Arm. In the church interior exists a natural spring, anciently worshipped, and today scrupulously conserved.
11. Lidov, Aleksej M. (1991). The mural paintings of Akhtala. pp. 14–16. doi:10.11588/diglit.27365. The Kirants Monastery is not mentioned in any historical sources, however, indirect evidence suggests that it was founded by the Chalcedonian Avag, the son and heir of Ivane Mkhargrdzeli. The wall paintings there can thus be dated to the 1230s or 1240s.