Guzan Abulasanisdze

Guzan or Guzan Abulasanisdze (Georgian: გუზან აბულასანისძე; Guzan, son of Abulasan) was the 12th-century Georgian nobleman and politician, a powerful feudal lord from Southern Georgia; ruler of Klarjeti, Tao and Shavsheti. He rebelled twice against the Queen Tamar, for which he was punished by David Soslan by the gouging out his eyes.

History

Around 1187, troops from Tao and Meskheti led by Guzan and other south Georgian feudal princes repelled an attack from Muslim rulers of Erzurum (Saltukids) and Sham.

After the banishment of Queen Tamar's disgraced husband, Yuri from the Georgian court, clan of Abulasan was suppressed and deprived some of their possessions. Yury allied himself with a powerful party of Georgian nobles led by Guzan, Vardan Dadiani and Botso Jaqeli, and returned to lead a revolt against Tamar in 1191.[1] The rebels proclaimed Yury as a King of Georgia in the palace of Geguti and captured several provinces in the south-western Georgia, but were eventually crushed by the Queen's devoted general Gamrekeli Toreli at the battles in Tmogvi and Erusheti. The rebels capitulated and were pardoned by Tamar. Even those who deserved the death penalty and those who deserved banishment were not punished as they deserved, and nobody was subject to the cutting off of members or by blinding by her order.

Guzan, a leading figure in the rising to place Yuri on the throne, who had not been duly punished, remained restless. He seized Taoskari, Vashlovani and many other fortresses and went to Shah-Armens.[2] Anton Samdzivari and other nobles, among whom were the meghvinetukhutsesi, who considered himself an heir to Klarjeti and Shavsheti, joined him. The rebels entrenched themselves on mountains near Kola.[3] The son of the traitor Guzan, appeared with troops, provided by the Shah-Armen to rescue his family. Here, they were met by Zakaria Panaskerteli, the Dzinians and the Kalmakhians, and though Muslims had a lot of men deployed under twelve banners, the small forces of Tamar put them to flight and seized the family of Guzan.

Guzan managed to escape and had fled across the border to Eldiguzids. However he was captured by Zakaria Panaskerteli and brought to King consort David Soslan, and he, knowing how infinitely merciful Tamar was, gouged out his eyes, before informing her, because of the Christian blood so abundantly spilled by Guzan.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Bakhtadze 2010, p. 12.
  2. ↑ Lordkipanidze, Mariam (1987). Georgia in the XI-XII Centuries. Tbilisi: Genatleba. p. 150.
  3. ↑ History of Panaskerteli family
  4. ↑ Georgian National Academy of Sciences, Kartlis Tskhovreba (History of Georgia), Artanuji pub. Tbilisi 2014


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