The Kingdom of Georgia in Asia Minor, located on the easternmost fringes of the thirteenth-century Christian world, reached the pinnacle of its political power during the reign of Queen Tamara (1169-1212), who reigned from 1184 to 1212. Tamara ruled over the largest territory ever to come under the control of Georgia; during her reign, the kingdom stretched from Azerbaijan, north of present-day Iran, to the borders of Cherkessia, in the North Caucasus.

With an official title of "Tamar Bagrationi, by the will of our Lord, Queen of the Abkhazians, Kartvels, Rans, Kakhs and the Armenians, Shirvan-Shah and Shah-in-Shah and ruler of all East and West," Tamara successfully defended her kingdom against multiple incursions by hostile forces. But within 20 years of her death, Mongol invasions would destroy the governmental and military foundations of the country.

Historical Context

Although the trans-Caucasian state of Georgia in Asia Minor first emerged as an independent...