Mepe ( Old Georgian: ႫႴ; [a] Georgian: მეფე [mepʰe]; meh-PEH) is a royal [4] title used to designate the Georgian monarch, whether it is referring to a king or a queen regnant. [5] [6] The title was originally a male ruling title. [7]
The word is derived from Georgian word მეუფე (meupe) [8] which literally means sovereign and lord. [9] [10] Some Georgian dialects has the term as ნეფე (nepe), all derived from common Proto-Kartvelian მფ/მეფე/მაფა (mp/mepe/mapa). [11] Even though mepe has a female equivalent, დედოფალი (dedopali; lit. 'queen') [12] it is only applied to the king's consort and does not have a meaning of a ruling monarch. [13]
The term mepe was utilized since pre-Christian beginnings with Azo, but the role would get more structured during the reign of Pharnavaz I [14] in the 3rd century BC. [15] His successors, the Pharnavazid [b] mepes would be titled as goliath [20] who would possess 𐬓𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 ( pharnah; lit. 'royal radiance'), [21] the divinely endowed glory believed by ancient Persians [b] to mark only a legitimate ruler, [22] accompanied with დიდებაჲ (didebay; lit. 'greatness') and სუე (sue; lit. 'fortune; destiny'). [23] Georgian monarch's reign was known as მეფობაჲ (mepobay; lit. 'kingship'). [24] [25] Loss of pharnah and sue led to imminent death or overthrow of mepe. [26]
In the late 6th century, the Sassanid Empire would abolish [c] the Georgian kingship of the Kingdom of Iberia resulting in the interregnum stretching from c. 580 [c] to 888 as a demoted principality. [30] [31] Despite the monarchy was in abeyance, and that royal governing disintegrated, the principality rulers would still continue to claim to be referred to as mepes and ჴელმწიფე (helmts'ipe; lit. 'sovereign'). [32] After 888 [33] [34] (or 889) [35] restoration under next successive dynasty [d] of mepe Adarnase IV, the new kingdom would emerge as the fusion of many lands and territories, that would lead towards a total Georgian unification, culminating in 1008. [36]
In the 12th century, [37] the Bagratid [d] mepe David IV the Builder, who had established himself as the region's superlative political and military force, [46] with his ambitious and sophisticated push for his kingdom's royal imagery promotion, [47] the official style of a king would become imperial [48] თჳთმპყრობელი (tuitmp'q'robeli; lit. 'absolute master' [49] i.e. autokratōr) [50] and მეფეთ[ა]მეფე (mepet[a]mepe; [51] [52] [e] lit. ' King of Kings'), similar to the Byzantine βασιλεὺς βασιλέων (basileus basileōn) and Persian شاهنشاه (shahanshah). [57] David IV's royal projection of his grandiose title was partly aimed at a non-Georgian audience. [58] Title Shahanshah was later totally usurped [59] and consistently used by Georgian monarchs, denoting sovereignty over several Persianate subjects such as Shirvanshahs, the Shaddadids and the Eldiguzids. [60] The royal cult of a monarch would reach its zenith with a female ruler, Tamar, whose execution of power would inaugurate the Georgian Golden Age, her being styled as Tamar, the mepe. [61] Tamar was given the longest and more elaborate titles on the royal charters, listing all the peoples and lands that she ruled as a semi-saint mepetamepe. [62] The Bagrationi mepe, with its royal legitimacy [f] and ideological pillar, would rule Georgia for a millennium, from its medieval elevation down to the Russian conquest in the early 19th century. [66]
Mepe ( Old Georgian: ႫႴ; [a] Georgian: მეფე [mepʰe]; meh-PEH) is a royal [4] title used to designate the Georgian monarch, whether it is referring to a king or a queen regnant. [5] [6] The title was originally a male ruling title. [7]
The word is derived from Georgian word მეუფე (meupe) [8] which literally means sovereign and lord. [9] [10] Some Georgian dialects has the term as ნეფე (nepe), all derived from common Proto-Kartvelian მფ/მეფე/მაფა (mp/mepe/mapa). [11] Even though mepe has a female equivalent, დედოფალი (dedopali; lit. 'queen') [12] it is only applied to the king's consort and does not have a meaning of a ruling monarch. [13]
The term mepe was utilized since pre-Christian beginnings with Azo, but the role would get more structured during the reign of Pharnavaz I [14] in the 3rd century BC. [15] His successors, the Pharnavazid [b] mepes would be titled as goliath [20] who would possess 𐬓𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 ( pharnah; lit. 'royal radiance'), [21] the divinely endowed glory believed by ancient Persians [b] to mark only a legitimate ruler, [22] accompanied with დიდებაჲ (didebay; lit. 'greatness') and სუე (sue; lit. 'fortune; destiny'). [23] Georgian monarch's reign was known as მეფობაჲ (mepobay; lit. 'kingship'). [24] [25] Loss of pharnah and sue led to imminent death or overthrow of mepe. [26]
In the late 6th century, the Sassanid Empire would abolish [c] the Georgian kingship of the Kingdom of Iberia resulting in the interregnum stretching from c. 580 [c] to 888 as a demoted principality. [30] [31] Despite the monarchy was in abeyance, and that royal governing disintegrated, the principality rulers would still continue to claim to be referred to as mepes and ჴელმწიფე (helmts'ipe; lit. 'sovereign'). [32] After 888 [33] [34] (or 889) [35] restoration under next successive dynasty [d] of mepe Adarnase IV, the new kingdom would emerge as the fusion of many lands and territories, that would lead towards a total Georgian unification, culminating in 1008. [36]
In the 12th century, [37] the Bagratid [d] mepe David IV the Builder, who had established himself as the region's superlative political and military force, [46] with his ambitious and sophisticated push for his kingdom's royal imagery promotion, [47] the official style of a king would become imperial [48] თჳთმპყრობელი (tuitmp'q'robeli; lit. 'absolute master' [49] i.e. autokratōr) [50] and მეფეთ[ა]მეფე (mepet[a]mepe; [51] [52] [e] lit. ' King of Kings'), similar to the Byzantine βασιλεὺς βασιλέων (basileus basileōn) and Persian شاهنشاه (shahanshah). [57] David IV's royal projection of his grandiose title was partly aimed at a non-Georgian audience. [58] Title Shahanshah was later totally usurped [59] and consistently used by Georgian monarchs, denoting sovereignty over several Persianate subjects such as Shirvanshahs, the Shaddadids and the Eldiguzids. [60] The royal cult of a monarch would reach its zenith with a female ruler, Tamar, whose execution of power would inaugurate the Georgian Golden Age, her being styled as Tamar, the mepe. [61] Tamar was given the longest and more elaborate titles on the royal charters, listing all the peoples and lands that she ruled as a semi-saint mepetamepe. [62] The Bagrationi mepe, with its royal legitimacy [f] and ideological pillar, would rule Georgia for a millennium, from its medieval elevation down to the Russian conquest in the early 19th century. [66]