Atabeg
Atabeg (Ata – father, beg – lord) was a guardian of a prince, local government official and one of the viziers in the Kingdom of Georgia. Atabeg is a title of Turkic origin (in the Seljuk state, at first Atabeg was the tutor and the person charged with raising the heir of the sultan, and then, in the process of disintegration of this state, Atabegs appointed themselves as governors of the treasury of separate regions). The role of Atabegs was a form of guardianship in the Georgian world. The king usually appointed a spaspet (commander-in-chief) as the guardian of the prince. Amirspasalars were also appointed as Atabegs in Georgia in the 13th–14th centuries. According to the annalist, Atabegs were “the most glorified... among the rest of the feudal lords”. Evidently, apart from raising the princes, Atabegs governed the princely domains as well. In addition to Atabegs, who were the guardians of the princes, there were also Atabegs, who governed the provinces in Georgia; Such was Ivane Akhaltsikheli-Toreli, who was appointed as the governor of Kars by Queen Tamar after conquering the city (beginning of the 13th century), she bestowed on him the titles of Atabeg and Emir. In the 13th century, noblemen also had Atabegs. The position of the Atabeg opposed the position of royal chancellor/vizier in Georgia and gradually took precedence over it. According to the annalist, Jalaleddin called Ivane Atabeg “the senior vizier”. After the 1260s, the position of royal chancellor/vizier was no longer seen in the political arena. According to the researchers (N. Berdzenishvili, I. Surguladze), the promotion of the position of Atabeg and the demotion of the position of royal chancellor/vizier were connected with the weakening of the king's central authority. In Georgia, the position of the Atabeg-vizier was held by the great feudal clans (Mkhargrdzeli, Mankaberd, Orbeli, Jakeli) of southern Georgia (Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti). This may be explained by the fact that the royal domain was mainly located in this area. The first Atabeg-vizier was Ivane Mkhargrdzeli. He was chief official at the court of Queen Tamar, and then he became the Atabeg in the beginning of the 13th century (1205).
Source: გარიგება ხელმწიფის კარისა, წგ.: ქართული სამართლის ძეგლები, ი. სურგულაძის გამოც., თბ., 1970; ჟამთააღმწერელი, ასწლოვანი მატიანე, რ. კიკნაძის გამოც., თბ., 1987.
Literature: ა ნ თ ე ლ ა ვ ა ი., საქართველოს ცენტრალური და ადგილობრივი მმართველობა XI–XIII სს., თბ., 1983; გ ა ბ ა შ ვ ი ლ ი ვ., საქართველო და თურქული სამყარო XI–XII საუკუნეებში, «აღმოსავლური ფილოლოგია», 1973, [ტ.] 3; მ ე ს ხ ი ა შ., საშინაო პოლიტიკური ვითარება და სამოხელეო წყობა XII საუკუნის საქართველოში, თბ., 1979; ს უ რ გ უ ლ ა ძ ე ი., ნარკვევები საქართველოს სახელმწიფოსა და სამართლის ისტორიიდან, [წგ.] 2, თბ., 1965,; შ ე ნ გ ე ლ ი ა ნ., სელჩუკები და საქართველო XI საუკუნეში, თბ., 1968; ჯ ა ვ ა ხ ი შ ვ ი ლ ი ივ., ქართული სამართლის ისტორია, წგ. 1, ნაკვ. 1, თბ., 1982 (თხზ. თორმეტ ტომად, ტ. 6).
N. Shoshiashvili
