1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised just one 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: quick note of housekeeping before we begin. We are back 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: at Rain on me over at the Noble Blood Patreon 5 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: that is patreon dot com, slash, Noble Blood Tales and 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: me Danish sports and Caramadnqua. My friend and actor and 7 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: writer are going through every episode of the CW series Rain, 8 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: which is ostensibly about Mary, Queen of scott So join 9 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: us over there. The patreon also has stickers, exclusive March 10 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,559 Speaker 1: and episode scripts. But of course the best possible support 11 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: is just listening, so thank you so much. In movies, 12 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: there is an undeniable difference between the way feminine and 13 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: masculine rage is portrayed. Masculine rage often manifests in more 14 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: physical violence or audible expressions of emotion in battle cries 15 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: or fistfights, outbursts that are usually pretty self explanatory think 16 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: Brave Heart or the entirety of the Fast and Furious franchise. 17 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,959 Speaker 1: Feminine rage, however, when it's shown in popular culture, is 18 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: almost always a little bit weirder and I think sometimes 19 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: more interesting. In October of last year, the BBC published 20 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: an article called Female Rage the Brutal New Icons of 21 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,320 Speaker 1: Film and TV. In the article, the author argues that 22 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: women in film have a history of being viewed as 23 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: weak or passive, with the rare instance of violence typically 24 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: only instigated in direct response to an attack by a 25 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: male counterpart. But the author goes on to write that 26 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: in recent years, directors have utilized female violence quote in 27 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: a way that calls gendered state bareotypes into question and 28 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: champions female rage, particularly over male aggression. This is true 29 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: and seen in movies like Jennifer's Body or in the 30 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 1: Showtime series Yellowjackets. Female rage isn't something that necessitates physical 31 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: violence in order to be fully captured on screen. Immediately, 32 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: my mind turns to the now pretty ubiquitous gift of 33 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: Margot Robbie giving herself a manic, if not slightly unhinged 34 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: smile in the mirror as Tanya Harding in the movie 35 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: I Tanya. If you haven't seen the film, there's a 36 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: moment where Tanya is desperately smearing rouge on her cheeks, 37 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: her face already flushed with anger and embarrassment. Tanya closes 38 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: her eyes, takes a breath, and then forces herself to 39 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: smile in the mirror. Practicing a smile in the mirror 40 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,799 Speaker 1: is It's something that most of us have done, particularly 41 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: those of us with social anxiety, checking in to make 42 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: sure that we can pass off as calm and collected 43 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: before heading off into the world. Only Margot Robbie's smile 44 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: at that moment is anything but easy. It looks almost painful. 45 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,839 Speaker 1: She's bearing her teeth. Her eyes shine not with excitement, 46 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: but with the specific type of pent up frustration that 47 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: only comes from being buried alive under the consequences of 48 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: actions outside one's control. She's raging, but she's smiling, and 49 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: it's impossible to look away. It's an unfortunate fact of 50 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: history that women are rarely given the opportunity to act 51 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: upon their anger. Women who act as men would in 52 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: certain situations are dismissed as being shrill or irrational at best, 53 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: or murdered at worst. The very word hysterical comes from 54 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: the Greek word hysteria, meaning uterus. In fact, up until 55 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty, hysteria was a legitimate diagnosis in the Diagnostic 56 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, because calling an entire 57 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: sex dramatic was far easier than actually researching the very 58 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 1: real medical issues that female bodies suffer. But I digress. 59 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: All this is to say, for millennia, women have had 60 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: to control their anger, keep it under lock and key, 61 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: lest their grievances cause them to be physically hurt or 62 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: disregarded entirely as people. And I can think of no 63 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: better historical figure that exemplifies that situation than the twelfth 64 00:04:55,040 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: century ruler, Queen Tamar of Georgia. Given the throne at 65 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: just eighteen years old, the young george and Queen was 66 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: forced to marry a man she hardily knew, just to 67 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: be able to keep her power. Then, after years of 68 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: being constantly disrespected in an unhappy marriage, when the court 69 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: finally granted her a divorce, what did her ex husband do? Oh, 70 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: you know, just the usual organized a coup to dethrone 71 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: her and take Georgia for himself. But Tamar couldn't scream, 72 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: she couldn't punch, she couldn't even fire the court who 73 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: insisted that she marry that man in the first place, 74 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: not if she wanted to continue her reign anyway. So 75 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: instead she did as generations of women had done before 76 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: and would continue to do for generations. Long after she 77 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: was gone. Queen Tamar closed her eyes, took a breath, 78 00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:00,679 Speaker 1: forced a smile upon her face, and got to work. 79 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: I'm Danish schwartz, and this is noble blood. The year 80 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:13,719 Speaker 1: was eleven seventy seven. To orient you in Western history. 81 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: In England, King Henry the second was dealing with the 82 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 1: fallout of the Great Revolt, while his wife Eleanor of 83 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 1: Aquitaine was under house arrest. To the east, across the 84 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: Black Sea, the Kingdom of Georgia was in the midst 85 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:32,599 Speaker 1: of its own struggle for power. Most historians would categorize 86 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: this period in time as being part of Georgia's Golden Age, 87 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: which took place between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. It 88 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: was a period known for its unprecedented economic and cultural growth. 89 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: But Golden or not, there's hardly an age in history 90 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,839 Speaker 1: in which the right to rule isn't being fought over. 91 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: In eleven seventy seven, King George the third of Georgia 92 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: was the kingdom's sovereign, but that year his nephew conspired 93 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: with a group of rebellious noblemen to take the throne 94 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: for himself. The coup would ultimately be stopped by George 95 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: and his court, but the attempt was enough to rattle 96 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: the king into taking action to secure his legacy. Having 97 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,679 Speaker 1: no sons of his own, George took the only action 98 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: he could to solidify his family's claim to the throne, 99 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: breaking tradition and for the first time in Georgia's history, 100 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: naming a woman, his eldest daughter Tamar, as his co 101 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: ruler in eleven seventy eight. And as you can imagine, 102 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 1: the Georgian court wasn't thrilled with a woman ruling over 103 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: their kingdom, but King George was not blind to that. 104 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: Hence the introduction of Tamar first as his co ruler. 105 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: It served as what we might today call a soft 106 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: launch to her reign, introducing the country and nobles to 107 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: the idea of a woman ruler without fully throwing her 108 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: to the wolves all on her own, and so together 109 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: they did rule successfully for six years. As a unit, 110 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: the father and daughter led the kingdom into an era 111 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: of economic stability and military success. Together their throne seemed impenetrable, 112 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 1: and then George died in eleven eighty four, and the 113 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,359 Speaker 1: wolves that had been held back for so long finally 114 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: caught the scent of fresh prey. After the death of 115 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: Tamar's father, the Georgian Court quickly made their true thoughts 116 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: on Tamar as a ruler known. The court made several 117 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: demands of their queen, the first of which was to 118 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: hold a new, separate coronation. The point of this new 119 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: coronation would be to specify that Tamar's right to rule 120 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: was given by the Court, not by the divine right 121 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: of God. That way, she would ultimately feel more beholdened 122 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 1: the Georgian Court and their opinions on how she was 123 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: to govern the people. The second coronation was just one 124 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: of many concessions Tamar would need to make in order 125 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: to maintain her throne. Another compromise came when she agreed 126 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:34,679 Speaker 1: to appoint a man named Michel Maryanishte as her High Chancellor. 127 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: If this work Game of Thrones, you can think of 128 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: Michael as a little finger figure. Michael was an ambitious 129 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: man to the point of being self serving in his 130 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: role within the Georgian Court, But he knew that he 131 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: held the court's favor, and so he used that to 132 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,559 Speaker 1: persuade Tamar into giving him the role of High Chancellor. 133 00:09:56,280 --> 00:10:00,760 Speaker 1: With whispers of rebellion, echoing off the palace walls. Tamar 134 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,920 Speaker 1: grit her teeth and reluctantly gave Mikel the position, if 135 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 1: only to keep those surrounding them from actively conspiring her downfall. 136 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: And while his appointment did quell the majority of talk 137 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 1: to forcibly take Tamar off the Georgian throne, it inversely 138 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:23,559 Speaker 1: emboldened some of the court members to make even more 139 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: outlandish requests of their queen. The final concession Tamar was 140 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: forced to make was arguably the most radical of all. 141 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: The leader of the Georgian Noble Party, no doubt inspired 142 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:42,679 Speaker 1: by Michael's success persuading Tamar into conceding him the position 143 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:47,559 Speaker 1: of High Chancellor, demanded that a second palace be erected 144 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:52,360 Speaker 1: next to Tamr's. This palace would house the Georgian nobility 145 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: and allow them to decide matters of governance without the 146 00:10:56,800 --> 00:11:01,920 Speaker 1: Queen's input. Essentially, the leader of the Noble Party was 147 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: asking for the Queen to build them their own castle 148 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,680 Speaker 1: so that they could rule the kingdom and she could 149 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: pop in from time to time as a figurehead for 150 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:16,079 Speaker 1: the state with no actual power. Because if she had 151 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: given Michael an inch, the Georgian court were now going 152 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 1: to ask for a mile. The suggestion for these two 153 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 1: parallel palaces proved to be the final straw for Tamar. 154 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 1: It was not only a metaphorical slap in the face, 155 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 1: but the request proved to her how close to powerlessness 156 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: she was in the eyes of the Court after all 157 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: the concessions she had made. In retaliation, she gave the 158 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: order to have the Leader of the Nobles imprisoned for 159 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 1: his request. The Court in turn threatened to depose the 160 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: Queen should she execute her prisoner, which led to negotiations 161 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 1: and ultimately a compromise between both parties. After being stripped 162 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,440 Speaker 1: of his titles and position, the former Leader of the 163 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:11,680 Speaker 1: Nobles was released, and instead of a separate palace to 164 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: be built for the sole governing body of the Georgian Court, 165 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: the Queen and the Court came together to form what 166 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:23,200 Speaker 1: was to be called the Darbasi, a special council that 167 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:27,320 Speaker 1: would allow both parties to convene and make decisions for 168 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:32,960 Speaker 1: the state together. So, finally, after a rocky start to 169 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: her reign as sole Sovereign of Georgia, Tamar and the 170 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:42,200 Speaker 1: Georgian Court finally seemed at relative peace with one another. 171 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 1: Tamar no longer felt the constant hum of rebellion within 172 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: her ranks, and she allowed herself a moment to breathe 173 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:55,199 Speaker 1: in and enjoy the quiet that came after a well 174 00:12:55,320 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: fought victory, though unbeknownst to her, the court not be 175 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 1: sated for long. Her next battle was coming, and this 176 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: time it was in the form of a man named 177 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: Yuri Bogolyuski. The formation of the Darbasi was quickly followed 178 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 1: by the Council's first request that Tamar find a suitable 179 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,400 Speaker 1: husband to fill the gaping empty spot next to her 180 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:29,280 Speaker 1: on her throne, because, of course, that was their first request. 181 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: In addition to simply wanting an heir to continue the 182 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,960 Speaker 1: royal line, the Darbasi no doubt hoped that a husband 183 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:42,479 Speaker 1: would create an advantageous political alliance with a neighboring kingdom, 184 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: and even if Tamar had advocated for herself to make 185 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 1: decisions in conjunction with the council, ultimately her input on 186 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 1: the matter was of little consequence to the Darbasi, which 187 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: is why as soon as a man who happened to 188 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 1: check all the right boxes made himself known to the court, 189 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: the Council was quick to approve the match. The lucky 190 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: man was Yuri Bogolyuski, the son of a Russian prince 191 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:13,720 Speaker 1: who had amassed a respectable military reputation. Considering he was 192 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: just twenty four years old, Tamar was vehemently against the betrothal, 193 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 1: understandable considering a she had never met the man, and 194 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: b all she knew about him was that he had 195 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 1: been exiled by his uncle and that he was living 196 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 1: with a nomadic tribe of people known as the Kipchaks 197 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: of her since not exactly the resume of a prince charming, 198 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: but the Darbazi was insistent, and as soon as the 199 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: young suitor found his way to Georgia, the two were 200 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: wed in eleven eighty five, and Yuri took his place 201 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: as king next to Tamar. And then, against all odds, 202 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: something incredible happened. The two fell in love, had a 203 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 1: hand and full of kids, and lived happily ever co 204 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: ruling as king and queen side by side over an 205 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:11,520 Speaker 1: age of prosperity. Except no, of course they didn't, because 206 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: this is noble blood, and I'm sure you know political 207 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: marriages like that rarely end well when a so called 208 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: prince charming comes along. Unfortunately for Tamar. Her marriage to 209 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 1: Yori was just the beginning of her problems. The first 210 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: of their many issues was a problem that had been 211 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 1: conveniently left off of Yuri's suitor resume. He liked to 212 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: drink a lot. One of Tamar's chroniclers wrote, quote the 213 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 1: Russian when drunk was utterly debauched and utterly depraved. He 214 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: even went in for sodomitic behavior. End quote. Needless to say, 215 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 1: their marriage did not produce any children. Some historians argue 216 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,320 Speaker 1: that the marriage its self was likely never even consummated. 217 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: Yuri would blame their childless marriage on Tamar being infertile, 218 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: but as we will later see, that was not the case, 219 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: and it goes without saying. But even if she were 220 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: incapable of having children, it would be no one's fault. 221 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: If anything, the only one at fault would be the 222 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: man who felt the need to openly defame his wife 223 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,680 Speaker 1: to her entire kingdom. Yuri was nothing if not petty 224 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: with a capital P. From the moment they were wed, 225 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: Tamar spent nearly every meeting she had with the Darbazi 226 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: begging for a divorce. At one point, Tamar even sent 227 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: monks to scold her husband in an attempt to curb 228 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: some of his more unsavory behaviors, but ultimately it was 229 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 1: no use. Yuri's only saving grace came two years later, 230 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: when finally, in eleven eighty seven, the Darbazi granted her 231 00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: a divorce and Yuri was sent packing to Constantinople with 232 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: a hefty sum of gold and jewels in compensation for 233 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,880 Speaker 1: their failed marriage. And that should have been the end 234 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,680 Speaker 1: of the story for Uri. But if you couldn't tell 235 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 1: by the fact that he spread rumors of Tamar's infertility 236 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,679 Speaker 1: just to save face for their failed marriage. He wasn't 237 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: one to let sleeping dogs lie. But we will get 238 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: back to him later. After their divorce, Tamar was once 239 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:31,160 Speaker 1: again without a husband and without a way to secure 240 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:36,719 Speaker 1: the Georgian royal line. But for once, things actually seemed 241 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,359 Speaker 1: to be looking up for Tamorrow. By eleven eighty seven, 242 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 1: the High Chancellor that she had been once forced to appoint, 243 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: Mikhail mari Anishte, had since passed away. That same chronicler 244 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:53,800 Speaker 1: I quoted earlier remarked here quote nobody grieved neither great 245 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 1: nor small, for everyone loathed him end quote. But what 246 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:03,440 Speaker 1: was especially fortunate about his death? For Tamar was that 247 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 1: now she had greater freedom to choose her next suitor. 248 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: This time she did marry for love, choosing a man 249 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 1: who just so happened to be the foster son of 250 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 1: her aunt in a session prince by the name of 251 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:22,440 Speaker 1: David Soslin So. Two years after her divorce was finalized, 252 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 1: Tamar married David in eleven eighty nine. But even a 253 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: love match wouldn't stem the wave of trouble that her 254 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: first husband, Yuri, had brewing on the horizon. After his 255 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:41,280 Speaker 1: exile to Constantinople, Yuri was quick to reconnect with Georgian allies, 256 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: friends he had made during the brief years of his marriage. 257 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 1: With their help, the jilted ex husband began to formulate 258 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: a plan, one that would, in theory, put him back 259 00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: on the Georgian throne he thought he deserved. In eleven 260 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: ninety one, Urori formally launched his attack against Tamar with 261 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: the help of his Georgian supporters. The attack was to 262 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:11,480 Speaker 1: be held on two fronts, one that would be led 263 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: in the capital to the east and another that would 264 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: take the kingdom's stronghold in the southern districts, and his 265 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: plan may have worked had Tamar not heard of the 266 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:27,560 Speaker 1: rebellion before Yuri and his men even set foot on 267 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:32,960 Speaker 1: Georgian soil. As upset as Tamar, no doubt was, at 268 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:36,240 Speaker 1: the news that her ex husband was orchestrating a coup 269 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 1: to dethrone her. I hope at least some part of 270 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 1: her felt vindicated in her initial resistance against marrying Yuri 271 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,920 Speaker 1: in the first place. She had been right, he was 272 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 1: a terrible husband. The Darbazi were so obsessed with marrying 273 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:57,359 Speaker 1: her off to the first qualified suitor that came along, 274 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:02,440 Speaker 1: and now he was attempting to take down the entire kingdom. 275 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: She couldn't necessarily say I told you so, But ordering 276 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,119 Speaker 1: her new husband to lead the defensive troops at the 277 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 1: capitol hopefully felt just as good. While her husband guarded 278 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,160 Speaker 1: Tamar in the capital, her new high Constable was sent 279 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,959 Speaker 1: to the south with the majority of their forces. Yuri 280 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: and his compatriots were ill equipped to face a Georgian 281 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 1: militia that was ready for them, and so the southern 282 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: rebels were decimated almost as soon as they began their attack. 283 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 1: Upon hearing the fate of their forces in the south, 284 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: those in the capital quickly began to abandon their ranks, 285 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:47,399 Speaker 1: and it wasn't long before the lead commanders and Yuri 286 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: himself were captured, and finally, after years of Tamar being 287 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,640 Speaker 1: subject to the orders of men who claimed to know 288 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: what was best for her and for her kingdom, all 289 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: eyes turned to her, the Queen, to decide exactly what 290 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: they should do next. In the wake of URI's failed coup, 291 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,400 Speaker 1: George's queen was left to decide her former husband's fate. 292 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:23,359 Speaker 1: Many probably expected Tamar to execute him after his arrest. 293 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 1: Kings before her had surely done more violence for lesser 294 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: crimes against the crown. Her own allies all but offered 295 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,159 Speaker 1: Tamar Yuri's head on a silver platter in exchange for 296 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: their own freedom. But the Queen was not so easily swayed. 297 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,000 Speaker 1: She would have her revenge exactly how she saw fit. 298 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:49,360 Speaker 1: In the end, there would be no bloodshed. It may 299 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 1: seem a bit anticlimactic, but Tamar was famously against execution 300 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:59,400 Speaker 1: and torture, and so in the end she decided to 301 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,639 Speaker 1: stick to her guns or not, as it were, and 302 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: simply strip the nobles who had fought against her of 303 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: their titles and their lands. And Yuri well, he was 304 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:15,359 Speaker 1: sent once again back on a boat to Constantinople, only 305 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:20,880 Speaker 1: this time without his generous alimony. You might find yourself 306 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,840 Speaker 1: a little disappointed in the lack of dramatic ending to 307 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: this fairly epic episode from history. After all, Tamar had 308 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,640 Speaker 1: been through. Its natural for us as a modern audience 309 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:36,239 Speaker 1: to want Catharsis, to want to see her get a 310 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 1: more concrete revenge against the deranged ex who literally tried 311 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,359 Speaker 1: to take away her kingdom. If this were a movie, 312 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: I imagine that would be the sort of notes that 313 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,399 Speaker 1: the writer would get from the studio head. Bigger ending, 314 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: more Catharsis. But I like to think Tamar's revenge against 315 00:22:55,640 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: Yuri was held not in her desire for violence against him, 316 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: but in her determination to create a better life for 317 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: herself without him in it. Tamar would go on to 318 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 1: have two children with her second husband, David, both of 319 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: whom would take the Georgian throne. During their lifetimes. Tamar 320 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 1: and David would lead the kingdom through several more military successes, 321 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: and her legacy would be one that lauded her as 322 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:28,040 Speaker 1: more than just being the first female sovereign of Georgia. 323 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,439 Speaker 1: In my mind, Tamar got exactly what she wanted in 324 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: the end, there was no bloodshed. Instead, she got to 325 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,680 Speaker 1: live the rest of her life with Yuri as merely 326 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 1: an afterthought. In the words of a poet, it isn't love, 327 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: it isn't hate, It's just indifference. For Tamar of Georgia, 328 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 1: a woman who had been forced into roles carved for 329 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 1: her by men for their own gain, her revenge against 330 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,360 Speaker 1: her ex husband was not going to be what defined 331 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: her legacy. Her greatest revenge was the very fact that 332 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 1: she got to live the rest of her life rarely, 333 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: if ever, thinking about him at all. She didn't have 334 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: to compromise her stances or principles. She got to be 335 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: exactly the kind of ruler she wanted. That is the 336 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:28,479 Speaker 1: legendary reign of Queen Tomar of Georgia. But stick around 337 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: after a brief sponsor break to hear a little bit 338 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:46,119 Speaker 1: more about her legacy. In doing research for this episode, 339 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:50,000 Speaker 1: I was initially curious as to why Tomorrow is so 340 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 1: often only referred to as Tamar of Georgia instead of 341 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: Queen Tamar of Georgia, since as the ruling sovereign, that 342 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:02,120 Speaker 1: is the title she should take technically have. But when 343 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:05,639 Speaker 1: I dug deeper, I realized it's a much bigger can 344 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 1: of worms. As it turns out, in the Georgian language 345 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: there are no grammatical genders, so when sources cite Tamar 346 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 1: as being the Queen of Georgia, they are imposing the 347 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 1: gender rules from their own language into Georgian history. In reality, 348 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:28,120 Speaker 1: Queen Tamar could just as likely be King Tamar, depending 349 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 1: on the translator or the language of the text it's 350 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:36,200 Speaker 1: being translated into. But despite the accuracy of her title, 351 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:40,119 Speaker 1: one interesting piece of information I found actually had to 352 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: do with the currency minted during her reign. The pieces 353 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:49,880 Speaker 1: found during the period clearly list David Tamar's second husband 354 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:54,320 Speaker 1: below her name, so even though he was technically the 355 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 1: King of Georgia, the currency made sure to specify that 356 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: Tamar as queen was the true ruler of Georgia and 357 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 1: he was more of a consort. It's interesting to consider 358 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:14,040 Speaker 1: how translations of historical document affect our perceptions of history, 359 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,560 Speaker 1: even on these most basic levels. In thinking about a 360 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:22,400 Speaker 1: language without gendered grammar, it makes you wonder how much 361 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,399 Speaker 1: weight we put onto these titles to begin with, and 362 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: how much our perception of history is based on the 363 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:33,199 Speaker 1: language we're using when reading or listening about it in 364 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:50,879 Speaker 1: the first place, just food for thought. Noble Blood is 365 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankee. 366 00:26:56,520 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: Noble Blood is created and hosted by me Danish, with 367 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:06,680 Speaker 1: additional writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, 368 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. The show is edited and 369 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:16,240 Speaker 1: produced by Noemi Griffin and rima Il Kahali, with supervising 370 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 1: producer Josh Thain and executive producers Aaron Manke, Alex Williams, 371 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 1: and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the 372 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 373 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:32,359 Speaker 1: favorite shows.