Yury Bogolyubsky

Who is Yury Bogolyubsky?

Yury Bogolyubsky, known as Giorgi Rusi in Georgia, was a Rus' prince of Novgorod. Married to Queen Regnant Tamar of Georgia, he was a consort of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1185 until being expelled from the country in 1188.

Son of Grand Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky of Vladimir-Suzdal, he ruled Novgorod from 1172 to 1175. He was dethroned and expelled after the murder of his father in 1175. Defeated in a series of internal wars, he finally found a shelter in the Northern Caucasus in the late 1170s. He was found among the Kipchak, with whom he hoped to restore his rights to his father's princedom in 1184–1185. In 1185, Georgian nobles arranged a marriage of Prince Yury with Queen Tamar of Georgia. As a consort he commanded, in 1186–1187, a Georgian army which successfully raided the Seljuk possessions of Rüm in the west and the Ildenizid state in Arran in the east. However, Tamar soon got disappointed in her husband and divorced him in 1187. Said to be a heavy drinker, ambitious, and involved in sexual misdeeds, Yury was expelled from Georgia in 1188. Yury allied himself with a powerful party of Georgian nobles led by Vardan Dadiani, Guzan of Klarjeti and Botso Jakeli, and returned to lead a revolt against Tamar in 1191. The rebels proclaimed Yury 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 Gamrekel Toreli at the battles of Tmogvi and Erusheti. The rebels capitulated and Yury was pardoned by Tamar. However, he revolted again in a few years and invaded Kakheti province. Defeated in the vicinities of Kambechani, he was finally expelled from Georgia. Since then, Yury disappeared from history.