Mariam (daughter of Bagrat IV of Georgia) facts for kids

Mariam (Georgian: მარიამი) was a princess from the Kingdom of Georgia. She was the daughter of King Bagrat IV of Georgia, who ruled from 1027 to 1072. Her mother was Borena of Alania, who came from a land called Alania. Mariam might have been the second wife of an important Byzantine official named Theodore Gabras.

Mariam is only mentioned once in the old Georgian history books, called the Georgian Chronicles. This was when her father, King Bagrat IV, passed away in November 1072. It's important to know that King Bagrat IV had another daughter, who was also very famous. Her original name was Martha, but she became known as Maria of Alania when she became a Byzantine empress.

Who Was Princess Mariam?

Professor Cyril Toumanoff was a scholar who studied the family trees of people in the Caucasus region during the Middle Ages. He believed that Princess Mariam was the same person as an "Alan" woman mentioned in a famous book called Alexiad. This book was written by Anna Komnene, a Byzantine princess.

Mariam's Marriage to Theodore Gabras

According to Professor Toumanoff, this Alan woman, who he thought was Mariam, married Theodore Gabras. Theodore Gabras was a powerful Byzantine nobleman. He was the dux (a military leader or governor) of Trabzon in 1091. This marriage was his second one.

Family Connections and Challenges

The Alan woman (Mariam) was a cousin of another Georgian princess named Eirene. Eirene had also married into the Byzantine royal family. She was married to Isaac Komnenos, who was the brother of the emperor Alexios I Komnenos.

Eirene was the mother of the princess who was supposed to marry Gregory Gabras. Gregory was Theodore Gabras's son from his first marriage. This meant that Gregory and his fiancée were now considered close relatives because of Mariam's marriage.

A Broken Engagement and Imperial Concerns

Because they were now related, the engagement between Gregory and the Komnenid princess had to be called off. This was due to both civil (government) and church laws that forbid such close family members from marrying.

Emperor Alexios I Komnenos was worried about how Theodore Gabras would react to this news. To make sure Theodore continued to be loyal, the emperor kept Gregory at court. This meant Gregory was essentially a hostage. The emperor tried to reassure Theodore by saying he was thinking of marrying Gregory to one of his own daughters.

Conflict with Constantinople

Later, Theodore tried to take his son Gregory away from the court. This led to a conflict between the Gabras family and the capital city, Constantinople. After this event, not much more is known about Theodore's wife, Mariam.