George III of Georgia

George III გიორგი III
King of Kings of Georgia (more)
George III (fresco from the Kintsvisi Monastery
King of Georgia
Reign	1156–1184
Predecessor	Demetrius I
Successor	Tamar
Died	27 March 1184
Burial	Gelati Monastery
Spouse	Burdukhan of Alania
Issue	Tamar Rusudan, sebastokratorissa
Dynasty	Bagrationi
Father	Demetrius I of Georgia
Religion	Georgian Orthodox Church

George III (Georgian: გიორგი III) (died 27 March 1184), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the King of Georgia from 1156 to 1184. His reign was part of what would be called the Georgian Golden Age - a historical period in the High Middle Ages, during which the Kingdom of Georgia reached the peak of its military power and development. George was the father of Queen Tamar the Great.

He succeeded on his father Demetrius I's death in 1156.

He changed his father's defensive policy into a more aggressive one and resumed offensive against the neighboring Seljuk rulers in Armenia. With his ascent to the throne, George III launched a successful campaign against the Seljuk sultanate of Ahlat (the Shah-Armen State) in 1156. George took and annexed the Armenian cities of Ani and Dvin in 1161–1162. However, the Seljuk counterattacks made the King to cede Ani to a Muslim ruler on the terms of vassalage. The city was finally incorporated into the Georgian Kingdom in 1173. Throughout this period, the Georgian army was swelling with Armenian volunteers, enthusiastically participating in the Iiberation of their country. In 1167, he marched to defend his vassal Shah Aghsartan of Shirvan against the Khazar and Kipchak assaults and strengthened the Georgian dominance in the area.