17th Economics & Finance Conference, Istanbul

INFORMATION ON THE GEORGIAN FLAG OF THE MIDDLE AGES

NANI GELOVANI

Abstract:

There is very little information about the Georgian flags of the Middle Ages. Even more scarce are the descriptions of this flag. After the discovery of five-cross flags depicted on European naval maps on the territory of Georgia, a heated debate broke out in both the Georgian press and scholarly publications. This debate, which has not yet subsided, refers to the origin and ownership of the five-cross flag since the 1990s. In 2004, the Georgian parliament granted the five-cross flag a state status. However, the scientific dispute did not end there. The colour of the state flag of the unified kingdom was discussed for the first time by Queen Tamar’s historian, the author of “The History and eulogy of Monarchs”: “The standard of Gorgasali, which has been white since the time of entry into Sind”. The Georgian royal flag is also described by the 13th-century Armenian historian Stephanos Orbelian, who was a descendant of the Georgian nobles – the Orbels. In the Armenian original text, the colour of the flag is referred to as “spitak” which in Georgian means “white”. Also, the Persian historian Muhammad ibn Ali Rawandi (died after 1207), describing the Battle of Gargar in 1163, mentions that the Georgian army had white flags. Rawandi confirms the information in the Georgian-Armenian chronicles by unequivocally stating that the flag of the unified kingdom was white. In such a situation, any additional information about the Georgian flags as used in the Middle Ages acquires great importance. The colour of the state flag of the unified kingdom was discussed for the first time by Queen Tamar’s historian, the author of “The History and eulogy of Monarchs”: “The standard of Gorgasali, which has been white since the time of entry into Sind”. The Georgian royal flag is also described by the 13th-century Armenian historian Stephanos Orbelian, who was a descendant of the Georgian nobles – the Orbels. In the Armenian original text, the colour of the flag is referred to as “spitak” which in Georgian means “white”. Also, the Persian historian Muhammad ibn Ali Rawandi (died after 1207), describing the Battle of Gargar in 1163, mentions that the Georgian army had white flags. Rawandi confirms the information in the Georgian-Armenian chronicles by unequivocally stating that the flag of the unified kingdom was white. In such a situation, any additional information about the Georgian flags as used in the Middle Ages acquires great importance. The information of such importance is presented in this paper.

Keywords: Georgian flag, white flag, five-cross flag, Middle Ages

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