MONEY CALLED “GIORGAULI” – REALITY OR A FICTION?

Abstract

There were several attempts to unify Georgia after the events of the midst of the 13th c. Georgian king Giorgi the Brilliant (1318-1346) almost succeeded in it towards the 30-ieth of the 14th c. Georgian records and historiography also claim for him to liberate the country from the Mongol overlordship, i.e. from the Il-Khans residing in Persia. Still, the Muslim sources record about tribute paid by the Georgians even now, and money used to be struck at Tbilisi mint on behalf of the Il-Khans. The best academic solution of the problem is to harmonize all the data, stating both – unification of Georgia, commence of restoring the economic links between Western and Eastern Georgia, disintegration of the Il-Khan state and weakening of the Mongols’ real power over the country; and also, still formal suzerainty of the Mongols over Georgia, expressed in annual tribute and through issues of Tbilisi mint with the names of the Il-Khans. That could be normal. Instead, some specialists decided to strengthen the Georgian records by claiming the small group of the Georgian silver coins with “eye-type” and the Georgian legend – “King of the Kings Giorgi”, for Giorgi the Brilliant. They call this group “Giorgauli”. Analysis of the money hoards, coin weights and the Georgian documents led us to a conclusion as follows: small silver pieces described above could had been struck only towards the end of the 14th c. And there was no national silver issue for Giorgi the Brilliant but, maybe, only copper pieces, having name of Il-Khan Abu Said put on them together with Georgian initial for Giorgi. Still, this king did much unifying and strengthening the country, thus weakening Asiatic control over it.