Tamar IV

**Tamar IV** (Gorgarian: *თამარმეოთხე*, *Tamarmeotkhe*; Tamar Ikavigele Digatini; Gorgarian: *თამარ იკავიგელე დიგატინი*; 5 February 1910 – 7 July 2010), sometimes known as **Tamar the Liberator** (Gorgarian: *თამარგანმათავისუფლებელი*, *Tamarganmatavisuplebeli*) was the queen of Gorgaria from the reestablishment of Gorgarian independence in 1992 until her death in 2010. Tamar informally assumed the throne as the queen-in-exile upon the execution of her family on 10 January 1918, but would not be formally crowned as queen until nearly 75 years later. Upon her accession, Tamar was the first monarch to rule the Kingdom of Gorgaria, and the fifth queen regnant in the nation's history.

Tamar was born in Kita as the youngest child of Ika V and his wife Queen Elene Tkvarejo. At only seven years old, Tamar was evacuated from Kita by royal guards amidst the start of the Second Kasho-Sakvartelian War (1917–1918), eventually fleeing by boat to Heloa. After arriving in Heloa, Tamar was unofficially adopted by the Escarian royal family, and was educated and brought up in Blateixo Palace. After completing her secondary education in 1927, Tamar was presented to Escarian high society as a debutante.

Tamar married Escarian nobleman Filipe de Câmara in 1927, afterwards becoming a member of the Escarian untitled nobility. Following her marriage, Tamar and her husband maintained a residence a Heloa and a residence at Câmara Estate in Amaradora do Setuxal. Together, they had one child: Maria (born 1928).

In the early morning of 7 July 2010, Tamar died in her sleep at Zestauti Palace in Kita, aged 100. Upon her death, her daughter succeeded her as queen. Since 1992, Tamar has been venerated as a beloved figure and national symbol of Gorgaria.

## Early life and family

Tamar was born on 5 February 1910 as Tamar Ikavigele Digatini at Zestauti Palace in Kita. She was the fifth and youngest child of Ika V and his wife Queen Elene Tkvarejo. Ika was the then-monarch of the Kingdom of Sakvartelia, while Elene was born a noblewoman who came from the House of Tkvarejo. Tamar spent her early life in Zestauti Palace, and was raised with her elder siblings Ika (born 1900), Irakli (born 1902), Mamutsa (born 1905), and Luka (born 1908).

The Second Kasho-Sakvartelian War began with the invasion of Sakvartelia by the Kashan Union Armed Forces in May 1917. In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, Tamar was taken by royal guards and placed on an undercover Sakvartelian naval ship to evacuate her from the nation. The Sakvartelian Defense Forces later negotiated an agreement with the Kingdom of Escaria, and docked the ship in Heloa three months afterwards. After arriving in Heloa, Tamar was unofficially adopted by the Escarian royal family, where she was raised in Blateixo Palace. Despite growing up in the royal palace, Tamar was not treated as a member of the royal family nor the royal house, and her childcare needs were primarily exercised by members of the royal staff rather than the royal family themselves. On 10 January 1918, Tamar's parents and siblings were executed by the Kashan Union Armed Forces, deposing of the Sakvartelian monarchy and making Tamar its queen-in-exile, aged not yet eight years old.

## Education

Tamar first began her education in 1916, while still residing in Sakvartelia. Like other royal children, she was educated by private tutors at Zestauti Palace, being taught both academic and creative subjects. After evacuating to Escaria in 1917, Tamar continued her education through the usage of private tutors at Blateixo Palace. She firstly began intensive courses in the Escarian language, and became fluent within the span of two months. During her education, Tamar excelled in creative subjects such as embroidery, ceramics, and painting, although she had difficulties with reading and writing, with some historians speculating that she suffered from dyslexia.

Tamar began her secondary education in 1925, when she began to spend most of her time completing artwork, at one point in her teenage years contemplating a career as a professional artist. She ultimately graduated with her secondary school diploma in 1927, and ended her educational pursuits in order to marry and begin a family.

## Adulthood

### Marriage and family

Since her arrival to Heloa, Tamar was a highly sought-after bachelorette amongst Escarian high society due to the possibility of the restoration of the Sakvartelian monarchy propelling the family of Tamar's husband into royal status, which was considered appealing to the majority of the Escarian nobility. However, Tamar still faced difficulties in finding a husband due to xenophobia amongst the noble class towards Eastern Eureaans, with many Escarian nobles considering Eastern Eureans to be lower in social status compared to their western counterparts. Regardless, Tamar was later introduced to Filipe de Câmara in 1927, a member of the untitled Escarian nobility and the heir to the House of Câmara. They began a romantic relationship soon after, and later became engaged by June 1927, marrying on 6 August 1927 in a ceremony on the Câmara family's land in the municipality of Amaradora do Setuxal. She was aged only 17 at the time of her wedding.

Following the marriage, Tamar joined the untitled Escarian nobility and became styled as *Donha* Tamar Tkvarejo Digatini e Câmara. With the marriage bringing Tamar into the Escarian nobility, she began to face lower levels of xenophobia from other Escarian nobles, now that she had the backing of the House of Câmara behind her. Following the wedding, Tamar was granted full Escarian citizenship. She and Filipe purchased an apartment in Heloa, while also maintaining a residence at Câmara Estate in Amaradora do Setuxal.

Tamar and Felipe had one child together:

* Donha Maria João *Filipa* Digatini de Câmara (born 13 May 1928)

Despite plans to have more children, Tamar suffered from several miscarriages and stillbirths in the years following the birth of her daughter. After trying to have more children for more than 10 years, Tamar was instructed by her gynecologist to stop trying for additional children, diagnosing her as infertile and proclaiming that a pregnancy could result in death for both herself and the child, calling the birth of her first child "a miracle."

In June 1985, Filipe suffered a fall while at the family home of Câmara Estate in Amaradora do Setuxal. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a hip fracture and underwent surgery. After the surgery, Filipe's condition gradually deteriorated, as he began to lose motor functions and also fell into cognitive decline. He was checked into an elder care facility by September 1985, and died there the following month, aged 80.

## Reign

### Return to Gorgaria

Nationalist sentiment began to arise in Gorgaria during the 1980s, amidst economic downturn in the Kashan Union and increased nationalist sentiment in other Kashan autonomous republics. This nationalist sentiment ultimately culminated in the declaration of Gorgarian independence in 1990, which was finalized the following year. In the aftermath of the independence declaration, an interim government was established, largely in the vein of the preexisting Kashan government, despite with respect for democracy and civil liberties. The interim government announced that a referendum would be organized to determine whether to reimplement the Gorgarian monarchy. Both Tamar and her daughter pledged to remain neutral during the organization of the referendum, and confirmed they would respect its outcome. The referendum was later held on 8 February 1992, which saw a majority of voters choosing to reestablish the Gregorian monarchy.

In the aftermath of the referendum, Tamar, her daughter, and the remainder of the family returned to Gorgaria for the first time in 75 years, with their direct flight into Kita landing at Kita International Airport at 4:12 am local time on 10 February 1992, to crowds of hundreds of thousands of Gorgarians welcoming the family's return. Following their arrival in the country, the family took up residence in Zestauti Palace in Kita, which had previously housed the royal family until it became the seat of the Gorgarian fascist government during the era of the Kashan Union. In order to comply with Gorgarian succession rules, the family also left the Eurean Catholic Church in order to begin practicing Suliereba, the indigenous religious faith of Gorgaria. Tamar's formal coronation as queen was held on 14 November 1992 at Royal Lagoasha Temple in Kita.

### Death

Tamar notably suffered from few health issues, and with regular visits to physicians, was deemed to be healthy for her age. After dinner on 6 July 2010, Tamar retired to her bedchamber to read a book, and later put herself to bed. The following morning, her chambermaid came to check on her after she did not show up for breakfast, and found her dead in her bed, wearing her nightgown. Medical professionals determined that she had died in her sleep of organ failure, recording her death as due to old age. She was 100 years old at the time of her death.

Following her death, Tamar V was immediately proclaimed queen of Gorgaria. Her formal coronation as queen was held the following year on 5 March 2011 at Royal Lagoasha Temple in Kita.

## Titles

* **5 February 1910 – 10 January 1918**: *Her Royal Highness* Princess Tamar Ikavigele Digatini
* **10 January 1918 – 8 February 1992**: The Queen-in-Exile of Sakvartelia
* **6 August 1927 – 7 July 2010**: *Donha* Tamar Tkvarejo Digatini e Câmara
* **8 February 1992 – 7 July 2010**: *Her Majesty* The Queen of Gorgaria