Tamar V

**Tamar V** (Gorgarian: *თამარმეხუთე*, *Tamarmekhute*; Maria João Filipa Digatini de Câmara; born 13 May 1928) is the queen of Gorgaria. Tamar assumed the throne in 2010, upon the death of her mother Tamar IV, becoming the first Gorgarian monarch to accede to the throne since the restoration of Gorgarian independence in 1990, and the sixth queen regnant in the nation's history.

Tamar was born in Heloa as the only child of her mother and her mother's husband Filipe de Câmara, an Escarian nobleman of the House of Câmara. Her mother was sent away from Gorgaria following the onset of the Second Kasho-Sakvartelian War in 1917, where she eventually settled in Escaria and married de Câmara, becoming an Escarian noblewoman. Tamar was educated privately in Heloa and at the family's estate in Amaradora do Setuxal, graduating with a secondary school diploma in 1945. She subsequently remained in Escaria, where she made her debut in high society as a noblewoman and socialite.

Tamar married Lungarian count Wilhelm von Trüstelting in 1949, afterwards becoming a Lungarian countess herself through marriage. Upon her marriage, Tamar left Escaria and settled in her husband's estate in Tangerstadt County. Together, they had two children: Eduard (born 1952) and Angelica (born 1954).

## Early life and family

Tamar was born on 13 May 1928 as Maria João Filipa Digatini de Câmara in Heloa. She was the first and only child of Tamar IV and her husband Filipe de Câmara. Her mother was the only surviving member of the House of Digatini – the former royal family of the Kingdom of Sakvartelia – which was deposed and its members executed following the Second Kasho-Sakvartelian War (1917–1918). Just after the outbreak of the war, Tamar's mother was evacuated from Sakvartelia by royal guards and arrived by boat to Heloa several months later. Filipe came from the House of Câmara and was a member of the untitled Escarian nobility. Upon her birth, Tamar became the first-in-line to the deposed Gorgarian throne, as her mother was reigning as the *de facto* queen-in-exile, although she did not proclaim this title herself.

In her early life, Tamar reported having little exposure to her Gorgarian roots, instead being brought up in Eurean Catholicism, speaking Escarian as her primary language, and going by her third name Filipa in her personal life. She was raised by her parents between a private apartment in Heloa, and her paternal family's land on Câmara Estate in the municipality of Amaradora do Setuxal. Tamar reportedly preferred her life in Amaradora do Setuxal due to her shy personality, compared to the hustle and bustle and busy atmosphere of Heloa. While in Amaradora do Setuxal, Tamar frequently spent time with her cousins and learned to ride horses, eventually developing a passion for equestrianism.

## Education

Tamar began her education in 1934, being educated by private tutors both in Heloa and at Câmara Estate. During her upbringing, Tamar was particularly fond of learning history and literature, in addition to art, music, and languages. By the age of 12, Tamar was fluent in Spanian, Vasalonian, Maronan, Lungarian, and Ditrovian, in addition to her native Escarian. In addition to her academic and creative studies, Tamar was also educated in etiquette, speech, and deportment, and developed a personal interest in cooking by the time she was a teenager.

Tamar completed her secondary education in 1945, and was awarded her secondary school diploma. Despite wanting to pursue post-secondary education, Tamar was discouraged from doing so by her parents as they had intended to arrange a marriage for her instead in order to bolster the family's social standing. Ultimately, Tamar did not pursue post-secondary education in order to marry and begin a family.

## Adulthood

### Marriage and children

In 1947, Tamar was introduced to Wilhelm von Trüstelting, a Lungarian count of Tangerstadt County and the heir to the House of Trüstelting. The introduction was arranged by Tamar and Wilhelm's parents, whom had intended for their children to marry. The marriage would elevate Tamar's family to the titled Lungarian nobility, while the possibility of elevating one's family to become the ruling royal house of a future independent Sakvartelian kingdom led Tamar to be a highly sought-after bachelorette amongst the Eurean nobility.

Soon after their introduction, Tamar and Wilhelm began a romantic relationship. They became engaged seven months into their courtship, and later married on 4 June 1949 in Tangerstadt, with numerous Eurean monarchs and nobles attending the ceremony as guests. Following their marriage, Tamar became styled as *Countess* Filipa von Trüstelting of Tangerstadt County, and relocated to Trüstelting Manor in the village of Wittenzach with her husband to begin their family.

Tamar and Wilhelm had two children together:

* Prince *Eduard* Johannes Wilhelm Stanislaus (born 10 February 1952)
* Princess *Angelica* Maria Elisabeth Sofia (born 19 March 1954)

In March 2004, Wilhelm was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. His condition at first remained stable, but began to quickly deteriorate several months later. After first receiving out-patient care in Kita for several months, he decided to stop treatment in January 2005, and check into hospice care in Tangerstadt. He died the following month on 5 February, aged 82. A state funeral was held for him in Kita, while he received a public funeral in Tangerstadt days later, followed by a private funeral in Tangerstadt for family and friends. He was buried in the Trüstelting family mausoleum in Tangerstadt, in line with his personal wishes.

### Heir apparent

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 mother 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 mother, 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.

Since establishing residency in Gorgaria, Tamar became popularly known as Princess Mariam, with Mariam being the Gorgarian version of her birth name *Maria*. She was also granted Gorgarian citizenship along with the remainder of her family, and began attending intensive classes in the Gorgarian language. A month after her arrival to the country, Tamar confirmed in an interview that her language courses took up "the majority of [her] days," although she would ultimately become fully conversational in the language within a year.

## Reign

Tamar IV 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 the death of her mother, Tamar 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. Upon her accession to the throne, Tamar relocated to the main residence of Zestauti Palace, and became the nation's first monarch to be born abroad.

### Constitutional role

According to the Gorgarian constitution, Tamar rules as a constitutional monarch. In line with the constitution, Tamar holds a number of ceremonial and *de jure* powers, with few *de facto* political power. She is the head of state of Gorgaria, and thus is a representative of the nation both at home and abroad. As the head of state, Tamar is responsible for signing passed legislation and treaties and formally appointing members of the government to office. She is constitutionally barred from registering with a political party. While she is legally allowed to vote in elections and publicly express political opinions, she chooses not to in an effort to remain apolitical.

Additionally, Tamar serves as the commander-in-chief of the Gorgarian Defense Forces. This is a *de jure* position, and the monarch does not actually exercise decision-making powers within the military. As the head of state, Tamar additionally opens new sessions of parliament and formally declares elections at the advice of the prime minister. Following the conclusion of an election, the prime minister-designate must submit their proposed government to the monarch for approval, after which the monarch appoints them to office. Most often this is the leader of the majority coalition, but if a majority coalition cannot be formed, the monarch may act as a mediator between parties to help facilitate discussions to achieve a majority coalition.

## Titles

* **13 May 1928 – present**: *Donha* Maria João Filipa Digatini de Câmara
* **4 June 1949 – present**: *Countess* Filipa von Trüstelting of Tangerstadt County
* **8 February 1992 – 7 July 2010**: *Her Royal Highness* Princess Mariam
* **7 July 2010 – present**: *Her Majesty* The Queen of Gorgaria