Demetrius II of Georgia, known by the epithet Tavdadebuli, "the Self-Sacrificing" (or "the Devoted"), was a king of the Bagrationi dynasty who reigned over eastern Georgia from 1270 until his execution by the Mongol Ilkhans in 1289. A great-grandson of Holy Queen Tamar, he came to the throne as a child, ruled his kingdom as a vassal subject to Mongol overlordship, and is venerated by the Georgian Orthodox Church as a passion-bearer for giving himself up to death in order to spare his people from reprisal. He is commemorated on March 12, the day of his beheading.
Born in 1259, Demetrius was a son of King David VII. His mother was killed by the Mongols while he was still a small child, and on his father's death he succeeded to the throne around the age of eleven or twelve, ruling at first under a regency and crowned at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. His authority extended only over the eastern part of the kingdom, western Georgia having passed to a separate branch of the Bagrationi line. Throughout his reign he was bound to the Ilkhanid khans, taking part in their military campaigns and bearing the heavy demands they placed upon Georgia's men and resources.
According to the Georgian hagiographical tradition, Demetrius governed with care for the poor and the orphaned and, in times of peace, devoted himself to the restoration of churches, monasteries, and fortifications. After upheaval among the Mongol khans, he fell under suspicion of involvement in a conspiracy against Arghun Khan and was summoned to the Mongol court. Recognizing that he faced death, and warned by his nobles, he nonetheless chose to go, reasoning that his refusal would bring Mongol vengeance upon his Christian subjects. He was imprisoned and beheaded in 1289.
