Gobron
Gobron also known as Mikel-Gobron or Michael-Gobron was a Christian Georgian military commander who led the defense of the fortress of Q'ueli against the Sajid emir of Azerbaijan. When the fortress fell after a 28-day-long siege, Gobron was captured and beheaded, having rejected inducements to convert to Islam. Shortly after his death Gobron became the subject of the hagiography authored by Bishop Stephen of T'beti and a saint of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which commemorates him on November 17. His martyrdom is also mentioned by the medieval Georgian and Armenian chronicles.
Biography
Gobron is the subject of "The Passion of the Holy Martyr Gobron, who was Abducted from the Castle of Q'ueli", composed by Bishop Stephen of T’beti at the behest of the Georgian Bagratid prince Ashot I of Tao between 914 and 918. The narrative unfolds against the background of the 914 military expedition undertaken by Yusuf Ibn Abi'l-Saj, the Sajid emir of Azerbaijan. This campaign was among the last major attempts of the Abbasid Caliphate to maintain its weakening control over Georgian lands, which at the time were divided among rival native kingdoms and Muslim-held territories.According to medieval Georgian sources, Yusuf ibn Abi'l-Saj invaded Georgia from Armenia, passing through the Muslim emirate of Tiflis into Kakheti. From there, he moved into Kartli and advanced into Samtskhe and Javakheti. Unable to capture the fortress of Tmogvi, the emir laid siege to Q’ueli, which was then held by Georgian Bagratid prince Gurgen of Tao. Q’ueli resisted for 28 days under the command of the young commander Gobron, whose original name, according to his Passion, was Mikel. He mounted a fierce defense, launching repeated sorties, but was ultimately forced to surrender. Although Gurgen sent a large ransom, Yusuf refused to release Gobron and 133 other prisoners.
As both historical and hagiographical accounts relate, Gobron steadfastly rejected the emir’s repeated attempts to convert him to Islam. The Passion of the Holy Martyr Gobron describes how, after the Georgian commander again refused Yusuf’s proposal, he was ordered to bow for execution. When struck with the first blow of the sword, Gobron traced the sign of the cross on his forehead with his blood and proclaimed: "I thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, that you have accounted me, the most contemptible and chief among sinners, worthy to lay down my life for your sake!" Enraged, the emir commanded that the remaining Georgian captives be massacred and their bodies left to the beasts.
A parallel account preserved in Georgian hagiographic tradition states that, impressed by Gobron’s valor, Abu al-Qasim initially ordered his soldiers to treat him with respect. King Adarnerse sent a substantial ransom, and some captives were freed, but Gobron—foreseeing his fate—prepared for martyrdom. The emir tempted him with promises of earthly honor and wealth in exchange for apostasy, but Gobron firmly declined. Furious, Abu al-Qasim ordered that all Christian captives be executed before Gobron’s eyes. Their blood flowed around him, yet none of this shook his resolve. After forcing him to bow his head beneath the sword twice, Gobron again confessed Christ, saying: "I am a Christian and will never retreat from the name of my Christ!" Finally, Abu al-Qasim ordered his beheading. The bodies of the 133 martyrs, together with Gobron’s, were buried in three large pits, and Christians were forbidden to approach the site. Yet, as tradition recounts, at night the graves shone with a divine light visible to believers and unbelievers alike.
Gobron's defense of Q’ueli, his capture, and his martyrdom are briefly mentioned by the 11th-century anonymous Chronicle of Kartli, part of the Georgian Chronicles, which refers to the more detailed account by Stephen of T’beti. The execution of Mik’ayel of Gogarene is also mentioned by the 10th-century Armenian historian John of Draskhanakert and later by Stephen of Taron.
Michael-Gobron and the 133 martyrs were later numbered among the saints of the Georgian Orthodox Church, with their commemoration set for November 17, the day of their martyrdom.