Zakare along with his father
Sargis supported the
rebellion of Prince
Demna and the
Orbelian family in 1177, however they soon sided with
George III and fought for the monarchy against the insurgents. The rebellion was suppressed, and King George III elevated the
Zakarid–Mkhargrdzeli family. Following the death of George III,
Queen Tamar elevated Sargis Zakarian (Mkhargrdzeli)— a well-born valorous man, well-trained in battle — to the office of
Amirspasalar (
Lord High Constable) and granted him possessions over
Lori (which was deprived of from
Kubasar). She gave presents to his elder son, Zakare, and his younger son,
Ivane, and she made him a member of the
Darbazi. During a
revolt of Queen Tamar's disgraced husband,
George the Rus', around 1191, Zakare Zakarian (Mkhargrdzeli) was one of the few nobles who remained loyal to the queen. Tamar gradually expanded her own power-base and elevated her loyal nobles to high positions at the court, most notably the Mkhargrdzeli. In the ninth year of Tamar's reign, the
Mandaturtukhutsesi and
Amirspasalar Zakaria (Zakare) Mkhargrdzeli and his brother Ivane the
atabeg took
Dvin in 1193. They also took
Gelakun,
Bjni,
Amberd, and
Bargushat, and all the towns along
Araxes basin, up to the
Khodaafarin bridge. Around the year 1199, a Georgian army under Zakare's command took the city of
Ani from
Shadaddid control, and in 1201, Tamar gave it to him as a
fief. Zakare commanded the Georgian army for almost three decades, achieving major victories at
Shamkor in 1195 and
Basian in 1203 and leading raids into northern Iran who played a significant role. In 1208/1209, the
Georgian army marched to
Ahlat under the command of his brother Ivane to help the
Armenian rebels against the
Ayyubids. On the way, they captured
Archesh and then marched to Ahlat. The city was besieged, but Ivane Mkhargrdzeli's horse fell into a ditch while encircling the city. The defenders of Ahlat saw this, rushed out and captured Ivan. When Zakare, learned about his brother's capture, he was furious and told the Ayyubids. The Ayyubids demanded a
Thirty Years' Truce in exchange for Ivan's release. In 1210, Zakare led the
Eldiguzid campaign of Tamar of Georgia, devastating
Tabriz,
Khoy,
Ardabil and reaching as far as
Qazvin. ==Monastic contributions==