George IV of Georgia
George IV გიორგი IV | |||||
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David VII of Georgia (illegitimate) | |||||
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Dynasty | Bagrationi | ||||
Father | David Soslan | ||||
Mother | Tamar of Georgia | ||||
Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church | ||||
Khelrtva | ![]() |
George IV (Georgian: გიორგი IV, romanized: giorgi IV) , also known as Lasha Giorgi (Georgian: ლაშა გიორგი, romanized: lasha giorgi) [2](1191–1223), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king (mepe) of Georgia from 1213 to 1223.
Some medieval sources characterize George IV as a wise ruler and brave warrior, while others point to his immoral lifestyle and addiction to mysticism and even Sufism.
Early life
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/1222_%E1%83%AC%E1%83%94%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98._%E1%83%91%E1%83%A0%E1%83%AB%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%90_%E1%83%9A%E1%83%90%E1%83%A8%E1%83%90_%E1%83%92%E1%83%98%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A0%E1%83%92%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90.jpg/180px-1222_%E1%83%AC%E1%83%94%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98._%E1%83%91%E1%83%A0%E1%83%AB%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%90_%E1%83%9A%E1%83%90%E1%83%A8%E1%83%90_%E1%83%92%E1%83%98%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A0%E1%83%92%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90.jpg)
A son of Queen Regnant Tamar and her consort David Soslan, George was declared as a coregent by his mother in 1207. According to the Georgian chronicles the second name Lasha meant 'illuminator of the world' in the language of Apsar (cf. a-lasha meaning light in Abkhaz language).[3]
He had princely domain in Javakheti, centered at Alastani, for which he was known by the title of javakht' up'ali, i.e., "the Lord of the Javakhians" as suggested by a type of silver coins struck in his name.[4]
Reign
After Tamar's death, George IV became the ruler of Kingdom of Georgia, George continued Tamar's policy of strengthening of the feudal Georgian state.
The feudal lords supporting George were
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/George_IV_of_Georgia._Fresco_from_the_Ananauri_convent_of_Vardzia.jpg/200px-George_IV_of_Georgia._Fresco_from_the_Ananauri_convent_of_Vardzia.jpg)
At
The economy of Georgia's vassal states suffered from inflation in the 1210s. The nineteen lines inscribed on the stone block of the new ruined church of Ani record the head of the Georgian Church, Catholicos Epiphanes, a condyophysite layman. The fees for baptism, marriage and burial increased three times and reached 100 Tbilisi's drams, priests also demanded a banquet or a whole cow hide. The clergy refused to accept less, the laity boycotted the church. Epiphanes ordered the fess to be reduced by two-thirds: any extra should be within the layman's means. If this inflation was general, it explains the reluctance of Armenian cities to pay taxes to Tbilisi. Unlike in the east, where the Khwarazmians blocked Georgia from action, in the south the Georgian army could enforce its will.[7]
In 1219 George campaigned against
Innocent III had managed to secure the participation of the Kingdom of Georgia in the Crusade.[12] In the late 1210s, according to the Georgian chronicles, George began making preparations for a campaign in the Holy Land to support the Franks.[13]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Georgians_vs._Mongols%2C_by_Hayton_of_Corycus.jpg/220px-Georgians_vs._Mongols%2C_by_Hayton_of_Corycus.jpg)
The first Mongol expedition defeated two Georgian armies in 1221–1222 and left through the Inner Caucasus. Georgians suffered heavy losses in this war, and the King himself was severely wounded, His plans for the Fifth Crusade were cut by the invasion of the Mongols.
King George IV went to
Family
While George IV was relaxing in
- David VII Ulugh, King of Georgia.
See also
References
- ^ გიორგი IV (საქართველოს მეფე). Biographical Dictionary of Georgia
- ^ "Georgia and Armenia, Cyril Toumanoff
- ISBN 0-312-21975-X.
- ISSN 1987-7285.
- ^ a b Rayfield 2012, p. 118.
- ^ Baumer 2023, p. 30.
- ^ a b Rayfield 2012, p. 119.
- ^ a b Mikaberidze 2015, p. 333.
- .
Some khatchk'ars have sacred images on the top frame or beside the cross, and a donor image, such as that at the base of Grigor Khaghbakian's khatchk'ar (1233) on the grounds of Ēdjmiadzin Cathedral, where it was brought from Imirzek'.
- ^ Donabédian, Patrick. "Le khatchkar, un art emblématique de la spécificité arménienne". L’Église arménienne entre Grecs et Latins fin XIe – milieu XVe siècle. pp. 8–9, 15 Figure 10.
Outre ces figurations, à partir du début du XIIIe siècle, une autre représentation humaine apparaît, soit sous la croix, soit sur le piédestal du khatchkar : l'image du donateur, ou plus exactement du défunt à la mémoire duquel le khatchkar a été érigé. Ce personnage est représenté en tenue d'apparat, armé et à cheval, rappelant le schéma iconographique sassanide de la chasse royale ou princière que l'architecture arménienne pratiquait depuis la période paléochrétienne.
- ^ Bedrosian, Robert. Kirakos Gandzakets'i's History of the Armenians. p. 58, paragraph 12.
- ^ Mikaberidge 2006, pp. 511–513, Kingdom of Georgia.
- ^ Cahen 1969, pp. 715–719, Mongols and the Near East.
- ^ Rayfield 2012, p. 121.
Bibliography
- Baumer, Christoph (2023). History of the Caucasus. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9780755636303.
- Rayfield, Donald (2012). Edge of Empires, a History of Georgia. London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78023-070-2.
- Mikaberidge, Alexander (2006). Georgia. The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. pp. 511–513.
- Cahen, Claude (1969). Mongols and the Near East (PDF). A History of the Crusades (Setton), Volume II.
- Mikaberidze, Alexander (2015). Historical Dictionary of Georgia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781442241466.
External links
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