George IV, also known as Lasha Giorgi ( ka, ლაშა გიორგი) (1191–1223), of the
Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of
Georgia from 1213 to 1223.
Life
A son of Queen Regnant
Tamar and her consort
David Soslan, George was declared as a
coregent
A coregency is the situation where a monarchical position (such as prince, princess, king, queen, emperor or empress), normally held by only a single person, is held by two or more. It is to be distinguished from diarchies or duumvirates such ...
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). 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.
George IV continued Tamar's policy of strengthening of the
Georgia feudal state. He put down the revolts in neighbouring
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
vassal states in the 1210s and began preparations for a large-scale campaign against
Jerusalem to support the
Crusaders in 1220. However, the
Mongol approach to the Georgian borders made the Crusade plan unrealistic. The first
Mongol expedition defeated two Georgian armies in 1221–1222 and left through Inner Caucasus. Georgians suffered heavy losses in this war and the King himself was severely wounded. King Georgi IV went to Bagavan, Armenia,
to secure his sister's marriage to the Shah of Shirvan and ensure her succession.
[Gracias, Luke - The Devil's Prayer - Australian eBook Publisher, 2016, pp 350-351] Lasha George became an invalid and died prematurely in Bagavan at the age of 31. He was succeeded by his sister
Rusudan.
George Lasha was known as an open minded person and met much criticism from a conservative feudal society. The nobles and Christian
clergymen rejected his wife and failed to recognize her as queen. She was a girl from a family of commoners. Ultimately, the King had to compromise and divorced her formally, refusing, however, to marry anyone else.
Some medieval sources characterize George IV as a wise ruler and brave warrior, while others point to his immoral life style and addiction to
mysticism and even
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
.
He was survived by a son David (the future King
David VII Ulu). George was buried at
Gelati monastery.
See also
*
Kazreti monastery
References
* Halfter, P. "Die militärischen Triumphe der Georgier und ein wenig beachtetes Erdbeben an der Grenze Armenisch-Kilikiens (c. Ende August 1213)," ''Le Muséon'', 122,3-4 (2009), pp. 423–447.
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20040702230322/http://www.bigvava.ge/unificationoffeudalgeorgia.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:George 04 Of Georgia
Kings of Georgia
1191 births
1223 deaths
Eastern Orthodox monarchs
Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Georgia
12th-century people from Georgia (country)
13th-century people from Georgia (country)