George IV, also known as Lasha Giorgi ( ka, ლაშა გიორგი) (1191–1223), of the

Bagrationi dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is som ...

, was a king of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

from 1213 to 1223.

Life

A son of Queen Regnant Tamar and her consort

David Soslan David Soslan ( ka, დავით სოსლანი, tr) (died 1207) was a prince from Alania and second husband of Queen Tamar, whom he married in c. 1189. He is chiefly known for his military exploits during Georgia's wars against its Musl ...

, 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 Abkhaz ( ; ), sometimes spelled Abxaz and also known as Abkhazian, is a Northwest Caucasian language most closely related to Abaza. It is spoken mostly by the Abkhaz people. It is one of the official languages of Abkhazia, where around 100, ...

). He had princely domain in

Javakheti Javakheti ( ka, ჯავახეთი ) or Javakhk ( hy, Ջավախք, ''Javakhk'') is a historical province in southern Georgia, corresponding to the modern municipalities of Akhalkalaki, Aspindza (partly), Ninotsminda, and partly to the Turk ...

, 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

feudal state. He put down the revolts in neighbouring Muslim vassal states in the 1210s and began preparations for a large-scale campaign against

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to support the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

in 1220. However, the

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

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

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

men 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 Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

and even Sufism. He was survived by a son David (the future King

David VII Ulu David VII, also known as David Ulu ( ka, დავით VII ულუ) (1215–1270), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia from 1247 to 1270, jointly with his namesake cousin, David VI, from 1247 to 1259, when David VI, revolting f ...

). George was buried at

Gelati monastery Gelati ( ka, გელათის მონასტერი) is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. One of the first monasteries in Georgia, it was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia as ...

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)

Life

See also

References

External links