Giorgi IV. Lascha
Giorgi IV. Lascha ( Georgian გიორგი IV ლაშა ; * 1193 ; † January 18, 1223 ) was King of Georgia from 1213 to 1223 .
Life
He was a son of Queen Tamara and David Soslans . Appointed co-regent of his mother around 1205, at the age of 20 he was the sole ruler of Georgia. No sooner had he ascended the throne than various vassal states such as Ganja and later Nakhichevan tried to achieve independence and stopped paying tribute. The Georgian army, accustomed to victory, was immediately set in motion. The renegade vassals had to recognize the sovereignty of Georgia again.
From 1214 further Armenian territories were conquered, for example the Principality of Chatschen in 1214 and the province of Siunik in 1219/20. Territories around Nakhichevan were also occupied. Campaigns against Ahlat ended victorious. Under Giorgi IV, Georgia had reached its greatest territorial extent, despite internal conflicts with the high feudal nobility. However, the king and the nobility still shared common goals, such as national defense and the conquest of new territories.
But in 1220 much more dangerous enemies stood before the borders of Georgia, the Mongols of Genghis Khan . A first military conflict went badly for the Georgians. In January and at the end of 1221, too, they again lost out. In the third battle, however, the Mongolian army was so decimated that it withdrew. The chronicler Grigor speaks of two battles, after which the Georgian army was initially defeated, but the rushed troops of the general Vahram Gageli defeated the Mongols in a second battle and forced them to turn back. King Giorgi was wounded in this battle.
On January 18, 1223 Giorgi died suddenly, leaving behind only one underage, illegitimate son, who later went down in history as David VII Ulu. For him, Giorgi's sister, Rusudan, should initially lead the reign, but due to David's minority the high nobility crowned Rusudan queen (1223-1245).
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Tamara |
King of Georgia 1213–1223 |
Rusudan |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Giorgi IV. Lascha |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Giorgi IV., გიორგი IV ლაშა |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Georgian king |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1193 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Georgia |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 18, 1223 |