# George IV of Georgia

George IV (Georgian: გიორგი IV, romanized: giorgi IV) , also known as Lasha Giorgi (Georgian: ლაშა გიორგი, romanized: lasha giorgi)(1192–1223), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the king (mepe) of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1213 to 1223.

## Early life

George was the son of Queen Tamar of Georgia 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).
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.

## 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 Sargis Tmogveli, Shalva and Ivane Akhaltsikheli, Sula Surameli, Botso and Memna Jaqeli. Lasha's opponents were Ivane I Mkhargrdzeli and Varam Gageli.
At Tamar's death, the atabeg of Ganja, Muzaffar al-Din Uzbek, stopped paying tribute. King George called Darbazi – the supreme royal council – where he proposed punishing the atabeg of Ganja immediately. The nobles approved a campaign and with an ample army George IV set out to ravage Ganja. The Georgian army under Ivane Mkhargrdzeli immediately sent troops to Ganja and enforced Georgian suzerainty by besieging, instead of storming the city. George lost patience with his generals’ decision, detached 4,000 men from the siege force and circled Ganja. The Ganja garrison realized George’s vulnerability: 10,000 well-armed men left the citadel and attacked. The ensuing fighting, although the Georgians won, caused heavy casualties, but the atabeg of Ganja agreed to pay tribute again.
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.
In 1219 George campaigned against Erzurum, Nakhchivan and Ahlat and forced them to pay annual tribute, George once again confirmed the Georgian dominance in Anatolia and Iran.
Innocent III had managed to secure the participation of the Kingdom of Georgia in the Crusade. In the late 1210s, according to the Georgian chronicles, George began making preparations for a campaign in the Holy Land to support the Franks.
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 Bagavan, Armenia, to secure his sister's marriage to the Shah of Shirvan and ensure her succession. But at the age of 31, he died prematurely due to complications from his wound in Bagavan. He was succeeded by his sister Rusudan. George was buried at Gelati monastery.

## Personal life

While George IV was in Kakheti, he saw a young woman from Velistsikhe, the daughter of a freeman. Despite her being married, he seduced her and brought her to the royal court. In 1215, she had a son, David VII (1215–1270), King of Georgia (1246–1270), whom George gave to his sister Rusudan to raise.
This caused unrest within the Georgian Orthodox Church. A delegation of bishops, along with the Catholicos and ministers, confronted the king about the scandal. Since the woman was a commoner and another man's wife, George IV was forced to send her back to her husband with nuns as escorts. However, George insisted that she was his wife and refused any other marriage arranged by the court, refusing to legitimize any heir.