Bagrat IV of Georgia

Bagrat IV
Fresco of Bagrat IV from Ateni Sioni
King of Georgia
Reign16 August 1027 – 24 November 1072
PredecessorGeorge I
SuccessorGeorge II
RegentMariam of Vaspurakan
Born1018
Died24 November 1072(1072-11-24) (aged 53–54)
Burial
SpouseHelena Argyre
Borena of Alania
IssueGeorge II of Georgia
Maria of Alania
Mariam
DynastyBagrationi
FatherGeorge I of Georgia
MotherMariam of Vaspurakan
ReligionGeorgian Orthodox Church
KhelrtvaBagrat IV's signature

Bagrat IV (Georgian: ბაგრატ IV; 1018 – 24 November 1072), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the king (mepe) of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1027 to 1072.[1] During his long and eventful reign, Bagrat sought to repress the great nobility and to secure Georgia's sovereignty from the Byzantine and Seljuk Empires. In a series of intermingled conflicts, Bagrat succeeded in defeating his most powerful vassals and rivals of the Liparitid family, bringing several feudal enclaves under his control and reducing the kings of Lori and Kakheti-Hereti, as well as the emir of Tbilisi to vassalage. Like many medieval Caucasian rulers, he bore several Byzantine titles, particularly those of Nobilissimus, Kouropalates, and sebastos.[2]

  1. ^ Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi. Otto Harrassowitz. 1984. p. 56. Georgia, under Bagrat IV (1027–1072), felt itself threatened by both the nomads and Byzantium and faced tremendous problems in reconciling the haughty Transcaucasian Christian nobility to the need for a strong, centralizing monarchy.
  2. ^ Head, Barclay Vincent (1958). The Numismatic Chronicle. Royal Numismatic Society. p. 141. Bagrat IV was promoted to the title of Sebastos in 1060