Liparit IV, Duke of Kldekari
Encyclopedia
Liparit IV, sometimes known as Liparit III , was an 11th-century Georgian
general and political figure who was at times the most valuable support of King Bagrat IV of Georgia
(1027-1072) and his most dangerous rival. He was of the House of Liparitid-Baguashi (later Orbeli or Orbeliani), and thus, a hereditary duke (eristavi
) of Kldekari
and Trialeti
.
. The Georgian Chronicles identify Liparit as "the son of Liparit", while John Skylitzes
refers to him as son of ‘Оράτιης Λιπαρίτης, i.e., Rati. His successful resistance to the invading Byzantine
troops in 1028 and a victorious campaign against the Shaddadid
dynasty of Arran in 1034 made Liparit the most powerful noble in Georgia. In 1038 Liparit was on the verge of capturing the Georgian city of Tbilisi
, which had been under the Muslim
sway for centuries; but fearing his growing power the Georgian nobles thwarted the plan and persuaded the king to make peace with the emir of Tbilisi. As a result, Liparit turned into a sworn enemy of Bagrat and began actively cooperating with foreign powers for vengeance. In 1039, he pledged his support to Bagrat’s half-brother Demetrius
who entered Georgia with a Byzantine army to seize the crown. After Demetrius’ death in 1042, Liparit continued the struggle against Bagrat and became a major champion of the Byzantine influence in the region. He enjoyed numerous successes against the royal armies, most notably at Sasireti
, where Bagrat suffered a crushing defeat and was forced to withdraw from his eastern possessions. The battle is also known for the involvement of Varangian mercenaries, most probably on the king’s side.
Bagrat appealing to the emperor Constantine IX, it was arranged, through the Byzantine mediation, that Liparit should receive nearly a half of the realm (south of the Mtkvari River) only as a dutiful subject to the king of Georgia. Thus, in the period of 1045-1048, Liparit IV, Duke of Trialeti, Argveti
, Lower
and Upper Iberia, Prince-Constable of Georgia, became the most powerful person in the kingdom. Not without a good reason, the Arab chronicler Ibn al-Athir calls him "king of the Abasgians [i.e. Georgians]." Liparit, called Liparites by Byzantine writers, was at the same time a Byzantine dignitary with the prestigious rank of magistros (and possibly also curopalates
).
. At the battle of Kapetrou
in September 1048, Liparit was captured and sent as a prisoner to Isfahan. The emperor sent an embassy of Georgios Drosos with gifts and a ransom for his release to the Seljuk sultan Toghrul Beg. However, the sultan magnanimously set free Liparit on condition that he would never again fight the Seljuks and was handed back the ransom (Skylitzes
454.15-19). According to Ibn al-Athir, the intermediary was not Drosus, but the Kurdish emir
Nasr ad-Daulah, while the Armenian chronicler Matthew of Edessa
asserts that Liparit was released after the Georgian, in the sultan's presence, had defeated a formidable "Negro
" champion in single combat.
In Liparit's absence, Bagrat took an upper hand and even carried off his wife; but regaining his liberty, Liparit took up arms against the king, and drove him out of his capital at Kutaisi
into Abkhazia
. Bagrat, accompanied by his mother, was forced to head for Constantinople
where the king was kept as a virtual hostage for three years. In the meantime, Liparit installed Bagrat's son George
as king and declared himself a regent. After Bagrat's return in 1053, Liparit again warred against him. Eventually, in 1060, he was arrested by his followers and surrendered to the king, who forced him into a monastery under the name of Anton. Liparit died shortly thereafter at Constantinople and was reburied to his patrimonial monastery at Katskhi in Georgia.
Liparit's sons, Ivane
and Niania, entered the Byzantine service. Niania died as a Byzantine official at Ani
, while Ivane, after a brief adventurous career in the imperial administration in Anatolia
, was granted amnesty by the Georgian court.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
general and political figure who was at times the most valuable support of King Bagrat IV of Georgia
Bagrat IV of Georgia
Bagrat IV , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the King of Georgia from 1027 to 1072. During his long and eventful reign, Bagrat sought to repress the great nobility and to secure Georgia's sovereignty from the Byzantine and Seljuqid empires...
(1027-1072) and his most dangerous rival. He was of the House of Liparitid-Baguashi (later Orbeli or Orbeliani), and thus, a hereditary duke (eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
) of Kldekari
Kldekari (duchy)
Kldekari was a duchy in the mediaeval Georgia. Ruled by a powerful dynasty of Baghvashi, the duchy existed from 876 to 1103 in the southern Kvemo Kartli province, and, despite its small size, created particular problems to the Bagrationi kings who sought to bring all Georgian lands into a single...
and Trialeti
Trialeti
Trialeti is a mountainous area in central Georgia. In Georgian its name means "a place of wandering". The Trialeti Range is a part of the greater Trialeti Region....
.
Rise to power
Liparit appeared on the political scene of Georgia in the late 1020s when he, as a holder of the fortress of Kldekari and later as a commander-in-chief of the royal armies, proved himself as the defender of the boy king Bagrat IV and his regent Dowager Queen MariamMariam of Vaspurakan
Mariam was the daughter of John-Senekerim II Artsruni, an Armenian king of Vaspurakan, and the first consort of the king George I of Georgia. As a Dowager Queen of Georgia, she was a regent for her underage son, Bagrat IV, from 1027 to 1037, and was involved in diplomacy with the Byzantine...
. The Georgian Chronicles identify Liparit as "the son of Liparit", while John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes was a Greek historian of the late 11th century. He was born in the beginning of 1040's and died after 1101.- Life :Very little is known about his life...
refers to him as son of ‘Оράτιης Λιπαρίτης, i.e., Rati. His successful resistance to the invading Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
troops in 1028 and a victorious campaign against the Shaddadid
Shaddadid
The Shaddadids were a Kurdish dynasty who ruled in various parts of Armenia and Arran from 951-1174 AD. They were established in Dvin. Through their long tenure in Armenia, they often intermarried with the Bagratuni royal family of Armenia....
dynasty of Arran in 1034 made Liparit the most powerful noble in Georgia. In 1038 Liparit was on the verge of capturing the Georgian city of Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, which had been under the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
sway for centuries; but fearing his growing power the Georgian nobles thwarted the plan and persuaded the king to make peace with the emir of Tbilisi. As a result, Liparit turned into a sworn enemy of Bagrat and began actively cooperating with foreign powers for vengeance. In 1039, he pledged his support to Bagrat’s half-brother Demetrius
Demetrius of Anacopia
Demetrius was a Georgian prince of the Bagrationi royal dynasty, and a claimant to the throne of Georgia. He was the younger son of George I of Georgia by his second wife Alda, daughter of the king of Alania....
who entered Georgia with a Byzantine army to seize the crown. After Demetrius’ death in 1042, Liparit continued the struggle against Bagrat and became a major champion of the Byzantine influence in the region. He enjoyed numerous successes against the royal armies, most notably at Sasireti
Battle of Sasireti
The Battle of Sasireti took place in 1042 at the village of Sasireti in the present day Shida Kartli region, not far from the town of Kaspi, during the civil war in the Kingdom of Georgia...
, where Bagrat suffered a crushing defeat and was forced to withdraw from his eastern possessions. The battle is also known for the involvement of Varangian mercenaries, most probably on the king’s side.
Bagrat appealing to the emperor Constantine IX, it was arranged, through the Byzantine mediation, that Liparit should receive nearly a half of the realm (south of the Mtkvari River) only as a dutiful subject to the king of Georgia. Thus, in the period of 1045-1048, Liparit IV, Duke of Trialeti, Argveti
Argveti
Argveti , also Argwet’i or Margweti , is a historic district in Imereti, western Georgia.The area lay on the historic Iberian-Lazican frontier, i.e., between what are now eastern and western parts of Georgia...
, Lower
Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli is a historic province and current administrative region in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is a regional capital. The population is mixed between Azeris and Georgians .The current governor is Davit Kirkitadze.- External links :* *...
and Upper Iberia, Prince-Constable of Georgia, became the most powerful person in the kingdom. Not without a good reason, the Arab chronicler Ibn al-Athir calls him "king of the Abasgians [i.e. Georgians]." Liparit, called Liparites by Byzantine writers, was at the same time a Byzantine dignitary with the prestigious rank of magistros (and possibly also curopalates
Curopalates
Kouropalatēs, Latinized as curopalates or curopalata and Anglicized as curopalate, was a Byzantine court title, one of the highest from the time of Emperor Justinian I to that of the Komnenoi in the 12th century...
).
Downfall
In 1048, Liparit, as a Byzantine magistros, was summoned by Constantine IX to give aid against the Seljuk Turks, advancing into AnatoliaAnatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. At the battle of Kapetrou
Battle of Kapetrou
The Battle of Kapetron or Kapetrou was fought between the Byzantine-Georgian armies and the Seljuq Turks on September 10 or September 18, 1048...
in September 1048, Liparit was captured and sent as a prisoner to Isfahan. The emperor sent an embassy of Georgios Drosos with gifts and a ransom for his release to the Seljuk sultan Toghrul Beg. However, the sultan magnanimously set free Liparit on condition that he would never again fight the Seljuks and was handed back the ransom (Skylitzes
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes was a Greek historian of the late 11th century. He was born in the beginning of 1040's and died after 1101.- Life :Very little is known about his life...
454.15-19). According to Ibn al-Athir, the intermediary was not Drosus, but the Kurdish emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
Nasr ad-Daulah, while the Armenian chronicler Matthew of Edessa
Matthew of Edessa
Matthew of Edessa was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa . Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank' , near the town of Kessoun, east of Marash , the former seat of Baldwin of Boulogne...
asserts that Liparit was released after the Georgian, in the sultan's presence, had defeated a formidable "Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
" champion in single combat.
In Liparit's absence, Bagrat took an upper hand and even carried off his wife; but regaining his liberty, Liparit took up arms against the king, and drove him out of his capital at Kutaisi
Kutaisi
Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
into Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
. Bagrat, accompanied by his mother, was forced to head for Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
where the king was kept as a virtual hostage for three years. In the meantime, Liparit installed Bagrat's son George
George II of Georgia
George II , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Georgia from 1072 to 1089. He was a son and successor of Bagrat IV and his wife Borena of Alania...
as king and declared himself a regent. After Bagrat's return in 1053, Liparit again warred against him. Eventually, in 1060, he was arrested by his followers and surrendered to the king, who forced him into a monastery under the name of Anton. Liparit died shortly thereafter at Constantinople and was reburied to his patrimonial monastery at Katskhi in Georgia.
Liparit's sons, Ivane
Ivane I, Duke of Kldekari
Ivane I, Duke of Kldekari |John]]) was an 11th-century Georgian general and duke of Kldekari, Argveti, and Orbeti-Samshvilde of the House of Liparitid-Baguashi from 1059 to 1080/89....
and Niania, entered the Byzantine service. Niania died as a Byzantine official at Ani
Ani
Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey...
, while Ivane, after a brief adventurous career in the imperial administration in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, was granted amnesty by the Georgian court.