Draft:Siege of Tbilisi (1038–1040)

Siege of Tbilisi
Date 1038-1040 Location Tbilisi, Emirate of Tbilisi Result Inconclusive Bagrat IV lifts the siege
Belligerents
Kingdom of Georgia Duchy of Kldekari Kingdom of Kakheti-Hereti	Emirate of Tbilisi
Commanders and leaders
Bagrat IV Liparit IV Gagik of Kakheti	Jafar III

The Siege of Tbilisi (1038–1040)

Background

In 1034 Liparit IV, duke of Kldekari and Ivane Abazasdze, Duke of Kartli, in combination with the King Kvirike III of Kakheti and David I of Lori inflicted a defeat on the army of the Shaddadids at the Eklez River. Also in the same year Liparit and Ivane Abazasdze had captured Jafar III, emir of Tbilisi and handed him over to King Bagrat IV and Mariam.

Siege

In 1038, Liparit was on the verge of capturing the ancient Georgian capital of Tbilisi, which had been a Muslim stronghold since the 8th century. Fearing his growing power, the Georgian nobles persuaded Bagrat to withdraw Liparit's army and thus thwarted the plan. As a result, Liparit became a sworn enemy of the king and began actively cooperating with the Byzantines for vengeance on Bagrat and his nobles.

Bibliography

• Allen, William (2023). A History of the Georgian People: From the Beginning Down to the Russian Conquest in the Nineteenth Century. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000855302.
• Baumer, Christoph (2023). History of the Caucasus. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9780755636303.