# Battle of Sasireti (1042)

URL: https://allhistories.com/georgia/timeline/1042-battle-of-sasireti
Location: Sasireti, Shida Kartli
Themes: Noble rebellion, Varangians

In 1042 the royal army met the forces of the rebel duke Liparit IV of Kldekari at Sasireti in Shida Kartli. The king's troops, reinforced by roughly a thousand Varangian mercenaries from the north, were routed. Their leader Ingvar and many Varangians were captured, and the surviving royal forces fell back towards western Georgia. The rebellion grew out of a feud that began during the 1037-1040 campaign against Tbilisi. After the king made peace with the city's emir, Liparit's enemy, the duke turned against the crown and supported a rival claimant. Liparit also had Byzantine auxiliaries, showing how Constantinople used Georgian noble factions to weaken the monarchy. Liparit became the leading power in southern and eastern Georgia and held fortresses such as Ardanuç. The king did not restore his authority until 1059, when he forced Liparit into exile in Constantinople. Sasireti shows the strength of great noble houses in the eleventh century, a problem later royal reforms tried to solve. At this point in the timeline (1042), the Kingdom of Georgia was under King Bagrat IV (1027 – 1072). Elsewhere in the Georgian lands, King Gagik (1039 – 1058) ruled the Kingdom of Kakheti-Hereti.

## Why it matters
It exposed how overmighty nobles and Byzantine meddling could cripple the monarchy, a problem later reforms had to solve.

Ruler at the Time: [Bagrat IV of Georgia](https://allhistories.com/georgia/rulers/bagrat-iv-of-georgia)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Battle of Sasireti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sasireti)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — History of Georgia](https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Georgia)