When did Lazica exist?

Lazica existed 1st century BC – c. 7th century AD. On this map it is drawn AD 1–545.

How large was Lazica?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Lazica covered about 29,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

Europe · Antiquity and the Roman world

Lazica

1st century BC – c. 7th century AD

See it on the map → Wikipedia ↗

Existed: 1st century BC – c. 7th century AD
Shown on the map: AD 1–545
Peak area: 29k km²
Region: Europe

Overview

Lazica (Georgian Egrisi) was a kingdom on the eastern Black Sea coast in western Georgia, the successor to ancient Colchis (land of the Golden Fleece). Its capital was the fortified Archaeopolis (Nokalakevi), with the strategic coastal fortress of Petra guarding the southern approach. Lazica was a client of Rome and then Byzantium, valued as a buffer against Sasanian Persia and against steppe peoples using the Caucasus passes.

History

The kings of Lazica were Byzantine clients whose accession the emperor confirmed with regalia. Tzath I (attested 521/522–527/528) was the first Christian king, baptised at Constantinople under Justinian I in 523. The "Eternal Peace" of 532 recognised Lazica as within the Byzantine sphere. But heavy-handed Byzantine control — including a trade monopoly run from Petra by John Tzibus — pushed King Gubazes II (r. c. 541–555) to invite the Sasanians in.

Decline and legacy

This triggered the Lazic War (541–562), called the Great War of Egrisi in Georgian historiography, a major theatre of the Byzantine–Sasanian wars, narrated in detail by Procopius and Agathias. Khosrow I captured Petra in 541 (Siege of Petra); Persian occupation proved worse than Byzantine, and by 548 Gubazes sought Byzantine help. The fortress of Petra changed hands, being finally taken and razed by the Byzantines in 551. Gubazes quarrelled with the Byzantine generals and was assassinated by them in 555; a Lazic assembly demanded justice from Justinian. His brother Tzath II (r. from 556) was the last known king. The war ended with the Fifty-Year Peace Treaty (561/562), under which Byzantium retained Lazica as a vassal but paid Persia an annual tribute; the outcome is scholarly disputed but generally counted a relative Byzantine success. After 562, Lazica gradually vanishes from the sources, later reappearing as a Byzantine patriciate.

Common questions

What was Lazica?: Lazica (Georgian Egrisi) was a kingdom on the eastern Black Sea coast in western Georgia, the successor to ancient Colchis (land of the Golden Fleece). Its capital was the fortified Archaeopolis (Nokalakevi), with the strategic coastal fortress of Petra guarding the southern approach.
When did Lazica exist?: Lazica existed 1st century BC – c. 7th century AD. On this map it is drawn AD 1–545.
How large was Lazica?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Lazica covered about 29,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled Lazica?: The kings of Lazica were Byzantine clients whose accession the emperor confirmed with regalia. Tzath I (attested 521/522–527/528) was the first Christian king, baptised at Constantinople under Justinian I in 523.
How did Lazica end?: This triggered the Lazic War (541–562), called the Great War of Egrisi in Georgian historiography, a major theatre of the Byzantine–Sasanian wars, narrated in detail by Procopius and Agathias. Khosrow I captured Petra in 541 (Siege of Petra); Persian occupation proved worse than Byzantine, and by 548 Gubazes sought Byzantine help.

Sources

This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each territory and its key figures as the primary basis, with Encyclopædia Britannica, the World History Encyclopedia, and academic and primary sources — Jordanes, Procopius, Gregory of Tours, Bede, Ammianus and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read through the secondary literature. The article this entry is anchored on:

Wikipedia — Lazica en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazica

This entry was last updated 27 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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