Greatest Warrior King of All Times?

Meet the ruler who fought the most battles to secure their Kingdom.

Heraclius II of Georgia (1720-1798)

In the British press they called him, “the most experienced prince of the East.” The Persians called him Erekli Khan. In Russia, they knew him as Irakly. In the West, today, few could tell you much about the life and times of Heraclius II of Georgia, but he may hold the record as the greatest warrior king of modern times. Here is why.

Who was Heraclius II of Georgia? In the 18th century, the Medieval Georgian Empire had been reduced to three squabbling little kingdoms. Heraclius reigned as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762. In 1762, he united Kartli and Kakheti ruling both until 1798. Here is a documentary about his life with English subtitles.

How many battles did he fight? By some accounts he fought a hundred battles to secure his kingdom. In comparison, Napoleon fought only 60, and only part of them as ruler (he was an emperor not a king), so he does not even come close to matching Heraclius. Frederick the Great fought in three wars over 22 years and he didn’t come close either to matching Heraclius’ record—and Frederick got to be called the “great.”

Why so many battles? Heraclius had the bad luck to rule a land sandwiched between the Ottoman, Persian, and Russian Empires.

How did he make out? In the end, not so well though he kept his crown till the day he died. Heraclius decided in the end the best way to secure his kingdom was to align with the Russian Empire. That didn’t turn out so well. When the Persians invaded the Russians offered no help. Heraclius lost his final battle. His successor lost the throne.