Ashot IV "the Valiant" of Armenia (997-1 September 1041) was the king of Bagratid Armenia from 1021 to 1039, succeeding Gagik I of Armenia and preceding Gagik II of Armenia.
Biography[]
Ashot IV of Armenia was born in 997, and was the son of King Gagik I of Armenia. He was a member of the Armenian House of Bagrationi who belonged to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Ashot succeeded his father as King of Armenia in 1021, but had to fight with his brother Smbat III of Armenia over control of the country. They were kings in different provinces; he was king from 1021 to 1039, while his brother reigned from 1020 to 1040, eighteen years longer. The feuds sometimes turned violent, and this weakened the internal strength of the House of Bagrationi and Bagratid Armenia in general. He abdicated in 1039 and died in 1041, and his son would become Gagik II of Armenia.