despite the territorial losses to basil ii, the georgian kings succeeded in retaining their independence and in uniting most of the georgian lands into a single state. many of the territories ceded to the empire were conquered by the seljuk turks towards the 1070s-1080s, securing the theme of iberia by the help of byzantine governor, gregory pakourianos, who began to evacuate the region shortly after the disaster inflicted by the seljuks on the byzantine army at manzikert. on this occasion, george ii of georgia was bestowed with the byzantine title of "caesar", granted the fortress of kars and put in charge of the imperial eastern limits.