He was, however, unsuccessful, and found it to be necessary again to lead his armies into the field.

It was the 20th of March, 1157, when Georges, entering Kief in triumph, ascended the throne.

On the 1st of May he dined with some of his lords.

Immediately after dinner he was taken sick, and, after languishing a fortnight in ever-increasing debility, on the 15th he died.
The inhabitants of Kief, regarding him as an usurper, rejoiced at his death, and immediately sent an embassage to Davidovitch, prince of Tchernigof, a province about one hundred and fifty miles north of Kief, inviting him to hasten to the capital and seize the scepter of Russia.
Kief, and all occidental Russia, thus ravaged by interminable wars, desolated by famine and by flame, was rapidly on the decline, and was fast lapsing into barbarism.

Davidovitch had hardly ascended the throne ere he was driven from it by Rostislaf, whom Georges had dethroned.