Eldiguzid campaign of Tamar of Georgia
| Eldiguzid campaign of Tamar of Georgia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 route of the campaign | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Georgia | Eldiguzids | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Zakaria II Ivane Mkhargrdzeli | Muzaffar al-Din Uzbek | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 20,000 | Unknown | ||||||
The Eldiguzid campaign of Queen Tamar – as a revenge for the earlier attack on Ani and the massacre of the city's Christian population, took place in 1208-1210.[1]
Background[edit]
In the year 1199, Georgia's Queen Tamar captured Ani and gave the governorship of the city to her High Constable Zakare and Ivane Mkhargrdzeli.[2]
According to the Georgian Chronicler, during Lent, when Mkhargrdzeli-brothers were at the royal palace of Geguti in Western Georgia, with the Queen who had lost her husband, the Sultan of Ardabil (an ancestor of Shah Ismail Safavi) crossed the Arak mountains, and entered Ani at dawn on Easter Day when the town-gates were being opened and the entire population was at prayer. He made a terrible massacre of the local population crowded in the churches. After perpetrating a dreadful massacre (12,000 people were slaughtered in the churches alone) and pillaging the town, the Sultan returned loaded with spoils and captives to his domains.
History[edit]
When news of the tragedy of Ani reached Geguti, Tamar called Darbazi – the supreme royal council – where the Mkhargrdzeli brothers proposed punishing the Sultan immediately. A punitive campaign against the Eldiguzids was started with the council's agreement, and Queen Tamar approved. This war did not pursue the purpose of territorial conquest or even of establishing some form of political dependence on Georgia. It was a typical invasion by a feudal state into a rich and relatively weak country with the aim of pillage and of showing its military strength. Preparations were made carefully and in secret.
The brothers Mkhargrdzeli went to Ani and started preparations. The expedition took place in the following year, The Mkhargrdzelis sent a messenger to the Queen with a request to send her troops to join them. She gave an order to the Meskhians, Torelians, Tmogvians, Her-Kakhetians and Armenians. They gathered in Ani and from there they planned their way to Ardabil, Georgian cavalry crossed the Araxes through Khodaafarin bridge, to the north of Ardabad, and headed straight to Ardabil, one of the most important towns of northern Persia. In the night, the day before "Eid", they surrounded Ardabil. Georgians burst into the city from all sides and seized it without a fight. The Mkhargdzeli's massacred 12,000 locals "as many as were killed in Ani", including the Sultan. By the same road, consoled, they returned victorious to Ani and appeared before Queen Tamar.
Military campaign to Azarbaijan[edit]
The attack on Ardebil showed the Georgian leaders that they could attack Eldiguzids once more. After a Darbazi consultation in 1210, Tamar gave permission to advance round the south shore of the Caspian into Chorasmia.[3] Large Georgian forces concentrated in Tbilisi, which then marched to Northern Iran, through Nakhchivan and Julfa (vassal territories in a march), under the orders of Zakaria and Ivane Mkhargrdzeli. The Georgian army crossed the Araxes, entered the narrow gorge of Daraduz, and marched to Marand, Learning of this, the inhabitants of Marand hid among the rocks. Entering Marand and finding no man there, Zakaria thought that the enemy's army was on the mountain of Marand, and he selected a detachment of five hundred horsemen under the command of certain Taki ad-Din Tmogveli as their commander and sent them to the Marand Mountain. Seeing a small detachment, Marandians armed themselves and attacked it. Poorly organized Muslims were crushed; very few of the enemy escaped, most of them were killed, and those who fled were pursued for a long time.[4] Zakaria posted a garrison in the town and went on to Tabriz in 1208, they crossed the mountains, known as "Devsopni". When the citizens of Tabriz learned of the appearance of the Georgian army, they were seized with terror. The frightened inhabitants of Tebriz secured themselves by paying huge contributions; especially Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan's wife, Zahide, gave a lot of money, stones, and craftsmanship to save the city. They even provided food for the army. Georgians promised them peace and declared they would cross their lands without inflicting harm; The Georgians left guards at the city and leaving Adarbadagan went to and Miyaneh. The Melik of Miyaneh also asked them for peace and promised countless presents. Accumulating all kinds of riches the Georgians stationed guards at the city and left Miana in peace. From Tabriz and Miana the Georgian cavalry then rode through Gilan, to the small town of Zinjan, surrounded by a wattle and daub wall, the citizens reinforced it and began to fight, however, Georgians captured it by storm and received the submission. From there they continued their way to Khorasan and approached another large center Qazwin,[5] which capitulated without a fight. After the capture of Rogmor, in the district of Nishapur, in 1210, Georgians went to Gorgan,[6][7] pillaging several settlements on their way, in northeast Persia.[1][8] As a Georgian chronicler noted, the Georgians reached countries where nobody had heard of either their name or existence. The return voyage was long, the spoils, which were looted throughout the north of Persia, did not allow them to move fast. The annihilation of the Georgian garrison by the inhabitants of Maian compelled Zakaria to revisit it again and to destroy its townsmen.
Aftermath[edit]
The Georgian army returned with enormous booty; the chronicler does not conceal his surprise and delight over the huge quantity of precious stones, rugs, gold, splendid works of art, and handicraft articles that were seized. These victories brought Georgia to the summit of its power and glory, establishing a pan-Caucasian Georgian Empire that extended from the Black Sea to the Caspian and from the Caucasus Mountains to Lake Van.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lordkipanidze & Hewitt 1987, p. 154.
- ↑ Lordkipanidze, Mariam (1987). Georgia in the XI-XII Centuries. Tbilisi: Genatleba. p. 150. Search this book on
- ↑ RAYFIELD, D. (2012). Edge of empires: a history of Georgia. London, Reaktion Books.
- ↑ Georgian National Academy of Sciences, Kartlis Tskhovreba (History of Georgia), Artanuji pub. Tbilisi 2014
- ↑ Mikaberidze, Alexander (2011). Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Santa Barbara, California, USA: ABC-CLIO. p. 196. ISBN 978-1598843361. Search this book on
- ↑ Yar-Shater, Ehsan (2010). Encyclopaedia Iranica, Volume 2, Parts 5-8. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 892. ISBN 9780710090904. Search this book on
- ↑ Brosset, Marie-Felicite (1858). Histoire de la Géorgie depuis l'Antiquité jusqu'au XIXe siècle. France: imprimerie de l'Académie Impériale des sciences. pp. 468–472. Search this book on
- ↑ L. Baker, Patricia; Smith, Hilary; Oleynik, Maria (2014). Iran. London, United Kingdom: Bradt Travel Guides. p. 158. ISBN 978-1841624020. Search this book on
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