Battle of Bolnisi
| Battle of Bolnisi | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Georgian-Khwarazmid wars | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kingdom of Georgia | Khwarazmian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Avag Zakarian | Jalal al-Din Mangburni | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
40,000 After Betrayal 20,000 |
4,000 After Betrayal 24,000 [1] | ||||||
The Battle of Bolnisi was fought in 1228 AD near Bolnisi, then part of the Kingdom of Georgia. The invading Khwarazmid Empire was led by Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, its last Sultan, who was driven from his realm by the Mongol Empire and was trying to recapture lost territories. Georgia assembled its own coalition against Jalal ad-Din: Georgians, Kipchaks, Alans, Vainakhs and Leks assembled 40,000 men. Ill-prepared for battle, the coalition went south to Bolnisi where Jalal ad-Din's forces were waiting.[2] Jalal ad-Din saw Kipchak banners, consisting 20,000 men in the Georgian ranks and appealed to them, 'lending a certain Qoshqar to them with a loaf of bread and salt to remind them of their 'former obligations' to his house.[3] The Kipchaks withdrew support from the Georgians. The battle ended with a Khwarezmid victory and is marked as a disastrous event in Georgian history due to betrayal.[2]
References
- ^ Alaaddin Ata Malik Juvaini. Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy [The History of The World Conqueror]., II p.368
- ^ a b Rayfield, Donald (2012). Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia. London: Reaktion Books. p. 124. ISBN 978-1780230306.
- ^ Anatoly M. Khazanov, Andre Wink (2001). Nomads in the Sedentary World (Curzon in Association With Iias). Routledge. ISBN 9780700713691.
Sources
- Guchava V., Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, II, p. 452–453, Tbilisi, 1977
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