Draft:Georgia Expedition I (1064)
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Reasons for the Seljuk Empire's Expedition going to Georgia:
Within two months of his entry into Rey, Alp Arslan was busy with administrative affairs and army preparations and set out on a western campaign in February 1064. Alp Arslan gave more importance to the western side of the state during his reign, and generally campaigned in the west for the purpose of conquest and in the east for the purpose of ensuring public order. The Seljuk Empire, with its state organization, army and administration, was a shelter for various Turkish communities in the Central Asian steppes who did not feel safe and who were struggling with economic difficulties. For this reason, these large masses who migrated to Seljuk lands and were called Turkmens, partly entered the service of Seljuk princes and participated in conquests, while partly fought under the command of their own leaders to establish new homelands in climates suitable for their lifestyles. These Turkmens, who had been dispersed to almost every part of the Seljuk country due to the migrations that had been continuing uninterruptedly since the beginning of the 11th century and who had occasionally caused social unrest, needed to be settled in a country that was suitable for the conditions they were accustomed to. This country was Anatolia, with its regions reminiscent of the steppes and suitable for animal husbandry. The Seljuk statesmen, who were determined to conquer Anatolia, which was under the control of the Christians, accepted the official settlement policy of the state to send the Turkmens towards the Byzantine borders.
The Expedition Process:
However, there were some small principalities in the areas extending from Lake Urmia to the north of Tbilisi, which were outposts serving the Byzantine policy, and in order to reach Anatolia, the defenses in these areas had to be broken first. Alp Arslan, accompanied by his son Melikşah and the vizier Nizamülmülk, whom he had brought from Khorasan, set off from Rey to Azerbaijan, and his army was reinforced on the way by the Turkmen chief Tuğtegin, who was on a campaign. While the forces under the command of Melikşah and Nizamülmülk were capturing the fortified places north of the Aras, the army under the command of Alp Arslan, who entered Georgia, reached Trialet, surrounded by the Kur River, from there to Kvelis-Kür, then to the Taik region via the Şavşat road and, after the Georgian king fled, to Akhilkelek north of Lake Çıldır, conquering many cities and castles. Alp Arslan, who united with the forces of Melikşah and Nizamülmülk in front of Akhilkelek, captured this fortified city in June 1064. In the meantime, the prince of Lori, Kuirike (Georgi), who saw that Akhilkelek had also fallen, accepted to be subject to the Seljuks and to pay the jizya.
After this, Alp Arslan went to Eastern Anatolia and besieged Ani, the most fortified city in the region, which was in the hands of the Byzantines. After a siege and fierce fighting that lasted more than a month, the city fell into the hands of the Seljuks (August 16, 1064). The Seljuk conquest of Ani, which was thought to be impossible to capture, had great repercussions in the East and the West, and the Caliph Qāim-Biemrillāh sent a letter of appreciation and congratulations through his special envoy, giving Alp Arslan the title of "Ebü'l-Feth". After the fall of Ani, the prince of Kars, Gagik, invited Alp Arslan to Kars and offered his allegiance.
External links
[edit]Medieval Georgia