Battle of Botora
| Battle of Botora | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Georgian–Seljuk wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Georgia | Seljuk Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| David IV | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Botora (Georgian: ბოტორის ბრძოლა) was fought between the armies of the Kingdom of Georgia and the Seljuk Empire on February 14, 1120.
Background[edit]
In February 1116 by the order of the king, the army of Kartli and Meskhetians were gathered at Klarjeti, David IV suddenly attacked and destroyed the Turks in Tao ("fell unexpectedly upon the unsuspecting Turks").[1] In 1118 David heard from Nakhiduri the story of the Seljuks invasion of Javakheti and killing of Beshken II Jaqeli. The king, despite the opposition of some nobles, set off with his army and defeated the Seljuks in Rakhsi.[2]
Battle[edit]
King David IV got into the habit of going to Abkhazia and the Seljuks were wintering near the banks of Mtkvari. David first moved to Geguti, and from there to Khupati. The Seljuks found out how far it was, they camped at Botora. The Seljuks were many and they set up camps to spend the winter. On February 14, David suddenly attacked the Seljuks and completely destroyed them. Only a few of them managed to get on their horses and run away. In the battle the Georgians captured many Seljuks and gained a lot of booty.[3]
Aftermath[edit]
In November 1120, David's army attacked and defeated the Seljuks in Arsharunik and Sevgelamej, And in 1121 he did the same in Khunan. In June 1121, David with the Kipchaks raided the camped Seljuks in Barda. In all these episodes the camp was destroyed meaning that the Georgian army managed to secretly approach it and perform a surprise attack.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Metreveli 2011, p. 67.
- ^ History of Georgia 2012, p. 386.
- ^ a b Metreveli 2011, p. 80.
Sources[edit]
- Metreveli, Roin (2011). Saint David the Builder. Tbilisi. ISBN 9789941425509.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Lortkipanidze, Mariam; Japaridze, Otar; Muskhelishvili, David; Metreveli, Roin (2012). History of Georgia in four volumes, vol. II - History of Georgia from the 4th century to the 13th century. Tbilisi: National Academy of Sciences of Georgia. ISBN 978-9941-19-585-3.