Byzantine-Georgian wars

Date	1014 to 1208
Location	Georgian region of Tao-Klarjeti, South Caucasus and Byzantine's Trabzon.
Result	Georgia loses a number of dominions, but later reconquers them under Queen Tamar

Belligerents

Byzantine Empire

Kingdom of Georgia

Strength

Potential to raise 250,000 c.1025
up to 50,000 Field troops in 1140.

Varying, eventually much fewer

The Byzantine–Georgian wars (Georgian: ბიზანტიურ-ქართული ომები) were a series of conflicts fought during the 11th century and were mainly focused on several strategic districts in the Byzantine-Georgian-Armenian marchlands. Most of these lands were granted by Emperor Basil II to the Georgian Kouropalates David III of Tao in reward for his crucial assistance in the struggle against the rebel general Bardas Sklerus (978–79). However, David supported another unsuccessful noble revolt led by Bardas Phocas at the end of the 980s. As a result, David was forced to make Basil II the legatee of his princedom. This agreement destroyed a previous arrangement by which David had made his adopted son, Bagrat III of Georgia, his heir. When David died early in 1000, Basil added his inheritance – Tao, Theodosiopolis (aka Karin, Karnu; the present day Erzurum), Phasiane and the Lake Van region (Apahunik) with the city of Manzikert – to the Byzantine Empire. The following year, the Georgian prince Gurgen, natural father of Bagrat, marched to take David’s inheritance, but was thwarted by the Byzantine general Nikephoros Ouranos, dux of Antioch. Despite these setbacks, Bagrat was able to become the first king of the unified Georgian state in 1008. He died in 1014, and his son, George I, inherited a longstanding claim to those territories in Tao which were in Byzantine hands.

George I invaded and occupied Tao and Phasiane in 1014. Basil, involved in his campaign against the Bulgarians, sent an army to expel the Georgians. This army was decisively defeated, but a Byzantine naval force occupied the Khazar ports in the rear, that is, to the north-west, of George's dominions. Once, the annexation of Bulgaria was completed in 1018, preparations for a larger-scale campaign were set in train, beginning with the re-fortification of Theodosiopolis. In the autumn of 1021, Basil ahead of a large army, reinforced by the Varangian Guards, attacked the Georgians and their Armenian allies, recovering Phasiane and pushing on beyond the frontiers of Tao into inner Georgia. King George burned the city of Oltisi keep it out of the enemy’s hands and retreated to Kola. A bloody battle was fought near the village Shirimni at the Lake Palakazio (now Çildir, Turkey) on September 11 and the emperor won a costly victory, forcing George I to retreat northwards into his kingdom. Plundering the country on his way, Basil withdrew to winter at Trabzond. Several attempts to negotiate the conflict went in vain and, in the meantime, George received reinforcements from the Kakhetians, and allied himself with the Byzantine commanders Nicephorus Phocas and Nicephorus Xiphias in their abortive insurrection in the emperor’s rear. In December, George’s ally, the Armenian king Senekerim of Vaspurakan, being harassed by the Seljuk Turks, surrendered his kingdom to the emperor. During the spring of 1022, Basil launched a final offensive winning a crushing victory over the Georgians at Svindax. Menaced both by land and sea, King George handed over Tao, Phasiane, Kola, Artaan and Javakheti, and left his infant son Bagrat a hostage in Basil's hands.

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Wikipedia