Battle of Shirimni
Battle of Shirimni (Georgian: შირიმნის ბრძოლა) also known as the Battle of Palakazio was fought between the Byzantine and Georgian armies at the place of Shirimni at the Palakazio Lake (now Childir, Turkey; then part of Georgia) on September 11, 1021.
Battle of Shirimni aka Battle of Palakazio | |||||||
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Part of the Byzantine-Georgian wars | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Byzantine Empire |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Basil II | George I | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
unknown, large | unknown, probably fewer | ||||||
![]() ![]() Location within Georgia ![]() ![]() Battle of Shirimni (Turkey) ![]() ![]() Battle of Shirimni (Caucasus mountains) |
Background
The battle was preceded by the two-decade-long dispute over the Georgian courapalates’ succession that included several Byzantine-Georgian-Armenian marchlands in Asia Minor. A full-scale war erupted when the Georgian king George I took the disputed areas by force, 1014. In retaliation the Byzantine emperor Basil II led, in 1021, a large army into Georgia pushing the Georgians back to their inner frontiers.
Battle
Both Byzantine and Georgian armies were led by the monarchs themselves.[1] Basil’s army included many Varangian Guards while George was reinforced by Armenian auxiliaries. The two armies met at a village Shirimni at the Palakazio Lake. The Georgians were close to winning the battle, but powerful counterattacks by Basil proved to be decisive. Two Georgian high-ranking generals, Rati Baghvashi and Khursi were killed in action. Following this costly victory, the emperor plundered the nearby lands and returned to his dominions to winter at Trebizond.[1]
See also
Notes
- Rayfield 2013, p. 75.
References
- (in French) René Grousset, L'Empire du Levant : Histoire de la Question d'Orient, Paris, Payot, coll. « Bibliothèque historique », 1949 (réimpr. 1979), 648 p. (ISBN 2-228-12530-X), p. 153
- Rayfield, Donald (2013). Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1780230702.