Tahmasp I's campaigns in Kartili and Kakheti

Tahmasp I's campaigns in Kartili and Kakheti
Date1541-1566
Location
Kartli and Kakheti
Result Safavid victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Kartli
 Kingdom of Kakheti		 Safavid dynasty Safavid Iran
Commanders and leaders
Luarsab I
Simon I
Dāwūd Khan
Kingdom of Kakheti Levan		 Safavid dynasty Tahmasp I
Safavid dynasty Badr Khan Ustajlu
Safavid dynasty Shahverdi Sultan

The Tahmasp I's campaigns in Kartli and Kakheti was a series of campaigns of the Safavid Iran under the leadership of Shah Tahmasp I against the Georgian Kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti.

Georgia was one of the regions that sparked the interest of Shah Tahmasp.[1] One of the reasons for this was to diminish the power of the Ustajlu tribe, who held the territories of present-day southern Georgia and Armenia, although another motive was plunder. Attacks on predominantly Christian Georgian territories were often motivated by jihad.[2] During Shah Tahmasp's initial march, Tbilisi was plundered, its churches, Georgian nobles' wealth, children, and wives were seized as booty.[3] Additionally, eventually, the rulers of cities like Tbilisi and Golbada were compelled to accept Shiism. King Luarsab of Kartli managed to escape and hide during Tahmasp's marches.[4] The objective of the second march was to establish stable Qizilbash rule in Georgian territories. Again, through raids and plundering observed during the march, King Levan of Kakheti was subdued, and he pledged allegiance to the Shah.[5] Another march took place a year before the Treaty of Amasya. In each of these marches, along with a considerable amount of booty seized, Qizilbash forces also obtained numerous captives upon their return. Sources report that in one march, 30,000 captives were seized. Among these captives was Luarsab's mother, Nestan Darejan, who committed suicide after being taken captive.[6] Some of these captives later managed to integrate into the Safavid bureaucracy.[3][7]

In 1555, according to the Treaty of Amasya, Eastern Georgia remained under the rule of the Qizilbash.[8] In subsequent campaigns, Shah Tahmasp did not personally participate; instead, the representation of Qizilbash rule in the region was entrusted to Shahverdi Sultan Ziyadoghlu Qajar. He generally ruled over the territories north of the Aras River.[6] To maintain his authority in the region, Tahmasp sought to convert influential figures in Kartli and Kakheti to Shiism. For example, David Khan, brother of Simon I, serves as an example.[3] Prince Jesse, the son of Levan of Kakheti, also came to Qazvin in the 1560s and embraced Shiism. In return, Shah Tahmasp bestowed gifts and positions upon him. He was given a palace in Qazvin and appointed as the ruler of Sheki and its surrounding areas.[6] The conversion of these Georgian princes to Shiism did not hinder Kartli rulers like Luarsab I and his son Simon from continuing their resistance against the Qizilbash, who were attempting to regain Tbilisi. The outcome of the Battle of Qarisi, where these Georgian rulers fought against the Qizilbash, did not result in a decisive victory.[9]

  1. ^ Savory, Roger M. (2007). Iran Under the Safavids. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 64. ISBN 9780521042512.
  2. ^ Savory 2007, pp. 65; Panahi 2015, pp. 52.
  3. ^ a b c Keith Hitchins, (2001). "GEORGIA ii. History of Iranian-Georgian Relations". Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition., Keith (2001). "GEORGIA ii. History of Iranian-Georgian Relations". New York: Encyclopædia Iranica.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Hirotake, Maeda (2021). Against all odds: the Safavids and the Georgians (In Matthee, Rudi (ed.). The Safavid World.). New York: Taylor & Francis. p. 129. ISBN 9781000392876.
  5. ^ Panahi, Abbas (2015). Shah Tahmasb I's Military Campaigns' Consequences to Caucasus and Georgia. Historical Reaserch of Iran and Islam. p. 46.
  6. ^ a b c Hirotake, Maeda (2021). Against all odds: the Safavids and the Georgians (In Matthee, Rudi (ed.). The Safavid World.). New York: Taylor & Francis. p. 130. ISBN 9781000392876.
  7. ^ Roemer, H. R. (1986). "The Safavid Period". The Cambridge History of Iran - the Timurid and Safavid Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 246. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521200943.006. ISBN 978-1-139-05498-0.
  8. ^ Mikaberidze, Alexander (2015). Historical Dictionary of Georgia. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442241466.
  9. ^ Roemer, H. R. (1986). "The Safavid Period". The Cambridge History of Iran - the Timurid and Safavid Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 245. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521200943.006. ISBN 978-1-139-05498-0.