MEDIEVAL HISTORY

CAUCASUS: MEDIEVAL HISTORY

(Section 1: 387 - 1080 AD)

The end of the 4th century (AD) was marked by the expansion of the kingdom of Lazica (Egrisi) in the Western area of modern Georgia. The lands of Svanians and Apshilians were conquered by Lazica and became its provinces. Its influence went even behind the mountains of the Main Caucasus to the lands of Abasghians. In its turn Lazica itself remained within the sphere of East Roman (Byzantine) influence. At that time Greek still served as an official language of Lazica. After having adopted Christianity, Iberia was also orienting its policy more and more towards that of the Byzantine Empire. At least till the end of the 7th century Greek was an official language of Iberia together with Aramaic. However towards the end of the 4th century the first documents written in Georgian began to appear.

At this time Armenia was the arena of permanent wars between East Roman and Persian Empires. As Christians, most Armenians tended to support Byzantians in their fight against Zoroastrian Persia. The series of Persian-Byzantine wars (420 -560) resulted in major changes of the political map in the region and a new demarcation between East Roman Empire and Persia by the year 561. The Kingdom of Lazica, most of Iberia (with its capital in Mtskheta), and at least half of Armenia with the cities of Theodosiopolis (Erzerum), Mauriciopolis and Varghashapat lost their independence and fell under East Roman domination. Eastern Armenia (with the cities of Dvin, Van and Nakhchevan), Eastern Iberia with Tephelis (Tbilisi) and Albania remained under Sassanid Persia. However, the Byzantines failed to stabilize their Eastern frontier, and military operations in Transcaucasia between both empires went on till early 7th century.

During the same period North Caucasus survived a series of invasions by the Ephtalites (White Huns) and Magyars, who finally defeated the Alans and colonized some of their lands. The end of Cuman-Ephtalite invasion was followed by the rise of the Khazar Empire (400 to about 970). By the beginning of the 7th century the Khazars - people of mixed Turkic, Aryan and probably Georgian origin - converted to Judaism. They then conquered all the lands to the North from the Main Caucasian Range to the middle course of Dnepr and Volga rivers.

In the middle of the 7th century most of Transcaucasia including Armenia, Iberia and Albania was conquered by the Arabs. Only Lazica (Western Georgia) stayed under Byzantine control. The Arabs also attacked North Caucasus but were defeated by the Khazars. In 653 in an attempt to gain Armenian support against the Byzantine Empire the Arab caliph granted a restricted autonomy to all Armenian provinces and empowered an Armenian patrician (sovereign) to rule the country. Iberian and Albanian Kingdoms were abolished and reorganized into Emirates.

The end of the 8th/early 9th century saw the new states risen in Transcaucasia as a result of manipulating between the Byzantine Empire and the Arabs, and a relatively successful fight against both superpowers. In 799 the territory of Lazica separated from Byzantine Empire and was reorganized as the Kingdom of Abkhazia (or Egris-Abkhazia). In the same year Albania regained its independence under the new name of Eretia. In 830 a warlord named Ashot Bagration (Arm. variant - Bagratuni) established in the South of Georgia after several successful military operations against the Arabs. The Emperor Theophilis of Byzantine designated him curopalatus (Governor-General) of Georgia. Finally the Bagration family became practically independent rulers of The Dominion of Georgia, which by 977 included most of South- and East-Georgian (Iberian) lands. In 886 another branch of Bagrations (Bagratuni) re-established Armenian Kingdom and ruled the country till 1065. In 1001 the last Governor-General of Georgia Bagrat Bagration proclaimed himself a king and annexed Abkhazia. In 1010 he conquered Eretia (Albania). That was the period of the collapse of Arab power in Transcaucasia. The only area of direct Arab control by this time was Northern Azerbaijan (Shirvan) and the tiny enclave around Tbilisi.

By the beginning of the 11th century this area was invaded by the hordes of Turcic Seljuks who had conquered Persia and all Arabic lands in Asia. By the year 1065 Seljuks conquered the whole of Armenia, and in 1080 fell the last strongholds of Georgian resistance .