Siege of Samshvilde

The siege of Samshvilde was a siege of the city of Samshvilde by the Bishop George of Chqondidi who captured the city on behalf of King David IV.^[1][2] This induced the Seljuks to hastily evacuate most of surrounding districts.^[3]

Siege of Samshvilde
Part of Georgian–Seljuk wars
Date 1110 Location Samshvilde Result Georgian victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Georgia	Seljuk Empire
Commanders and leaders
George of Chqondidi Theodore Abuleti Ivane I Orbeli	Unknown

Background

Expansion of Kingdom of Georgia under David IV's reign.

Samshvilde was the capital of the Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget until, Kiurike II, was made captive by King Bagrat IV of Georgia and had to ransom himself by surrendering Samshvilde to the Georgians in 1064.^[4][5] King George II, conceded control of the city to his powerful vassal Ivane I of Kldekari, thereby buying his loyalty, in 1073.^[6] Within a year or so, Samshvilde was conquered by the Seljuks under Malik-Shah I.^[7]

Siege

In 1110 the Georgians led by George of Chqondidi, his nephew Theodore, governor of Trialeti, Abuleti and Ivane I Orbeli, retaliated against the Seljuk settlement and recaptured the town of Samshvilde, which was added to the royal domains, without a major battle.^[8] Following this capture, the Seljuks left a large part of their occupied territories, allowing Georgian troops to capture Dzerna [ka].^[9][10]

Aftermath

Responding to this double defeat, Sultan Muhammad I Tapar in 1110, sent a large army of 200,000^[10] or 100,000^[9] (or only 10,000 according to the Armenian version of the Georgian Chronicles) soldiers with the aim of invading Georgia. Knowing of the approach of Turkish troops, David IV left his home at Nacharmagevi with a personal guard of only 1,500 men and set out to meet the invaders during the night.^[11] The two armies, clearly unequal, clashed the next day at the Battle of Trialeti in a hard fight which ended in a decisive victory for Georgia.^[12] The Georgian Chronicles relate that, not believing in such a simple victory, the king remained there until the next day, waiting for a new Seljuk response, and only then realized the Seljuk defeat.^[9][11]