Mongol Invasions of Georgia and Armenia
Years: 1220 - 1243
The medieval kingdom of Georgia first clashes with the advancing Mongol armies in 1220.
Although these engagements are nothing but a mere reconnaissance, the Mongols return, in 1236, in a full-scale invasion, forcing Georgia into submission by 1243.
The country has to pay a heavy annual tribute and provide troops for endless Mongol campaigns.
The Mongol invasions reach the Kingdom of Georgia (which includes most of Armenia proper at tis time) and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in 1234, forcing Georgia into submission by 1238.During the expedition of Chormaqan against Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, ordered by khan Ögedei in 1231, southern Persian dynasties in Fars and Kerman voluntarily submit to the Mongols and agree to pay tributes.
To the west, Hamadan and the rest of Persia is secured by Chormaqan.
The Mongols turn their attention to Armenia and Georgia in 1234 or 1236.
They complete the conquest of the Kingdom of Georgia in 1238 and the Mongol Empire begins to attack western parts of Greater Armenia, which is under the Seljuks,the next year.
In 1236, Ogedei despoils Khorassan and populated Herat.
The Mongol military governors mostly make their camp in Mughan plain.
Realizing the danger of the Mongols, rulers of Mosul and Cilician Armenia submit to the Great Khan.
Chormaqan divides the Transcaucasia region into three districts based on military hierarchy.
In Georgia, the population is temporarily divided into eight tumens.
By 1237, the Mongol Empire has subjugated most of Persia, excluding Abbasid Iraq and Ismaili strongholds, and all of Afghanistan and Kashmir.
After the battle of Köse Dağ in 1243, the Mongols under Baiju occupy Anatolia, and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm and the Empire of Trebizond become vassals of the Mongols.
Georgian resistance, though initially passive, subsequently evolves into a series of uprisings, frequently combined with civil strife and a power struggle between pro- and anti-Mongol factions that result in the decline and fragmentation of the previously powerful Georgian feudal state.
Mongol rule lasts until the late 1330s Greater Armenia stays under Mongol lordship from 1220 to 1344, when King George V the Brilliant, through skillful diplomacy and military success, restores to the kingdom much of its former strength and prosperity for a brief period before it finally disintegrates due to Timur's invasions of Georgia.
