Battle of Basian
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Basian was fought, in the 13th century, between the armies of the Kingdom of Georgia
and the Seljuqid Sultanate of Rüm
in the Basian
vale 60 km northeast of the city of Erzurum
in what is now northeast Republic of Turkey. The battle is variously dated between 1202 and 1205, but 1203 or 1204 has lately been given preference. The contemporary Muslim annalist Ibn Bibi
places the battle in 598 AH (October 1, 1201 - September 19, 1202).
The battle was one of those several conflicts between the Georgian monarchs and the Seljuqid rulers of Anatolia
that fill the region’s history of the 11th-13th century. It marked yet another attempt by the Seljuqids to stem the Georgian advances southward. The story of this conflict is narrated in the contemporary Georgian, Armenian and Islamic sources.
The sultan
of Rüm, Rukn ad-Din Süleymanshah II
(r. 1196-1204), fought hard, with considerable success, to reassemble once a vast state fragmentized under his late father Kilij Arslan II
. Initially, his relations with the neighboring kingdom of Georgia were ostensibly peaceful, including the exchange of embassies and precious gifts. However, Süleymanshah’s 1201 takeover of Erzurum whose last Saltukid ruler (malik
) `Ala' ad-Din was, at that time, a tributary to the Georgian crown, brought Süleymanshah II into an inevitable confrontation with the Georgians. The sultan further resented a tribute levied by the Georgian rulers upon the neighboring Muslim beyliks
and requested its withdrawal in an ultimatum presented to the Georgian Queen regnant
Tamar
. According to the Georgian chronicle, Süleymanshah’s emissary delivered a highly offending letter to Tamar in which the sultan threatened to take her as a concubine upon his conquest of Georgia.
Süleymanshah, joined by his vassal beys, crossed into the Georgian marchlands and encamped in the Basian vale. Tamar quickly marshaled an army throughout her possessions and put it under command of her consort, David Soslan
. From their base in Javakheti
, the Georgian troops under Soslan and amirspasalar
Zacharia Mkhargrdzeli made a sudden advance into Basian and assailed the enemy’s camp. In a pitched battle, the Seljuqid forces managed to roll back several attacks of the Georgians but were eventually overwhelmed and defeated. Süleymanshah himself was wounded and fled to Erzurum.
The victory at Basian allowed Georgia to secure its positions on the southwest and keep the Seljuqid resurgence in check, but Erzurum was, henceforth, to remain within the domains of the sultans of Rüm.
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia was a medieval monarchy established in AD 978 by Bagrat III.It flourished during the 11th and 12th centuries, the so-called "golden age" of the history of Georgia. It fell to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by 1327...
and the Seljuqid Sultanate of Rüm
Sultanate of Rûm
The Sultanate of Rum , also known as the Anatolian Seljuk State , was a Turkic state centered in in Anatolia, with capitals first at İznik and then at Konya. Since the court of the sultanate was highly mobile, cities like Kayseri and Sivas also functioned at times as capitals...
in the Basian
Basian
Basian, also known as Abbasian, is a town in Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, it is located at 34°4'0N 73°29'50E and has an average elevation of 660 metres ....
vale 60 km northeast of the city of Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
in what is now northeast Republic of Turkey. The battle is variously dated between 1202 and 1205, but 1203 or 1204 has lately been given preference. The contemporary Muslim annalist Ibn Bibi
Ibn Bibi
Ibn Bibi is author of the primary source for the history of the Seljuq Sultanate of Rum during the 13th century. He served as head of the chancellery of the Sultanate in Konya and reported on contemporary events....
places the battle in 598 AH (October 1, 1201 - September 19, 1202).
The battle was one of those several conflicts between the Georgian monarchs and the Seljuqid rulers of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
that fill the region’s history of the 11th-13th century. It marked yet another attempt by the Seljuqids to stem the Georgian advances southward. The story of this conflict is narrated in the contemporary Georgian, Armenian and Islamic sources.
The sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of Rüm, Rukn ad-Din Süleymanshah II
Süleymanshah II
Suleiman II aka Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah , was the Seljuk Sultan of Rûm between 1196–1204.Son of Kilij Arslan II, he overthrew his brother, Sultan Kaykhusraw I who had succeeded their father in 1192 and became sultan in 1196....
(r. 1196-1204), fought hard, with considerable success, to reassemble once a vast state fragmentized under his late father Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.As Arnold of Lübeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172...
. Initially, his relations with the neighboring kingdom of Georgia were ostensibly peaceful, including the exchange of embassies and precious gifts. However, Süleymanshah’s 1201 takeover of Erzurum whose last Saltukid ruler (malik
Malik
Malik is an Arabic word meaning "king, chieftain".It has been adopted in various other, mainly Islamized or Arabized, Asian languages for their ruling princes and to render kings elsewhere. It is also sometimes used in derived meanings...
) `Ala' ad-Din was, at that time, a tributary to the Georgian crown, brought Süleymanshah II into an inevitable confrontation with the Georgians. The sultan further resented a tribute levied by the Georgian rulers upon the neighboring Muslim beyliks
Anatolian Turkish Beyliks
thumb|350px|Anatolian Turkish Beyliks map.Anatolian beyliks, Turkish beyliks or Turkmen beyliks were small Turkish Muslim emirates or principalities governed by Beys, which were founded across Anatolia at the end of the 11th century in a first period, and more extensively during the decline of the...
and requested its withdrawal in an ultimatum presented to the Georgian Queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
Tamar
Tamar of Georgia
Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
. According to the Georgian chronicle, Süleymanshah’s emissary delivered a highly offending letter to Tamar in which the sultan threatened to take her as a concubine upon his conquest of Georgia.
Süleymanshah, joined by his vassal beys, crossed into the Georgian marchlands and encamped in the Basian vale. Tamar quickly marshaled an army throughout her possessions and put it under command of her consort, David Soslan
David Soslan
David Soslan was an Alan prince and a King Consort of Georgia as the second husband of Queen Regnant Tamar who married him c. 1189. He is chiefly known for his military exploits during Georgia’s wars against its Muslim neighbors.- Origins :...
. From their base in Javakheti
Javakheti
Javakheti is a historical region of the nation of Georgia, in the southeastern part of the country's Samtskhe-Javakheti province. Today it comprises the Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda municipal territories. It was historically bordered in the west with both sides of the Mtkvari river, in the north,...
, the Georgian troops under Soslan and amirspasalar
Amirspasalar
Amirspasalar was the commander in chief of the medieval Georgian army and one of the highest officials of the Kingdom of Georgia, commonly rendered as Lord High Constable in English...
Zacharia Mkhargrdzeli made a sudden advance into Basian and assailed the enemy’s camp. In a pitched battle, the Seljuqid forces managed to roll back several attacks of the Georgians but were eventually overwhelmed and defeated. Süleymanshah himself was wounded and fled to Erzurum.
The victory at Basian allowed Georgia to secure its positions on the southwest and keep the Seljuqid resurgence in check, but Erzurum was, henceforth, to remain within the domains of the sultans of Rüm.