Battle of Sokhoista
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Sokhoista was fought between the Ottoman
and Georgian
armies at the Sokhoista field in what is now northeastern Turkey
in 1545. It was the last attempt of the separate Georgian dynasts to fight as one unit against the Ottoman expansion, but ended in their decisive defeat. This is possibly the same battle as mentioned by Rüstem Pasha
to have been fought at Zivin.
, Turkey) by the Ottoman beylerbey
of Erzurum
Musa Paşa, and his subsequent defeat at Karagak in 1543. The Ottomans returned in force two years later, and moved into the principality of Samtskhe, then under the control of Bagrat III
, king of Imereti
in western Georgia. Bagrat called upon the neighboring Georgian potentates to come to aid. Only the king of Kartli
Luarsab I
and the prince of Guria
Rostom Gurieli
responded, while the prince of Mingrelia Levan I Dadiani
refused to participate in the alliance.
provides with some details of the battle. According to this source, the nobles of Samtskhe resented the refusal of the Georgian kings to allow them to fight in the vanguard as it long had been established by a medieval custom, and refused to take part in the battle at all. The hard-contested action lasted from the dawn to the evening, and ended in a decisive Ottoman victory.
The victory at Sokhoista gave to the Ottomans the upper hand in western Transcaucasia and allowed them to overrun Samtskhe, where they installed their protégé, atabek Kaikhosro III. Tortum
, İspir
, and Pasin
were detached from Samtskhe and annexed to the Ottoman Empire. The battle also created a favorable precondition prior to the Ottoman-Saffavid peace deal at Amasya in 1555.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
armies at the Sokhoista field in what is now northeastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1545. It was the last attempt of the separate Georgian dynasts to fight as one unit against the Ottoman expansion, but ended in their decisive defeat. This is possibly the same battle as mentioned by Rüstem Pasha
Rüstem Pasha
Rüstem Pasha Opukovic was a Croat who became an Ottoman general and statesman. He served as the Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent. Rüstem Pasha is also known as Damat Rüstem Pasha and Rüstem Paşa .-Biography:Rüstem Pasha was born in Skradin, Croatia...
to have been fought at Zivin.
Background
The battle was preceded by an unsuccessful siege of the Georgian-garrisoned fortress of Oltisi (now OltuOltu
Oltu is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is İbrahim Ziyrek . The population is 19,969 .-History:...
, Turkey) by the Ottoman beylerbey
Beylerbey
Beylerbey is the Ottoman and Safavid title used for the highest rank in the hierarchy of provincial administrators It is in western terms a Governor-general, with authority...
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...
Musa Paşa, and his subsequent defeat at Karagak in 1543. The Ottomans returned in force two years later, and moved into the principality of Samtskhe, then under the control of Bagrat III
Bagrat III of Imereti
Bagrat III , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from April 1, 1510, to 1565. He succeeded upon the death of his father, Alexander II, and faced repeated assaults from the Ottoman Turks as well as the conflicts with his ostensible vassal princes of Mingrelia, Guria, and Abkhazia who...
, king of Imereti
Imereti
Imereti is a province in Georgia situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni river. It consists of the following Georgian administrative-territorial units:#Kutaisi #Baghdati region#Vani region#Zestafoni region...
in western Georgia. Bagrat called upon the neighboring Georgian potentates to come to aid. Only the king of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
Luarsab I
Luarsab I of Kartli
Luarsab I , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1527 to 1556 or from 1534 to 1558...
and the prince of Guria
Principality of Guria
The Principality of Guria was a historical state in Georgia. Centered on modern-day Guria, a southwestern region in Georgia, it was located between the Black Sea and Lesser Caucasus, and was ruled by a succession of twenty-two princes of the House of Gurieli from the 1460s to 1829. The...
Rostom Gurieli
Gurieli
Gurieli was a Georgian noble family and a ruling dynasty of the southwestern Georgian province of Guria which was autonomous and later for a few centuries independent, as well as a few ducal rulers of the dynasty rose in the 17th-18th centuries to be kings of the whole western Caucasus in place...
responded, while the prince of Mingrelia Levan I Dadiani
Dadiani
Dadiani was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Samegrelo.- The House of Dadiani :...
refused to participate in the alliance.
Battle
The two opposing armies met at the locale called Sokhoista which lay on the border of the district of Basean (now Pasinler District, Turkey). The Georgian chronicle of Prince VakhushtiVakhushti
Vakhushti was a Georgian prince , geographer, historian and cartographer.- Life :A son of King Vakhtang VI of Kartli , he was born in Tbilisi, 1696...
provides with some details of the battle. According to this source, the nobles of Samtskhe resented the refusal of the Georgian kings to allow them to fight in the vanguard as it long had been established by a medieval custom, and refused to take part in the battle at all. The hard-contested action lasted from the dawn to the evening, and ended in a decisive Ottoman victory.
The victory at Sokhoista gave to the Ottomans the upper hand in western Transcaucasia and allowed them to overrun Samtskhe, where they installed their protégé, atabek Kaikhosro III. Tortum
Tortum
Tortum is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey.The population is 4,507 as of 2010.There are 4 different ethnic group in the district.Ethnicity distribution*Turkish*Hemshin*Kurdish*Zaza- External links :...
, İspir
İspir
İspir is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, on the Çoruh River. The mayor is Osman Çakır . The district has a population of 30260 while the town has a population of 11789.-History:...
, and Pasin
Pasinler (town)
Pasinler or Basean , is a town in Erzurum Province, Turkey on the Aras River. It is located east of the city of Erzurum and is the site of Hasankale Castle...
were detached from Samtskhe and annexed to the Ottoman Empire. The battle also created a favorable precondition prior to the Ottoman-Saffavid peace deal at Amasya in 1555.