Lekianoba
Encyclopedia
Lekianoba was the name given to sporadic forays and marauds by Dagestan
clan
smen into Georgia
from 16th to 19th centuries. The term is derived from Leki, by which the Georgians
knew Dagestani peoples, with the suffix –anoba which designates attribution.
The attacks from Dagestan began with the disintegration of the Georgian kingdom and the subsequent decline of its successor states in the incessant defence warfare against the Persian and Ottoman empire
s. In the late 16th century, part of Georgian marchlands in the Kakheti
an kingdom, later known as Saingilo
, was given by the Persian shah Abbas I
to his Dagestani allies creating thus a base for subsequent invasions.
Though chiefly of small scale, these assaults were too frequent to be rather devastating to the fragmentised country, with the marauders taking hostages and pillaging the borderline settlements. From time to time, these attacks evolved into major military operations involving thousands of troops and conducted by the Dagestan feudal warlords often in alliance with either Persians or Ottomans. Kakheti
and Kartli
were the two eastern Georgian kingdoms most suffered. Often taken in surprise, the Georgians failed to build up an effective defence mechanism against Lekianoba due largely to the permanent internal wars and rivalry among the Georgian polities. Furthermore, the Dagestani mercenaries were frequently used by rival Georgian kings and princes against each other.
In the early 1720s, the Georgian king Vakhtang VI intensified his efforts to counter the Dagestan inroads. In 1722, he decided to join his forces with the Russian
tsar
Peter I
and mobilised a large army to campaign against the Dagestanis and their major ally, the Persian Empire. Peter, however, soon made peace with the Persians that forced Vakhtang to recall his troops. Soon Georgia’s independence finally collapsed under the Ottoman
and Persian aggression for over the two subsequent decades giving the Dagestani tribesmen more chances to attack. In 1744, Teimuraz II and his son, Erekle II
, revived the kingdoms of Kartli
and Kakheti
and joined their forces to check the Dagestani assaults. From 1750 to 1755, they thrice successfully repulsed a large coalition of the Degestani clans led by the Avary khan Nursal Bek. In 1774, Erekle II created a special military force which initially served an effective instrumental against the Dagestani marauds. However, facing an internal crisis in his kingdom, Erekle was unable to finally eliminate the threats from the Caucasian
mountaineers. In 1785 and 1787 the Avary khan Omar twice attacked Kakheti leaving several border villages in ruins. Beginning in 1801, with the annexation of Georgia by the Russian Empire
, the Dagestani inroads weakened significantly. During the Caucasian War
s, the Dagestani imam
Shamil invaded the Kakhetian marches in 1854, an attack largely considered the last incident of Lekianoba.
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
smen into Georgia
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...
from 16th to 19th centuries. The term is derived from Leki, by which the Georgians
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
knew Dagestani peoples, with the suffix –anoba which designates attribution.
The attacks from Dagestan began with the disintegration of the Georgian kingdom and the subsequent decline of its successor states in the incessant defence warfare against the Persian and Ottoman empire
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...
s. In the late 16th century, part of Georgian marchlands in the Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
an kingdom, later known as Saingilo
Saingilo
Saingilo is a 19th-century term that is used to indicate parts of the districts of Balakan, Zaqatala and Qakh—territory of 4,780 km2—currently parts of Azerbaijan, populated by the ethnic Georgians—Ingiloi.-History:...
, was given by the Persian shah Abbas I
Abbas I of Persia
Shāh ‘Abbās the Great was Shah of Iran, and generally considered the greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son of Shah Mohammad....
to his Dagestani allies creating thus a base for subsequent invasions.
Though chiefly of small scale, these assaults were too frequent to be rather devastating to the fragmentised country, with the marauders taking hostages and pillaging the borderline settlements. From time to time, these attacks evolved into major military operations involving thousands of troops and conducted by the Dagestan feudal warlords often in alliance with either Persians or Ottomans. Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
and 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...
were the two eastern Georgian kingdoms most suffered. Often taken in surprise, the Georgians failed to build up an effective defence mechanism against Lekianoba due largely to the permanent internal wars and rivalry among the Georgian polities. Furthermore, the Dagestani mercenaries were frequently used by rival Georgian kings and princes against each other.
In the early 1720s, the Georgian king Vakhtang VI intensified his efforts to counter the Dagestan inroads. In 1722, he decided to join his forces with the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Peter I
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
and mobilised a large army to campaign against the Dagestanis and their major ally, the Persian Empire. Peter, however, soon made peace with the Persians that forced Vakhtang to recall his troops. Soon Georgia’s independence finally collapsed under the Ottoman
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 Persian aggression for over the two subsequent decades giving the Dagestani tribesmen more chances to attack. In 1744, Teimuraz II and his son, Erekle II
Erekle II
Erekle II was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi Dynasty, reigning as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762, and of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 until 1798. In the contemporary Persian sources he is referred to as Erekli Khan, while Russians knew him as Irakli...
, revived the kingdoms 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...
and Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
and joined their forces to check the Dagestani assaults. From 1750 to 1755, they thrice successfully repulsed a large coalition of the Degestani clans led by the Avary khan Nursal Bek. In 1774, Erekle II created a special military force which initially served an effective instrumental against the Dagestani marauds. However, facing an internal crisis in his kingdom, Erekle was unable to finally eliminate the threats from the Caucasian
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
mountaineers. In 1785 and 1787 the Avary khan Omar twice attacked Kakheti leaving several border villages in ruins. Beginning in 1801, with the annexation of Georgia by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, the Dagestani inroads weakened significantly. During the Caucasian War
Caucasian War
The Caucasian War of 1817–1864, also known as the Russian conquest of the Caucasus was an invasion of the Caucasus by the Russian Empire which ended with the annexation of the areas of the North Caucasus to Russia...
s, the Dagestani imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
Shamil invaded the Kakhetian marches in 1854, an attack largely considered the last incident of Lekianoba.