The Battle of Shirimni - the battle was part of a campaign launched by King Kartli Simon I , aimed at liberating the capital of Tbilisi from the Persians in 1567 .
| Digom battle | |||
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| Main Conflict: Georgian-Safavid Wars | |||
| date | 1567 | ||
| A place | Near Digomi Tbilisi | ||
| Total | The victory of the kingdom of Kartli | ||
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| Losses | |||
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Background
In 1490 , after a long period of chaos and decline, the Georgian kingdom fell into three independent kingdoms: Kartli , Kakheti , and Imereti . In addition, two formidable opponents of the Safavid Persia and the Ottoman Empire appeared on the borders of the Georgian state. Soon, the Turks conquered all of Western Georgia, while Kartli and Kakheti entered the sphere of influence of the Safavids. This was secured by the world at Amasya in 1555 . Georgian kings were to fight alone against the Muslim conquerors. A permanent Persian garrison was established in Tbilisi . In 1556, King Luarsab I defeated Garisi , but died in the battle, leaving the throne to his son Simon I , the latter, like his father, had to fight for the throne with his cousin Daud Khan .
Battle
Participating in the battle of Garisi, Simon I was encouraged by this victory and decided to continue on his way to Tbilisi, the capital of the kingdom, occupied by the Daud Khan . In 1567, the troops of Simon I advanced along the banks of the Kura River , in the Digomi Valley, a village near Tbilisi. Suddenly, the Persian troops under the command of Daud Khan organized a sortie against the Georgian troops, in order to prevent (or delay) their advance to Tbilisi, but Simon I, at the head of his troops, managed to defeat the enemy, while losing 2,000 soldiers. Daud Khan retreated and locked himself outside the city walls of Tbilisi, while the Georgian army continued to liberate Georgia from the Persian troops.
Consequences
Due to the large losses in the battle, as well as the increased activity of the Daud Khan, Georgian troops could not continue the siege of Tbilisi. This defeat, however, was partially offset by a new victory at Samadlo in 1568 . The capture of Simon I by the Persian troops in 1569 temporarily stopped the liberation movement of Kartli, leaving a significant part of the kingdom for Daud Khan and Kyzylbash .
Literature
- M. Brosset Jeune, Chronique géorgienne, Saint-Pétersbourg, 1839
- Guchua e. SWANIDZE m, the struggle of the people for independence and the political integrity of the 16th century, tsgn :. Essays on the history of Georgia, vol. 4 Tb, 1973 .;
- Guchua e., Network, t. 3, p. 591 Tb., 1978