“The Ossetians Settled in Gori” (Historical-Geographical Aspects of the Ossetian Migration during the Mongol Rule in Georgia)

Abstract

During the intense confrontation between the Golden Horde and the Ilkhanate, Georgian sources report that part of the Ossetian population (“the numerous chiefs”), oppressed by the Khan of the Golden Horde, sought refuge in the territory of Georgia. Hulagu Khan received these Ossetian refugees into his service, imposed tribute and military obligations upon them, and, in return, granted them the right to settle in Georgia − a policy that proved highly dangerous for the Georgian state. By settling the refugee Ossetians in Georgia, Hulagu Khan probably sought more loyal support against the Khan of the Golden Horde and, following the rebellion of King David VII, no longer fully trusted the Georgian monarch. For the Mongols, both the native Georgians and the Ossetian newcomers held equal value in military terms. The Ossetian population introduced into Georgia was settled in strategically important locations such as Zhinvali and Dmanisi. The Ossetians residing in Zhinvali were tasked with defending and blocking the northern routes in the event of an invasion by the forces of the Golden Horde, including through the Dariali Pass. As for Dmanisi, it controlled the approaches to Tbilisi from the south. Parsadan Gorgijanidze provides the only surviving account of Ossetians being settled in Gori — a detail not preserved in other Georgian sources. According to him, the king of Western Georgia, David Narin, had given refuge to the Mongol prince Ghalghuri, an opponent of the Ilkhans, granting him Racha as a reserve. In response, Abagha Khan seized Aten from David Narin. Consequently, the king ordered the Mongols who had taken refuge with him and their troops to raid Kartli and devastate everything up to Mtskheta. To repel the army advancing from Western Georgia, the Ossetians stationed in the Gori fortress were not only permitted to resist the enemy but also to raid Racha and Imereti. Earlier, a Mongol commander named Janas had been stationed in Mukhrani to guard the routes of Dariali and Dvaleti against the Ossetians. The influential Surameli family, the eristavs of Kartli, also participated in these operations. The Mongols encamped in Mukhrani used it as their winter base and Mtiuleti as their summer base, thereby controlling the road connecting these two regions. Because the Mongols needed to defend the Dvaleti and Dariali passes from the Ossetians, spontaneous incursions by other Ossetian groups frequently occurred. The settlement of Ossetians in Gori was not accidental. Gori, located in the heart of Georgia, blocked access not only from Western Georgia but also from the north. The Ossetians were not granted Gori as a hereditary possession; they were stationed there for military purposes — to protect Kartli from invading forces from the west. All of this was done under Mongol instructions. The Ossetians in Mongol service, when circumstances became favorable, appropriated the lowland regions of Shida Kartli, weakened by the Mongol invasions. They captured Gori, which led to open conflict with the local Georgian population. An Ossetian chief named Bakatari Beg, serving the Mongols, opposed King David VIII after his rebellion against Mongol authority and frequently raided Kartli. The Surameli family resisted his incursions. The chronicler also notes that the Mongols were aided by “the Ossetians settled in Gori.” When the Georgians pressed the Ossetians to return Gori, the latter sought help from the Mongols stationed in Mukhrani, who intervened between the two sides but ultimately left Gori in Ossetian hands. The confrontation between the Georgians and the Ossetians continued until the reign of King Giorgi the Brilliant (Giorgi Brtskhinvale), who, taking advantage of the Mongols’ decline, attacked the Ossetians, expelled them, and regained control of Gori. Giorgi the Brilliant also secured the Dariali and Dvaleti routes, fortified the northern passes, advanced into the Caucasus, “subjugated and subdued everyone,” and restored Georgian dominance in Kartli.