Battle of Shirimni

Battle of Shirimni (Georgian: შირიმნის ბრძოლა) also known as the Battle of Palakazio was fought between the Byzantine and Georgian armies at the place of Shirimni at the Palakazio Lake (now Childir, Turkey; then part of Georgia) on September 11, 1021.

Battle of Shirimni aka Battle of Palakazio
Part of the Byzantine-Georgian wars
DateSeptember 11, 1021
Location
Shirimni, at the Lake Palakazio, now Childir, Turkey
Result Byzantine victory
Belligerents
Byzantine Empire  Kingdom of Georgia
Commanders and leaders
Basil II George I
Strength
unknown, large unknown, probably fewer

Background

The battle was preceded by the two-decade-long dispute over the Georgian courapalates’ succession that included several Byzantine-Georgian-Armenian marchlands in Asia Minor. A full-scale war erupted when the Georgian king George I took the disputed areas by force, 1014. In retaliation the Byzantine emperor Basil II led, in 1021, a large army into Georgia pushing the Georgians back to their inner frontiers.

Battle

Both Byzantine and Georgian armies were led by the monarchs themselves. Basil’s army included many Varangian Guards while George was reinforced by some Armenian auxiliaries. The two armies met at a village Shirimni at the Palakazio Lake. The Georgians were close to winning the battle, but powerful counterattacks by Basil proved to be decisive. Two Georgian high-ranking generals, Rati Baghvashi and Khursi were killed in action. Following this costly victory, the emperor plundered the nearby lands and returned to his dominions to winter at Trapezius.

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See also

References
  • (in French) René Grousset, L'Empire du Levant : Histoire de la Question d'Orient, Paris, Payot, coll. « Bibliothèque historique », 1949 (réimpr. 1979), 648 p. (ISBN 2-228-12530-X), p. 153


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