Kingdom of Abkhazia - Seljuk Invasion

Seljuk Invasion

The second half of the 11th century was marked by the disastrous invasion of the Seljuk Turks who by the end of 1040s succeeded in building a vast nomadic empire including most of Central Asia and Iran. In 1071 Seljuk armies destroyed the united Byzantine-Armenian and Georgian forces in the Battle of Manzikert, and by 1081, all of Armenia, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Syria and most of Georgia were conquered and devastated by the Seljuks.

Only Abkhazia and the mountainous areas of Svanetia, Racha and Khevi-Khevsureti did not acknowledge Seljuk suzerainty, serving as a relatively safe haven for numerous refugees. By the end of 1099 David IV of Georgia stopped paying tribute to the Seljuks and put most of Georgian lands except Tbilisi and Ereti under his effective control having Abkhazia and Svanetia as his reliable rear bases. In 1105–1124 Georgian armies under King David undertook a series of brilliant campaigns against the Seljuk Turks and liberated not only the rest of Georgia but also Christian-populated Ghishi-Kabala area in western Shirvan and a big portion of Armenia.