The First Mongol Campaign in Transcaucasia According to Armenian-Georgian Sources (in comparison with Eastern Sources)

Introduction. Armenian-Georgian sources are rich in various valuable information about the Mongols. The earliest of them relate to the Mongols; first reconnaissance invasion to the Transcaucasia in 1220–1222. It was during this invasion, which played a negative role in the lives of the Armenian and Georgian peoples, that they became acquainted with the Mongols, who later conquered the Georgian kingdom, which included northeastern, or, as it is commonly called in Armenology, Zakarian Armenia. The above mentioned invasion, of course, was not left out of the scope of Eastern sources either. The Armenian-Georgian sources focused mainly on the events that took place in the Transcaucasia during that invasion. And Eastern sources also touched upon the events related to it, however, that took place elsewhere. Material and methods. The information about this invasion is provided by such Armenian sources from the 13th century as historians Kirakos Gandzaketsi, Vardan Vardapet, Grigor Aknetsi, and chroniclers of the same century, Mkhitar Airivantsi, Bishop Stepanos, and Anonymous Sebastatsi. Georgian sources include the Georgian chronicle from the time of Georgian King Giorgi Lasha (1207–1223), the 14th-century Georgian anonymous chronicle, and another 14th-century anonymous source. Georgian Queen Rusudan (1223–1245) and the Atabek of the Georgian Kingdom Ivane Zakaryan wrote about this invasion in their official letters to Pope Honorius III (1216–1227). However, what they report is only partially reliable. The data provided by Armenian-Georgian sources about the discussed invasion are presented using a combination of historical comparative and historical analytical methods of historical reconstruction. They are also compared with reports from Eastern sources. Results. The presented evidence can serve as a basis for putting into scientific circulation the material available in Armenian-Georgian sources about the first Mongol invasion of the Transcaucasia. This will provide an opportunity to more comprehensively and reliably reproduce the history of the invasion.

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