Lezgic campaign on Kakheti (1553-1555)

The Lezgic campaign into Kakheti was a military expedition undertaken in 1555 by forces from the Lezgin Bekdoms Rutul and Khnov communities, together with Tsakhur forces, into the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kakheti. According to accounts of Rutul history, the expedition compelled Georgian inhabitants to relocate beyond the Alazani River.

Background

During the 16th century the communities of Samur valley maintained political and military relations with neighbouring territories in the South Caucasus. Rutul, Khnov and Tsakhur were among the communities whose forces participated in regional conflicts. Their relations with neighbouring settlements included both alliances and armed hostilities.

The expedition took place during a period of conflict between the neighbouring Caucasian polities and the larger Safavid and Ottoman empires. In 1555, the Peace of Amasya established a division of influence between the Safavid and Ottoman empires, with eastern Georgia, including Kakheti, falling within the Safavid sphere. However, the available accounts do not establish that the Samur communities' expedition was directly connected to the Ottoman–Safavid War.

Campaign

In 1555, forces from Rutul and Khnov, accompanied by Tsakhur forces undertook a campaign into Kakheti. The expedition is recorded in accounts of Rutul history and in a discussion of Khnov's historical past. These sources identify the participating communities but provide limited information about the campaign's route leadership or individual engagements.

According to these accounts, the expedition forced Georgian inhabitants to move south of or beyond the Alazani River The sources do not provide reliable figures for the size of the forces involved, casualties or the number of people displaced.

Aftermath

The campaign is mentioned in accounts of the political and military activities of the Rutul, Khnov and Tsakhur communities during the 16th century. Khnov subsequently continued to appear as a distinct political community in regional accounts, a 1597 report concerning the Shamkhal of Tarki, for example, reportedly listed the Rutul and Khnov forces separately among his allies.

Further reading

• Shikhsaidov, A. R. (1984). Эпиграфические памятники Дагестана [Epigraphic Monuments of Dagestan]. Makhachkala.