Globalization and Business: Kingdom of Georgia in 11th-14th Centuries
Introduction
The Kingdom of Georgia had a golden age from the late 11th century to the Mongol invasions in the 1220s-1230s, marked by economic growth and territorial expansion southward.
The article examines the reasons behind the Georgian kingdom's southward territorial expansion in the 11th-13th centuries.
Existing literature primarily focuses on military and political reasons, but some scholars have briefly mentioned trade and trade routes as contributing factors.
The article argues that the southward expansion of the Kingdom of Georgia was driven by economic factors, including access to important trade routes and rich cities near Georgia's borders, their control, and exploitation.
Sources suggest the Georgian kings had a well-thought-out long-term foreign policy, evidenced by continuous military expansion over nearly two centuries, aimed at controlling roads through Arran, Shirvan, and Armenia.
The Georgian kings also had their sights on more distant lands (northern Iran, city of Ahlat), driven by their economic allure.
The Georgian kings tried to expand the newly unified state from a peripheral economic position to the rich trade routes of Arran, Shirvan and Armenia, which motivated military campaigns to conquer cities such as Dvin, Ahlat, Ani, Shirvan, and even parts of northern Iran.
Geographic Context
Geography was a major motivator behind territorial expansion.
Georgia's southern border was the Mtkvari River, separating it from Arran.
Shirvan's plain territory made it easy to attack and difficult to defend.
Shirvan rulers constantly attempted to expand westward and southward due to the lack of a firm geographical border with Arran.
Tbilisi is at the northern end of a geographical corridor that extends southeastwards along the Mtkvari River to the modern Mughan plain, bordering the Caspian Sea.
There is no significant geographical barrier impeding movement in this corridor.
Foreign troops used the corridor along Mtkvari in major military campaigns against Georgia.
International Political-Economic Relations and International Security
Georgian kings were highly interested in events taking place in Arran and Shirvan to prevent the creation of a single powerful state from the Georgian lands to the Caspian Sea.
Guarding/controlling the corridor was vitally important from a military point of view.
Shirvan was strategically important as a geographical springboard for the invasion of eastern Georgia.
Georgian kings conducted active defensive and preventive military campaigns in Shirvan.
Seljuks and other nomads aimed to occupy lands across Mtkvari-Araxes.
Active military intervention of the Georgian kings in the south-eastern direction served as a kind of long-term strategic goal.
States emerging on Iranian territory, as well as Georgia, always strove to prevent the establishment of a unified and powerful centralized state in Shirvan.
Georgian campaigns in the direction of Shirvan started soon after the formation of the unified monarchy of Georgia.
Arran-Shirvan had military-strategic importance for Georgia, while trade and economic reasons also should be considered.
Arran and Shirvan were regions famous for vibrant economic activity and large cities.
Control of roads in Arran and Shirvan would provide financial gain to the Georgian kings.
Another important direction for trade routes was the southwest, towards Armenian lands and Anatolia.
Roads led from Artanuji, Javakheti, to Ani, Trebizond, Kars, Kalikala, Ahlat, and Lake Van.
Controlling the Trebizond-Ani-Kars-Ahlat route would have given the Georgian kings access to highways and financial gains.
There were two trade (and military) routes along the borders of Georgia, determined by the region's geography.
Control of rivers in the region was significant from a commercial point of view.
Mtkvari and Araxes were used for navigation and trade.
Controlling the entire space of Mtkvari-Araxes rivers was economically profitable.
Controlling Araxes and Mtkvari was also important due to the proximity of many cities.
Georgian kings aimed to occupy as much of the Mtkvari and Araxes riverbanks as possible.
The geography of the region (rivers, roads, mountains, valleys, and ravines) and its economic wealth directed the expansion of the unified kingdom of Georgia towards Arran, Shirvan, and Armenia in the 11th-13th centuries.
Reasons for Bagrationi's Military Campaigns
During the reign of Giorgi I, first attempts can be seen to spread influence in the lands located to the south of Georgia.
This policy is more clearly seen during the reign of Bagrat IV, when the king occupied the royal throne of the Kvirikians – the city of Dmanisi and made several attempts to capture Tbilisi.
The Kingdom of Georgia expanded to the south more extensively during the reign of David IV the Builder (1089-1125).
David conquered Dariali pass and the surrounding fortresses in 1118.
In 1122, David took Tbilisi, and in 1123 campaigned twice in Shirvan reaching the city of Shaburan in the following year.
Around the same time (before David died in 1125), Georgians should have established control over Derbent.
David's military campaigns were a continuation of the policy pursued by Bagrat IV, and in turn, laid the foundation for a larger expansion of the Kingdom of Georgia in the southward direction.
the situation was rectified when Demetre soon recaptured Dmanisi, and in 1139 Georgians captured the city of Ganja.
Georgians took Ani in 1161, during the reign of Giorgi III , and Dvin in the following year.
Later in 1192-1193, to celebrate the birth of Lasha-Giorgi, successor to Queen Tamar, a campaign was organized in the city of Barda. Then another campaign to Erzurum.
After the victory in the Battle of Shamkhori in 1195, Shamkhori and Ganja came under the influence of Georgians.
In 1199, Ani directly entered the domain of Georgia.
The Battle of Basiani, fought in 1202, was critical for Georgians to expand their influence into neighboring territories.
They captured Kars in 1203 and then again in 1206, and they failed to capture Ahlat, a significant trading city on the shores of Lake Van, in 1208-1209.
Around 1210, Georgians made the largest foreign campaign, when the army reached the north of Iran and, probably, the modern Iran-Turkmenistan border.
These campaigns were primarily limited to the Georgians' plundering intentions in Georgian, Armenian, and Persian-Arabic sources.
The conquered cities and entire regions had undeniable military-strategic importance for the Georgian kingdom.
Expansion to the south enabled the Georgian monarchy to form a front-line defense, keeping the enemy away from native Georgian lands and resulting in less economic and human resource loss.
The south-west (Armenia, Anatolia), south (Armenia), and south-east (Arran, Shirvan) directions were the wealthiest territories in terms of trade and transit near the Georgian borders.
Although Georgian and foreign sources mention the capture of booty as one of the reasons for the military campaigns carried out by Georgians, the expansion aimed at establishing control over the trade routes and capture rich cities.
By the 20s of the 13th century, Georgia gained control of the two main trade routes, Dvin-Erzurum and Derbent-Shamakhia, as well as numerous, relatively minor trade routes.
Despite the brief period when the kingdom of Georgia controlled vital trade routes and centers (cities) before the arrival of the Mongols, the Kingdom of Georgia grew prosperous.
The Seljuk invasions caused great damage to the lands of Armenia and Georgia, not only through direct raids, as we read in Armenian and Georgian sources.
The wars between Georgian kings and Seljuks in the 12th century can be described not only as a struggle for political supremacy but the competition over the South Caucasus trade routes.
David began to effectively use the trade and economic potential of the city after capturing Tbilisi in 1122 and partially burning it down.
-Annexation of Tbilisi by David IV in 1122 was a significant ideological and military-strategic step in the formation of a truly unified Georgian kingdom, motivated by purely commercial and