On Northern Armenia
In this post I will try to prove that Georgia should directly control and own the locations of Yerevan and Bjni, instead of "Armenia", as presented currently.
Since the early 12th century, this part of what is now known as Armenia was controlled by the Georgian Bagratids. In the final quarter of the century, the lordship of Lore (in the province of Tashir in-game) was granted to
Zakaria Mkhargrdzeli (or
Zakarid, as I've argued about
here). He and his younger brother
Ivane further expanded the realm, even crossing the Araxes river and nearly conquering the Sultanate of Khlat, better known as
Shah-Armens.
As Zakare's lordship over these lands weren't hereditary, and was instead appointed, similar to the
Thematic system in the Byzantine empire, it passed to his brother Ivane. After Ivane's death, during the Mongol occupation of Georgia, they immediately passed to his son
Avag, as power of central royal authority in Tbilisi had rapidly declined.
As Avag had no male heirs, his lordship of the territories in northern Armenia would've escheated to the king,
David VII, had it not been for the fact that the king had just married his widow,
Gvantsa Kakhaberidze. Thus, the king gave Avag's only surviving heir,
Khoshak, the right to inherit her father's domain, though as she was a minor, she was assigned a tutor,
Sadun of Mankaberd, better known as
Mankaberdeli, the
Atabeg of Georgia, a title which the king was forced to grant by the orders of the Il-Khan
Abaqa.
As she came of age, she was married off by Sadun to his friend, the powerful Vizier of the Ilkhanate,
Shams al-Din Juvayni. As she had left the country, he usurped her domains for herself, and as reported in the Georgian Chronicles, became fabulously rich. Among other things, he also usurped the lordship of Kari, or
Kars. According to the Historical Atlas of Georgia:
"In the 1270s, Sadun Mank'aberdeli, the Atabag of the Georgian king, settled in K'ari, and, through clever guile, acquired the adjoining lands" from the Akhaltsikheli House (KC II: 273 = Georg.Chron.: 370)."
Think of him as an eviler version of Grima Wormtongue.
View attachment 1281476
In green: Avag's domains usurped by Sadun
In black: other lands, usurped or otherwise gained
As Sadun's power grew, however, the subsequent king,
Demetrius II, began to distrust him. After Sadun's death, his son,
Khutlubuga, tried to regain his father's high position of Atabeg, but the king refused, and instead gave the title to
Tarsaich Orbeli of Syunik. All of this culminated in Khutlubuga's successful scheme to have the king executed by the Mongols in 1189.
After some time, king
David VIII, who succeeded the short reign of
Vakhtang II, asserted his authority over the kingdom. Collaborating with the Il-Khan
Gaykhatu, he revoked all of Khutlubugha's domains, and had him executed on the charges of treason.
According to "Provincial Kings in 14th-15th Century Georgia", when deciding on what to do with the recovered land, David VIII prudently gave some of it away to please his supporters, instead of hoarding it. This is incidentally the reason why the rulers of Alastani came to own Dmanisi, it being given to the deposed David VIII by
Vakhtang III.
View attachment 1281474
I believe this is proof enough that these two locations should be directly owned by Georgia at game start in 1337, unless there is evidence found of these domains being alienated some time before then.
Sources used:
- Bayarsaikhan Dashdondog. (2017). The Mongols and the Armenians (1220-1335) (pp. 77–78). Brill Academic Publishers.
- Jones, S. F. (2018). Kartlis Tskhovreba (pp. 370–386). Artanuji Publishing.
- Mikaberidze, A. (2007). Historical dictionary of Georgia (p. 258). Scarecrow Press.
- Muskhelishvili, D. (2023). Historical Atlas of Georgia (D. Berdzenishvili & G. Liparteliani, Eds.; L. Mirianashvili, Trans.; pp. 26–29, XI–XIII). Artanuji Publishing.
- Ninidze, D. (1995). Provincial Kings in 14th-15th Century Georgia (M. Lortkipanidze, Ed.; pp. 30–46). თბილისის უნივერსიტეტის გამოცემა. Link
- Rayfield, D. (2016). Edge of empires : a history of Georgia (p. 136). Reaktion Books.