Mamuka Tsurtsumia
Mamuka Tsurtsumia is a Georgian historian whose research focuses on medieval military history and military technology. He is the author of many academic and encyclopaedia articles. In 2014 he received a PhD in History from the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. In 2016 he published the further developed and enlarged PhD thesis as a monograph with the title “Medieval Georgian Army (900-1700): Organization, Tactics, Armament” (782 pg).
His interests also lie in Crusading movement and Georgian activities in the Holy Land, as well as in Heraldry, Phaleristics, and Vexillology, publishing extensively in all of these fields.
Most recently he published the monograph “The Ideology of War in Georgia and the Near East: Christian Holy War and Islamic Jihad” (Tbilisi, 2019).
He is a winner of the Gillingham prize in 2015 from De Re Militari (The Society for the Study of Medieval Military History) for the best article (“Couched Lance and Mounted Shock Combat in the East: The Georgian Experience”) published in the Journal of Medieval Military History.
He is a member of the following historical societies – SSCLE (Society for the Study Crusades and the Latin East), and De Re Militari.
His interests also lie in Crusading movement and Georgian activities in the Holy Land, as well as in Heraldry, Phaleristics, and Vexillology, publishing extensively in all of these fields.
Most recently he published the monograph “The Ideology of War in Georgia and the Near East: Christian Holy War and Islamic Jihad” (Tbilisi, 2019).
He is a winner of the Gillingham prize in 2015 from De Re Militari (The Society for the Study of Medieval Military History) for the best article (“Couched Lance and Mounted Shock Combat in the East: The Georgian Experience”) published in the Journal of Medieval Military History.
He is a member of the following historical societies – SSCLE (Society for the Study Crusades and the Latin East), and De Re Militari.
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In the 11th century the Georgian state and politics underwent fundamental changes: the process of the unification of the country starts and the strengthened West-Georgian kingdom not only enters the regional arena, but also plays a dominant role amongst other Georgian and Armenian states. Moreover, the Georgian kingdom refuses to act as a vassal to and even confronts Byzantium.
This period witnessed the changes in Georgian warfare also, which had to adapt to a new and different adversary. In the beginning of the century the main opponent of Georgian kingdoms was Byzantium which was transformed from an ally into an enemy over the fight for the heritage of David Curopalates. On the other hand, in the second part of the century, the main threat to the Georgia came from Seljuks who even put the very existence of the country under threat.
In the 11th century Byzantine military machine exerted considerable impact on the Georgian warfare. Georgian-Byzantine relations were especially intensive in the 10th-11th centuries and were characterized by joint battles against the Arabs, participation of Georgians in the civil wars in Byzantium and, finally, long and fierce confrontation with each other in the 11th century. Byzantine-Georgian proximity is evident in the armament of the period.
The present paper deals with the Art of War in the 11th century Georgia, specifically, with
Military equipment and tactics;
Heavy cavalry and horse armour;
Level of development of the siege warfare;
Transition of military knowledge from Byzantium into Georgia;
and, Military aspects concerning the confrontation with Byzantium.
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In the 11th century the Georgian state and politics underwent fundamental changes: the process of the unification of the country starts and the strengthened West-Georgian kingdom not only enters the regional arena, but also plays a dominant role amongst other Georgian and Armenian states. Moreover, the Georgian kingdom refuses to act as a vassal to and even confronts Byzantium.
This period witnessed the changes in Georgian warfare also, which had to adapt to a new and different adversary. In the beginning of the century the main opponent of Georgian kingdoms was Byzantium which was transformed from an ally into an enemy over the fight for the heritage of David Curopalates. On the other hand, in the second part of the century, the main threat to the Georgia came from Seljuks who even put the very existence of the country under threat.
In the 11th century Byzantine military machine exerted considerable impact on the Georgian warfare. Georgian-Byzantine relations were especially intensive in the 10th-11th centuries and were characterized by joint battles against the Arabs, participation of Georgians in the civil wars in Byzantium and, finally, long and fierce confrontation with each other in the 11th century. Byzantine-Georgian proximity is evident in the armament of the period.
The present paper deals with the Art of War in the 11th century Georgia, specifically, with
Military equipment and tactics;
Heavy cavalry and horse armour;
Level of development of the siege warfare;
Transition of military knowledge from Byzantium into Georgia;
and, Military aspects concerning the confrontation with Byzantium.
ჰუმანიტარულ მეცნიერებათა ფაკულტეტი
საქართველოს ისტორიის ინსტიტუტი
შრომები
XI
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Faculty of Humanities
Institute of Georgian History
Proceedings
XI
თბილისი
Tbilisi
2016
The series challenges the application of the concepts of cores and peripheries, and both-side transmission of organizational patterns, social customs and religious-ideological concepts. It is intended as a platform to show how the relationship between religion and war has shaped and changed in the process of long duration in a vast territory of medieval world, and how and why it has weakened and faded in some places and gained prominence in others. To date, studies of the relationship between religion and war have been viewed primarily through the paradigms of holy war and crusade, which have proven ideological chameleons difficult to grasp. Rather than applying these largely artificial notions, the works published in this series will show through the lens of sources how, in the historical process, religion, ritual, eschatology and biblical thought have shaped the imaginary and practice of war, and, conversely, how war has determined religious customs, imaginary and rhetoric.
The series welcomes submissions (monographs and edited volumes) on Western Europe and Byzantine world, but is also particularly keen to regions less well studied within the themes of the series, situated in between those great centers of medieval Christianity.