The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

of other peoples, notably the Armenians and Georgians.
At the head of an army of some 60,000 lurkmens and
Qlpchao. mercenaries, Jalal al-Din invaded northeastern
Armenia following the age-old route of invasion, through
Nazijewan and northward . He took and devastated Dwin, and
at Garni defeated the 70,000 man strong Aroeno-Georglan
army commanded by Iwane . This was followed by the capture
1 HAP III p. 604; Kfli P. 133 notes the general increase
of ngmadlo elements in Asia Minor as a result of Jalal
al-Din's flight.
2 SMP p. 327; Kirakos' account is fairly extensive,and
includes one date, 1225/26 (674 A.E.) in the heading
for chp. 18 of his History; "18. Concerning Sultan "alaladin
and the Destruction of the Georgian Army in_674 A.E."
KG states that Jalaladin, sultan of Xorasan (Khwarazm) as
a result of the Mongol attack on his lands fled* "through
the land of Albania and he came and captured the city of
Ganjak. He then assembled his countless troops from among
the £ersians, Ta5iks_and Turks and came to Armenia".
Iwane learned of Jalal'a arrival, informed the ruler of
Georgia, and massed the army, boasting that if he defeated
Jalal al-Din he would force all the Armenians under Georgia's
comination "to convert to the Georgians' religion [to
Chalcedonian Orthodoxy], while they would kill those resisting".
EG attributes the Caucasian defeat to this blasphemous
arrogance.
Meanwhile Jalal al-Din had come to Kotayk'.. The Georgian
army camped nearby, and observed that the Khwarazmiana were
unaware of this. "Now as soon as this wa,8~"observed by
one Qf the senior Georgian princes, Salue and by his brother
Iwane, men brave and renowned and triumphant in battle, they
said to the other troops; 'You stay in one place while we
shall go and engage them. If we turn some of them in our
pursuit, the victory is ours. Do you then spring out.
But If they defeat us, then do you flee and save your lives'.
"As soon as they engaged them they began to destroy the
sultan's army. But the Georgian soldiers paid no attention
and instead fled the place..." fleeing unpursued as far
as Garni. Then the sultan's army followed, killing and
throwing soldiers over cliffs.
"Sultan Jalal al-Din came to the head of the valley and
saw a pitiful sight. For a multitude of men and horses lay
there piled up like a heap of rocks. He shook his head and
102