More than nine hundred years ago, in 1118, two hundred thousand steppe Kipchaks, which is approximately forty thousand families, arrived in the lands of modern Georgia, having crossed the impregnable mountains of the North Caucasus. This significant event for Georgia is associated with the name of our ancestor, the Kipchak Khan Artyk. Portal Qazaqstan Tarihy will tell about an outstanding politician and commander, whose name is better known abroad than in Kazakhstan
XI century. In the very center of the Eurasian continent, on the territory of modern Kazakhstan, a powerful state - Kipchak Khanate - was formed. It united in itself many warlike tribes of nomads, which began an active expansion to the south and west, pushing the Oguzes towards Central Asia and the steppes of the Northern Black Sea coast. The victorious march of the invincible hordes horrified cities and countries. The fame of the unrivaled Kipchak warriors, who conquered a vast territory from the Altai Mountains in the east to the Carpathian Mountains in the west and from the Talas River in the south to the forests of Western Siberia in the north, spread throughout Europe and the Middle East.
It is believed that the first nomadic tribes of the Kipchaks crossed the Volga River around the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th centuries. Having reached the southern borders of Kievan Rus in 1054-1055 (the border was just south of Kiev), the Kipchaks formed the western borders of the Desht-i-Kipchak. The Kipchaks lived in this territory for about two centuries, continuing their expansion to the borders of the Byzantine Empire, actually reaching the borders of modern Turkey and Constantinople.
On the one hand, the power of the Kipchak Khanate allowed them to continue military operations throughout Eurasia, but at the same time there was a process of state fragmentation and disintegration. The point is that in each part of Desht-i-Kipchak there were rulers who were increasingly asserting their power in the part of the steppe allotted to them. These local rulers formed their own dynasties. One of the strongest dynasties, known up to the Mongol invasion, was founded by Khan Osen (in other sources - Asen), who took part in the Russo-Kipchak wars. It is to this dynasty belongs the father of khan Artyk powerful Sary-khan (in other sources - Sharukan).
Kipchak tribes played an active political role in the whole Eastern Europe and represented a significant military force. The main opposition to the steppes in the region was provided by Kievan Rus. However, the Kipchaks had ambiguous relations with the Old Russian principalities. At first they made raids, then cultural ties were established for a long time, they often participated in civil wars, in feuds between princes depending on which side their relatives chose, because Old Russian princes often married Polovtsian women, and Polovtsian khans married princesses. Meanwhile, there were also periods of wars between the states. When ascended to the throne Prince Vladimir Monomakh was able to unite the disparate principalities, the struggle between the two states escalated and became even bloodier.
In 1103 Vladimir Monomakh at the head of army of Russian princedoms began offensive campaigns against Kipchaks. Sary-khan's sons Saryzhan and Artyk had to retreat. The campaigns against Kipchaks have continued and in 1111. Artyk Khan and his army retreated to the steppes of the North Caucasus from the territory of modern Donetsk and Kharkov. In this period and begins the history of the Kipchaks in the North Caucasus and the Black Sea region.
In 1117, the army of Artik Khan managed to capture the territory of the North Caucasian steppes and, in particular, the city of Belaya Vezha ("Ak Horde"), in the construction of which the rulers of the Khazar Khaganate participated. The city was once the headquarters of the Khazar Kagans. Since 1117 he, together with his brother Saryzhan, ruled over this territory.
At that time Georgia was a weak state, which was under the threat of extinction. There was no unity between the disparate principalities, and the Seljuk tribes that came from the south seized significant Georgian territories. At this difficult time, a young king named David ascended the Georgian throne. In 1089 he was only sixteen. Later he will be called David the Builder, the builder and builder of the Georgian kingdom and will be numbered among the saints, but while the young monarch was in a difficult situation.
Young David received in his reign a scattered and plundered state, which was threatened by enemies from all sides. And then he makes the only right decision - to find a powerful and strong ally who will protect his state. The choice was obvious - the Kipchaks. They had a strong army. It was to the Kipchak Khan Artik that David sent his ambassadors. However, in order not to be rejected, the Georgian king decides to go for a political trick and first weds the daughter of Artik Khan, because blood relationship with the Khan's dynasty allowed to count on political alliance and military support of the Kipchaks. Artik Khan accepts the proposal of the Georgian king David and marries his daughter Gurandukht to him.
The marriage was concluded and already in 1118 David again went to Khan Artik with a request to help defend Georgia from the aggression of Seljuks and Persians. Seljuks, who were the main threat to the Georgian statehood, were one of the Oghuz tribes, and therefore were very close to the Kipchaks, because just like the Kipchaks came out of the steppes, spoke the same language and had common roots. Moreover, it was under the pressure of the Kipchaks, yielding to them in strength, that the Seljuks were forced to leave their native steppe.
David knew that the Kipchaks were very good warriors. He knew this and wanted to move them to Georgia to eliminate the Seljuk threat once and for all. For this purpose he even sent his tutor and friend St. George Chkondideli to Ossetia to settle the conflict between Ossetians and Kipchaks. Thus, in 1118 one of the most significant events in the history of the Georgian state took place. At the invitation of Tsar David IV the Builder, the Kipchak Khan Artik with his subject people overcame impregnable mountain peaks and arrived in Georgia. Obviously, it was an incredible sight, because forty thousand families migrated from the steppe to the Caucasus at that time, and it was neither much nor little about 200 thousand people.
High mountain plains and alpine meadows with mild climate and plenty of rivers turned out to be ideal pastures for numerous herds of horses and flocks of sheep of the new inhabitants of this land. Kipchaks easily adapted to life in a new place, and Georgians led by King David received them very cordially. King David gave the aliens the best pastures in the lands of modern Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and high posts in state administration, even allowed Georgian girls to marry Kipchak dzhigits.
The main mission of the Kipchaks who arrived in Georgia was to ensure its security and strengthen statehood. Thus, two hundred thousand population of nomads became the basis for formation of powerful, professional and regular army, on which Georgian king David had high hopes, because before the arrival of Kipchaks king David had only 10-15 thousand warriors.
Forty thousand army was formed from the two hundred thousand men who arrived in addition to the army that David already had. This army played a very important role in the formation of Georgian statehood. Under him was his personal guard called "monaspa" of five thousand men, through which all the scattered feudal principalities on the territory of Georgia were gathered together.
In fact, one of the most revered and respected kings in Georgia David Agmashenebeli was able to unite and rule the state only with the help of swords of Kipchak warriors. The emergence of such an impressive force in a small country with a small population could not but affect the internal socio-economic relations. Naturally, in order to maintain an army you need funding. David introduced a new type of tax, the so-called "tax for Kipchaks". This money was used to maintain the army: uniforms, gifts. But at the same time Georgians had their own conditions: in order to rise up the hierarchical ladder in the army Kipchaks had to accept Orthodoxy.
The date of August 12, 1121 has historical significance for the whole Georgia and the whole Caucasus. It was on this day that a decisive battle took place on the Didgor field between the army of David IV and the Seljuk army, in which the invaders suffered a crushing defeat. The battle against the outnumbered enemy army took place in the vicinity of Didgori, in the hollows of which the enemy could not use the numerical advantage. Only a small part of the huge Seljuk army escaped annihilation. The success of the army of David IV could consist in the following: more than 45 thousand soldiers out of 60 thousand consisted of the most select Kipchak cavalry of his father-in-law Khan Artik. For Seljuks it was a great surprise, because Kipchaks were as good as Seljuks in the field of warfare and were capable of various military tricks.
In Georgia the day of victory of King David over Seljuks is a national holiday. It is difficult to speak within the framework of alternative history, but it is quite possible that it was the help of Artik Khan that helped the Georgian people to survive and preserve the borders in which it is still located.
Thus, the Battle of Didgori became the starting point of the revival of the Georgian state. With the support of the Kipchaks, David became even stronger, regained Tbilisi and other cities, and Artik Khan and his army enjoyed well-deserved respect and honor. However, in 1125, after the death of Kiev Prince Vladimir Monomakh, his brother Saryzhan called Artyk back to the steppe.
At that time, Khan Artyk had already been in Georgia for seven years. After the resounding victory and honor he and his army had received in Georgia, he had little faith in the need to return. His brother Saryzhan sent his kyushi Orev (Өr) to fetch his brother. Akyn was received with honor, and the latter, fulfilling the request of his master, began to play songs in his native language to Artyk. Orev played songs for a long time, causing nostalgia for his homeland in Artyk's soul, but Artyk hesitated. Then Orev, following the teachings of his khan Saryzhan, pulled out wormwood (Zhusan) from his sinus, the smell of which spread through the room. Feeling the smell of wormwood, the smell of his homeland, Artyk did not hold back. He returned to the steppe.
After being away from his homeland for seven years, Artyk Khan returned to his native steppe. During these seven years, he, a brave warrior, a wise ruler and a loyal friend, had traveled a great path, leaving a great trace in the life of his people and the entire Caucasus.