Treason and Sovereignty in the Medieval Caucasus

Abstract

This article proposes a reinterpretation of the Seljuk and Mongol invasions of the Caucasus in the 11^th and 13^th centuries. Both invasions were marked by the co-operation of Caucasian aristocrats with the invading armies, an action frequently seen in historiography as destructive to proto-national unity. Using the examples of King Aghsartan I of the kingdom of Kakheti (r.1058-1084) and of the princes Aersilan and Hanghusi in the North Caucasian region of Alania, this article argues that co-operation with outside invaders was a common political strategy used by Caucasian elites. Moreover, this strategy is presented as a fairly normal one by Caucasian primary sources which support the dynasts who used it. Rather than seeing sovereignty as a persistent attribute linked to territory and ethnicity and exercised primarily by royal dynasts and their administrations, this article argues that sovereignty was ephemeral and primarily demonstrated through actions, notably successful military campaigns and the collection of taxes. As such, sovereignty over a given region or community could be held by several dynasts or aristocrats at the same time. In this context, co-operation with a foreign invader was not only compatible with a Caucasian dynast’s own sovereignty, but could create opportunities to extend their sovereignty over other aristocrats and peasant communities. However, the ambiguity over sovereignty created by foreign invasions could lead to multiple different political actors launching violent attempts to claim disputed territory, a process which could be highly destructive to local communities living in that region.