Battle of Nakhiduri (1599)
16th century Ottoman miniature depicting Ottoman forces fighting against Simon I of Kartli
Date 1599 Location Nakhiduri, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia Result Ottoman victory [1] [2]
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Kingdom of Kartli
Commanders and leaders
Cafer Pasha Mustafa Pasha	Simon I of Kartli ( POW)
Casualties and losses
Heavy	Heavy

The Battle of Nakhiduri ^[3] ( Georgian: ნახიდურის ბრძოლა) was a battle between Simon I of the Kingdom of Kartli and the Ottoman forces of Cafer Pasha, beylerbey of Tabriz. ^{[2] [1]}

Background

In 1598 Simon I of Kartli rebelled against the Ottoman Empire and ceased his annual tribute payments. ^[1] Simon I took back the fortress of Gori from the Ottomans after a nine month long siege, as a result the Ottomans feared that revolts would spread throughout other regions of the southern Caucasus. ^[1] The Ottomans immediately took action and launched a punitive expedition against Simon I. ^[2] The Ottomans sent Cafer Pasha, the beylerbey of Tabriz against the Georgians. ^[1]

Battle

When King Simon I learnt that an Ottoman army was marching against him he went out to face them. ^[1] The Ottomans marched into the Algeti valley where a Georgian army gathered at Nakhiduri. ^[2] A major battle took place at Nakhiduri and King Simon I led the initial charge. ^[2] After five hours of fighting the Ottomans defeated the Georgians and the Georgians were forced to flee the battlefield. ^{[2] [1]} During the pursuit of the Georgians by the Ottomans, King Simon I was captured by the Turks near the village of Partskhisi. ^[2]

Aftermath

King Simon, who was taken captive, was brought to Istanbul and imprisoned in Yedikule. ^{[2] [1]} During his imprisonment, he converted to Islam and took the name Mehmed Pasha. As a Muslim, he died in captivity. ^{[4] [1]}

References