The Mongols made their first appearance in the Georgian possessions when this latter kingdom was still in its zenith, dominating most of the Caucasus. First contact occurred early in the fall of 1220, when approximately 20,000 Mongols led by Subutai and Jebe pursued the ousted Shah Muhammad II of the Khwarazmian dynasty to the Caspian Sea. With the consent of Genghis Khan, the two Mongol generals proceeded west on a reconnaissance mission. The Mongols invaded from Nakhichevan, driving Atabeg Uzbek from Ganja in Azerbaijan to Tabriz. King Georgi IV "Lasha" of Georgia hastily assembled an army of about 10,000 men commanded by him and his atabeg Ivane Mkhargrdzeli but was defeated with heavy casualties in Northeast Armenia by the Mongol army. The Mongols then returned to Arran as they had not intended this as a war of conquest.
Lead-up to the battle
Thinking that the Mongols would stay in Arran until the Spring, the Georgians began gathering an army, asking for help from Malik Ashraf of Akhlat and Uzbek, the Atabag of Azerbaijan. Conquering the Caucasus was not Subatai’s remit, but Mongol intelligence intercepted war plans by Georgia and their vassals, and the Mongols attacked when least expected, in the freezing cold and snowbound passes of January 1221. Subotai and Jebe received reinforcements from Genghis Khan and recruited local Turkish and Kurdish forces under the command of Akush, a disloyal underling of Atabag Uzbek. Subutai and Jebe then marched into Georgia towards Tibilisi, the Georgian Capital. Close to Tibilisi the Mongols attacked a Georgian force. The Georgians managed to defeat Akush's Turkmen but were slaughtered by the Mongol rearguard. In spring, after ravaging Southeast Georgia, the Mongols withdrew to Karabakh, According to Kirakos Gandzaketsi, after this battle, Jebe and Subutai dwelt in a very safe place, which was between the cities of Barda and Beylagan. This they used as a base from which to launch attacks. Then they invaded Tabriz, whose governor Shams Tabrizi paid a fortune to buy the city exemption. In August 1221 the Mongols slaughtered the population of Hamadan, then turned north, depopulating Nakhichevan, Ardabil and Ganja, from where they went again to Eastern Georgia.
Battle
This time King George IV and atabeg Ivane Mkhargrdzeli had assembled an army of around 70,000 men, although those figures are likely exaggerated: The two armies met on the plain of Khunan in September. With 5,000 men, Jebe set up an ambush while Subutai went forward with the rest of the army. The Mongol tactic was to attack with its main body and then feign a retreat, after which a second Mongol army descended to encircle and destroy the enemy. Unprepared for this tactic, the Georgians chased them up to the river Kotman until Jebe’s sudden advance from the ambush ended the battle. The king and Ivane fled, leaving Prince Vahram Gageli to fight on the right flank, who survived and would later serve under Queen Rusudan.
Aftermath
George IV was badly wounded in the chest; on 18 January 1223 he would die of his injuries. Subutai, continuing to march his army north, had orders to conquer the Polovtian Khanate.
