Battle of Shirimni


Battle of Shirimni also known as the Battle of Palakazio was fought between the Byzantine and Georgian armies at the place of Shirimni at the Palakazio Lake on September 11, 1021.

Background

The battle was preceded by the two-decade-long dispute over the Georgian courapalates’ succession that included several Byzantine-Georgian-Armenian marchlands in Asia Minor. A full-scale war erupted when the Georgian king George I took the disputed areas by force, 1014. In retaliation the Byzantine emperor Basil II led, in 1021, a large army into Georgia pushing the Georgians back to their inner frontiers.

Battle

Both Byzantine and Georgian armies were led by the monarchs themselves. Basil’s army included many Varangian Guards while George was reinforced by some Armenian auxiliaries. The two armies met at a village Shirimni at the Palakazio Lake. The Georgians were close to winning the battle, but powerful counterattacks by Basil proved to be decisive. Two Georgian high-ranking generals, Rati Baghvashi and Khursi were killed in action. Following this costly victory, the emperor plundered the nearby lands and returned to his dominions to winter at Trapezius.