{{Infobox military conflict |conflict=Battle of Karagak |image= |caption= |partof= |place= Karagak |date= 1543 |result= [[Kingdom of Imereti|Georgian]] victory |combatant1= [[File:Kingdom of Imereti coat of arms.svg|20px|link=|alt=]] [[Kingdom of Imereti]] *{{flagicon image|Banner_of_Guria.svg}} [[Principality of Guria]] |combatant2={{flagicon image|Ottoman red flag.svg}} [[Ottoman Empire]] |commander1=[[Bagrat III of Imereti]]<br />[[Rostom Gurieli]] |commander2= Musa Pasha{{KIA}} |strength1= |strength2= }} {{Campaignbox Georgian-Ottoman Wars}} The '''Battle of Karagak''' ({{Lang-ka|ქარაღაქის ბრძოლა}}) was fought between the armies of the [[Kingdom of Imereti]] and the [[Ottoman Empire]] at the place of Karagak, [[Meskheti]], in 1543.
== History == At the request of [[Qvarqvare III Jaqeli|Qvarqvare III]]’s son [[Kaikhosro II Jaqeli|Kaikhosro]], the [[Ottoman Empire]] invaded Imereti. By orders of the Ottoman Sultan the [[Kurds|Kurdish]] [[beylerbey]] of [[Erzurum Vilayet|Erzurum]], Musa Pasha, was sent to Samtskhe with 22,000 men to conquer the surrounding area. Ottoman army equipped by European cannons besieged the Georgian-garrisoned fortress of Oltisi (now [[Oltu]], Turkey). Bagrat called upon the neighboring Georgian potentates to come to aid. Only the [[Principality of Guria|prince of Guria]] [[Rostom Gurieli]] responded, while the prince of [[Principality of Mingrelia|Mingrelia]], [[Levan I Dadiani]], refused to participate in the alliance, and later sided with the Ottomans, even traveling to [[Istanbul]], where he received gifts and assurances of protection.<ref name="Suny2">[[Ronald Grigor Suny|Suny, Ronald Grigor]] (1994), ''The Making of the Georgian Nation: 2nd edition', p. 47. [[Indiana University Press]], {{ISBN|0-253-20915-3}}''</ref> Outnumbered Bagrat surrendered to Ottomans, however he resumed fighting as soon as Ottoman main army was retreated to Erzurum. Georgians unexpectedly annihilated remaining Ottoman garrison and later pursued main army which was decisively defeated at the battle of Karagak, Musa Paşa was himself killed in fighting.
The Ottomans returned in force two years later, and moved into the principality of [[Meskheti|Samtskhe]], where Bagrat and his ally [[Luarsab I of Kartli]] suffered a bitter defeat at the [[Battle of Sokhoista]] in 1545. As a result, Samtskhe wrested of Bagrat’s control, and came under the Ottoman hegemony.
== Aftermath == Samtskhe became vassal of the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref>[[Georgian Soviet encyclopedia]], volume 10, page 658, Tbilisi, 1986</ref> Qvarqvare III's descendants ruled [[Samtskhe atabegate|Samtskhe-Saatabago]] (until 1628) and then [[Childir Eyalet]] until 1820s.
== References == {{Reflist}}
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1543|Karagak]] [[Category:16th-century conflicts]] [[Category:Battles involving Georgia (country)]] [[Category:Battles involving the Ottoman Empire]]