Battle of Khunan

The Battle of Khunan was fought in the spring of 1222, between the Kingdom of Georgia, led by King George IV, and the Mongol army led by Subutai. The result was a Mongol victory.

Subotai's reconnaissance
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.

Conquering 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, and with reinforcements sent by Genghis Khan, Subutai marched into Georgia. King George IV of Georgia hearing of the Mongol invasion, immediately assembled all of his mounted troops to face the horde. Subutai sent his mounted archers to attack, who launching arrows then feigned retreat. Sensing an opportunity, the Georgian cavalry charged and defeated them. As Subutai had planned, the mounted archers led the Georgian cavalry, that was tired at that point into an ambush killing the vast majority of them. According to Rashid-al-Din and Ibn al-Athīr, the Mongols defeated a Georgian army of 10,000 men (half the size of the Mongol army) on a short reconnoitering expedition.

In spring, after ravaging Georgia, the Mongols withdrew to the 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 Georgia.

Battle
This time King George IV and atabeg Ivane Mkhargrdzeli was waiting with about 70,000 men: thinking that the Mongols would stay in Arran until the Spring, the Georgians began gathering an army, asking for help from the rulers of Azerbaijan and Akhlat, but Jebe and Subutai reinforced by Turkish and Kurdish army, did start their expedition early. Two armies met on the plain of Khunan. 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.

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.