The Battle of Ghartiskari ( ka, ღართისკარის ბრძოლა) was fought either in October 1778 or 1779 in Ghartiskari between the personal guard of

Ketevan Andronikashvili Ketevan Andronikashvili ( ka, ქეთევან ანდრონიკაშვილი; 1754 – 3 June 1782) was a Georgian noblewoman and the first wife of the future king George XII of Georgia. She is known for the victory of Georgian ...

and a marauding Lezgin band. After three attacks mounted by the Georgians with Ketevan's personal leadership, the Lezgins were defeated decisively.

Background

Ketevan Ketevan ( ka, ქეთევანი) is a Georgian feminine given name. It is sometimes used as a Georgian form of Katherine but, in terms of their etymology, the two names aren't related as Katherine has origins in the Greek language while Ketev ...

, a noblewoman on Heraclius II's court, was traveling from Mukhrani through Ghartiskari passage to the capital of the kingdom,

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

accompanied by a royal guard detachment appointed by the king. At the time, frequent North-Caucasian incursions posed great threat to travelers in Georgia. After an ambush perpetrated by the Lezgins, Ketevan took charge of the guard and annihilated the marauders. After arriving in Tbilisi unharmed, she was received by

Heraclius Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was List of Byzantine emperors, Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exa ...

with a large celebration festivity.

References

{{coord missing, Georgia (country) 18th century in Asia Ghartiskari Ghartiskari Lezgins