Draft:Siege of Shamkor

The Siege of Shamkor was a siege laid by the Georgian King Bagrat III and his Armenian ally King Gagik I against the Shaddadids.

History
The Georgian King Bagrat III decided to embark on campaigns against neighbouring countries. He chose to attack the neighbouring Shaddadids, whose emir, Fadl ibn Muhammad, had been raiding eastern Georgia for some time. To achieve his aims, Bagrat formed an alliance with the Armenian king Gagik I.

In 1012, Armenian and Georgian troops joined forces and finally set off for Ganja in Dzoraget, Armenia. Fadl, who had sworn to the death of all Christians and had never met a ruler capable of defeating him up to that point, was very surprised when he learned of the advance of the armies of two countries that worshipped the Cross, and took refuge in a fortress where he prepared for a difficult siege. Bagrat took advantage of the situation to seize the lands of Arran, which he made a Georgian province, and began the siege of Shamkor, the fortified town in which the Shaddadid emir had taken refuge. In just a few days, he overcame the city's defences and granted peace to the vanquished. Fadloun found himself a vassal of Georgia and was obliged to come to Bagrat's aid if necessary; the Shaddadids also had to pay tribute (kharaj) from then on. The Emir offered many sumptuous gifts to the King of Georgia, as well as to the nobles who had persuaded Bagrat to conclude the peace without annexing Ganja.