The work focuses on the Mongol conquest and domination of Caucasia in the 13th century, from the Sea of Azov in the north to present-day Georgia and Armenia.
While sedentary civilizations and nomadic cultures had a long history of interaction in this region, the Mongol conquest made it into a frontier in which Medieval Europe and Asia became more intensely integrated and interconnected. The Mongols made Caucasia into a coherent power based on both European and Asian experiences and traditions. The genesis of this deeply transformational process constitutes the central theme of this book.
Lorenzo Pubblici, Ph.D. (2005, University of Florence), is Full Professor of History and Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Humanities and Liberal Arts (DHLA) of the Santa Reparata International School of Arts (SRISA) in Florence where he has been a faculty member since 2006. He is the scientific director of CeSecom (Center for Studies on Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages) and the editor in chief of the book series Europe in between. Histories, cultures and languages from Central Europe to the Eurasian Steppes published by the Florence University Press. Prof. Pubblici has published monographs and is author of numerous articles on the Mongol history, especially on the history of the Golden Horde in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Preface to the English Edition Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration List of Maps
Introduction
1 The Premises
â1âBefore Manzikert. The Caucasia and the Byzantine Failure
â2âThe Causes of the Crisis
â3âThe Consequences of the Crusade: The Empire of Trebizond
2 North: The Pontic Steppes before the Mongol âSquallâ: Cumans, Byzantium and Kievan Rusâ
â1âSome Remarks on the Origin of the Cumans
â2âEarly Raids
â3âThe Relationships with Neighbors: Byzantium and Rusâ
3 Caucasia, Nomadism and Immigration
â1âThe Cimmerian Bosporus between Byzantium and the Second Nomadic Wave
â2âNomad Infiltrations into Georgia and Their Consequences
4 Building a People
â1âThe Early Altaic Peoples: Acquisitions and Open Issues
â2âEthnogenesis and Nomadism: The Earliest Mutations
â3âAt the Root of Unification
â4âFurther Developments: The Concept of âNomadic Feudalismâ
â5âThe Instrument of the Army and the Realization of Solidarity
â6âNomadism and Slavery
5 A New Geography: The Mongol Expansion in the Caucasus and the Azov Basin
â1âOverview
â2âTimes and Ways of the Western Invasion
â3âIn Pursue of the Sultan: The First Campaign against the Khwarazm-Shah and the Invasion of Turkestan
â4âThe First Incursion in Caucasia and the Azov Region (1220â1221)
â5âThe Second Mongol Incursion to the West and the Conquest of Caucasia (1230â1236)
â6âThe Conquest of the Pontic Steppes and Rusâ (1236â1242)
6 The Political Consequences of the Mongol Conquests and the Caucasian âSeparationâ
â1âPlundering as a First Response
â2âThe Organizational Processes
â3âThe Reorganization of the Territory and the New Caucasian Geography
â4âCaucasia and the Ilkhanate
â5âThe Ulus Jochi
7 The Religious Factor and the Problem of Integration after the Conquest
â1âCultural Premises
â2âThe Mongols, Islam, and the Armenian-Georgian Christianity until Ghazanâs âChoiceâ (1220â1295)
â3âThe Ulus Jochi and the Azov Region: A Reassessment of the Influences
8 Population and Coexistence. The Demographic Factor between Conquest and Reconstruction
â1âSome Remarks on the Demographic Consequences of the Conquests
â2âThe Golden Horde and the Azov Region
â3âSubcaucasia
Conclusions: Results and Perspectives Bibliography Index
Historians specialized in medieval history and in Mongol and Asian history, and the relations between Western Europe, the Byzantine region, and Asia in particular.