The Circassian–Georgian war (1509–1512) was a series of military campaigns launched by the Circassians against the Georgian region of Mingrelia under the Kingdom of Imereti in western Georgia, primarily by the Circassian prince Tsandiya Inal Dafit ("The Hated") Вахушти Багратиони (Vakhushti Bagrationi) (1745). История Царства Грузинского: Жизнь Имерети
History In 1509, the Circassians launched a major raid into the region of Mingrelia (Samegrelo), which was under the control of Imereti. Judging by the Georgian chronicle of Brosset, the campaign was led by the Circassian prince Tsandiya Inal Dafita, meaning "Inal The Hated" Inal Dafita invaded Imereti and killed a large amount of Christians who opposed him and took many as captives, but the captured prisoners were later ransomed by the Patriarch of Abkhazia
Circassians, however, did not stop their incursions into Georgia. They reportedly kept raiding and ravaging the land of Mingrelia from 1510 to 1512. Contemporary Georgian sources report that many inhabitants of the region were captured during these raids, enslaved, and subsequently sold in the markets of the Crimean Khanate. Вахушти Багратиони (Vakhushti Bagrationi) (1745). История Царства Грузинского: Жизнь Имерети
Aftermath As a revenge of the raid, in 1533, Mamia III Dadiani launched a campaign against the Zygii Circassians. The allied Mingrelian and Gurian naval forces landed on Jiketi on January 30. The first battle, despite the fierce Zygii defense was won by the allies. But on the next day, many battle-fatigued Mingrelian nobles defected their lord at the instigation of Inal-Ipa, an Abkhaz. The allies were routed; Mamia Dadiani was disarmed, stripped naked, and stabbed to death, while Mamia Gurieli was taken prisoner. Malachia I Abashidze, Catholicos of Imereti and Abkhazia, went to the Zygii and ransomed the survivors and bodies of those who died.
References