Speri (historical region)

Speri, also known as Sper (Georgian: სპერი Speri),^[1][2][3] is a historical region in south-western Georgia whose territory is now part of the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It was centered in the upper reaches of the valley of the Çoruh River, its probable capital was the town of İspir, and it originally extended as far west as the town of Bayburt and the Bayburt plains.

Origin

Ethnic map of the Caucasus in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. During that period Saspers inhabited the area between Çoruh, Kura, Aras and Euphrates rivers.

A native tribe named Saspers as repeatedly mentioned in the History of Herodotus, Later, Sappers were mentioned by Greco-Roman and Byzantine authors.^[4] The name Speri is thought by some to be derived from Saspers.^[5] According to the most widespread theory, they are a Kartvelian^[6][7][8] tribe. according to Ivane Javakhishvili's theory, the ethnic designation of the word Iberia is derived from the name of proto-Georgian tribes Saspers >Speri >Hberi>Iberi.^[9] however, their origins have also been attributed to Scythian people.^[10] Their approximate homeland was located between the Çoruh River and the sources of rivers Tigris and Euphrates. According to Georgian sources, the Çoruh River was called the "Speri River", and the Black Sea was called the "Speri Sea".^[4]

History

Antiquity

in 12–8th century BC region was part of newly formed tribal confederacy of Dieuchi,^[11] in 760s BC it was annexed by Colchian incursions, which now found itself facing the hostile Urartu. The Urartian King Sardur II (764–735) led several campaigns against Colchis around 750–741 BC, significantly weakening and exposing it to the attacks of northern tribes. By 720 BC, the Cimmerian incursions from the north destroyed Colchis and significantly affected local society and culture. In the subsequent century, new tribal confederations were established, the most important of them was Speri (Sasperi).^[9] in VI–V century, after expansions of Achaemenid Empire, Matienians, Saspires and Alarodians were incorporated into the 18th Satrapy of Persia, according to Herodotus Alarodians and Saspires carried the same arms as the Colchians.^[12]

The Roman-Persian frontier in the 5th century

In the 4th-3rd centuries BC region was organized into a province of the Iberian Kingdom as noted by Strabo. after the death of Alexander the Great, Mithridates, a Persian nobleman from Asia Minor, declared himself as King of Pontus, the kingdom grew in strength, from II-I century BC Pontus conquered surrounding lands, including Lesser Armenia (this political entity probably was descendant of Persian 18th satrapy), which contained part of Speri, another part of Speri was controlled by Greater Armenia. after Roman-Persian Wars, region was conquered by Roman Empire and temporarily incorporated into province of Roman Armenia. during subsequent centuries it frequently changed hands between Iberians and Armenians.

In III-IV century AD it remained part of Armenia, later Armenia was divided between the Byzantine and Sassanian Empires, the western part of Armenia, including Speri, was under Byzantine control. The border between Byzantine and Persian Armenia crossed the Choruh valley somewhere between İspir and Yusufeli.^[13] Speri was a Bagratid domain in the fourth to sixth centuries but at some point they lost direct control of Bayburt to the Byzantine empire, possibly soon after 387. Bayburt was refortified by the Byzantines in the period of Justinian and was eventually incorporated into its theme of Chaldia.^[13]

Middle Ages

In the VII century it passed to the Arab Caliphate. Later Upper Speri was under Byzantine control and remained part of the district of Chaldia, while lower Speri was a base of Kuropalatine of Iberia (principalities of Tao-Klarjeti) in struggle against the Arab occupation, it was under nominal dependence on Byzantine Empire. in 888 year Georgian principality of Tao-Klarjeti transformed into Georgian Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti. The integrity of the Byzantine empire itself was under serious threat after a full-scale rebellion, led by Bardas Skleros, broke out in 976. Following a series of successful battles the rebels swept across Asia Minor. In the urgency of a situation, David Kuropalate aided Basil II and after decisive loyalist victory at the Battle of Pankalia, he was rewarded by lifetime rule of key imperial territories in eastern Asia Minor, known to the contemporary Georgian sources as the "Upper Lands of Greece" (ზემონი ქუეყანანი საბერძნეთისანი), which contained upper Speri. in 1001 year, after the death of David Kuropalates, hither Tao, Basiani and Speri was inherited by emperor of Byzantine Basil II, these provinces were organized into the theme of Iberia with the capital at Theodosiopolis. after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, most of eastern provinces of Byzantine, including Speri was lost to the Seljuks. it was under the control of the Saltukids till 1124,^[13] when the Kingdom of Georgia took over power, region was governed by Zakare and Ivane Mqargrdzeli's as a fief.

In 1203, Rukn ad-din Suleiman II of Rum decided to capture the southern shores of the Black Sea and rule over Asia minor. He invaded the Kingdom of Georgia with 400 000 Muslim warriors from the emirates and sultanates of Erzinca, Abulistan, Erzerum and Sham (Syria) and took control over several southern Georgian provinces including Speri. In the same year, by winning in the Battle of Basiani, Georgia managed to banish the Turks and liberate the region of Speri again.

“

During thirty one years the blessed Tamar, with the wisdom of Solomon, and the courage and care of Alexander, held her kingdom (firmly) in her hands, which stretched from the Pontic Sea to the sea of Gurgan, from Speri to Daruband, and all the lands on this side of the Caucasus Mountains, as well as Khazaria and Scythia on the other side. She became the heiress of what was promised in the nine Beatitudes.

”

It was conquered in 1242 by the Mongols; was regained by Georgian Kingdom during the reign of George V the Brilliant (1314–1346), it remained part of the Kingdom before its disintegration, which then passed into the hands of Georgian Atabegs belonging to the House of Jaqeli.

Early modern history

It was conquered in 1502 by Persia and was probably in 1515^[13] taken by the Ottoman Empire from the Georgian ruler of Samtskhe.^[13] The Ispir valley was still almost completely Christian in the early 16th century: the Ottoman census recorded no Muslims.^[13] Muslims would increase in later centuries and eventually become the majority. The region was occupied in 1916 by the Russians during World War I and recaptured by the newly formed Turkish Republic in 1918.

References

1. E. Takaishvili. "Georgian chronology and the beginning of the Bagrationi rule in Georgia".- Georgica, v. I, London, 1935
2. Al. Manvelichvili. "Histoire de la Georgie", Paris, 1955
3. K. Salia. "History of the Georgian Nation", Paris, 1983
4. A History Of Georgia. Tbilisi: Artanuji Publ., 2014.
5. Donald Rayfield. Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia Reaktion Books, 2013 ISBN 978-1780230702 p 18
6. Grammenos, Dēmētrios; Petropoulos, Elias (2007). Ancient Greek colonies in the Black Sea 2, Volume 2. Archaeopress. pp. 1113–1114. ISBN 9781407301129. Retrieved 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
7. Salia, Kalistrat (1980). Histoire de la nation géorgienne. pp. 30–41. Retrieved 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
8. Reisner, Oliver; Nodia, Ghia (2009). Identity Studies, Vol 1. Ilia State University Press. p. 51. Retrieved 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
9. Mikaberidze, Alexander. Historical Dictionary Of Georgia. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2007.
10. Armenia as Xenophon saw it , Vahan M. Kurkjian, 1958
11. G. Kavtaradze. "The Ancient Country of Taokhians and the Beginnings of Georgian Statehood". "Language and Culture". N5-6, 2005.
12. Polym. 79
13. Sinclair, T.A. (1989). Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume I. Pindar Press. pp. 265–266–267–281–283–289–290. ISBN 9780907132325.