The Roki Spa ( ka, როქის სპა) was an army of

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

between the 12th and 13th centuries recruited by Georgian monarchs during the wars. The term ''Roki'' was adopted from

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

— ''Roga'' (ῥόγα) that meant cash salary, especially remunerations paid to members of the armed forces and civil service. It was probably formed after the successful military reforms of

David IV of Georgia David IV, also known as David IV the Builder ( ka, დავით IV აღმაშენებელი, tr; 1073 – 24 January 1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th king ('' mepe'') of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1089 until his d ...

. He made provision for the recruitment of a mercenary army among

Alans The Alans () were an ancient and medieval Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, nomadic pastoral people who migrated to what is today North Caucasus – while some continued on to Europe and later North Africa. They are generally regarded ...

, Kasogs, Durdzuks,

Kipchaks The Kipchaks, also spelled Qipchaqs, known as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Russian annals, were Turkic nomads and then a confederation that existed in the Middle Ages inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the eighth cent ...

, Kurds, etc. They were armored in Chorasmian style and were headed by Monatukhutsesi (Master of Servants). Their duty was protection of strategic places, such as castles in frontier provinces, where they would be headed by Tsikhistavi (governor of castles). The number of employees depended on the country's economic ability. The hired mercenaries were sometimes paid with money, sometimes even in nature (shells, fowl, cattle, precious things, weapons...etc.). In order to pay a hired army, the government even imposed special taxes. Between the 12th to 13th centuries such a tax was called "Sak'ivchak'o". The mercenaries were used by the central authorities against both the foreign enemy, as well as feudal opposition. The mercenary army was never a major military force of Georgian feudal army, it only served as a supportive force.

Bibliography

* Baramize, A. ''Shot’a Rust’veli da misi poema''. Tbilisi, 1966. * Nikoloz Berdzenishvili, Issues Concerning History of Georgia akartvelos istoriis sakitkhebi 7nd ed. (Tbilisi: 1974) * ''ჩხატარაიშვილი ქ.,'' უცხოელები XII საუკუნის საქართველოს ლაშქარში, კრ.: საქართველო რუსთაველის ხანაში, თბ., 1966; * ''ჩხატარაიშვილი ქ.,'' ქსე, ტ. 7, გვ. 91-92, თბ., 1984

References

Military units and formations established in the 12th century Medieval bodyguards Military history of the Kingdom of Georgia Georgian words and phrases Georgian military ranks of Persian origin 12th-century establishments in the Kingdom of Georgia {{Georgia-hist-stub

See also

Bibliography

References