South Ossetia

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Lore & Background

The Ossetians are believed to originate from the Alans, a nomadic Iranian tribe. In the 8th century a consolidated Alan kingdom, referred to in sources of the period as Alania, emerged in the northern Caucasus Mountains. Around 1239–1277 Alania fell to the Mongol and later to Timur's armies, who massacred much of the Alanian population. The surviving Alans retreated into the mountains of the central Caucasus and gradually migrated south, across the Caucasus Mountains into the Kingdom of Georgia. The first large-scale conflict between the Ossetians and Georgians occurred in the 13th century. After the Mongol invasion, the Alans left vast lands in the North Caucasus and invaded Georgia. Then the Alans took control of the territory from Gori to Mtskheta and territory of South Ossetia. But in 1306, after a 3-month siege of Gori, the Georgian ruler George V of Georgia managed to take Gori and the territory of South Ossetia under his control. At the same time, the Alans were expelled from Shida Kartli and Dvaleti. In the village Zakagori, an inscription was found on a tombstone in the Ossetian language written in Syriac-Nestorian script, which dates back to 1326. In the 17th century, by pressure of Kabardian princes, Ossetians started a second wave of migration from the North Caucasus to the Kingdom of Kartli. Ossetian peasants, who were migrating to the mountainous areas of the South Caucasus, often settled in the lands of Georgian feudal lords. The Georgian King of the Kingdom of Kartli permitted Ossetians to immigrate. According to Russian ambassador to Georgia Mikhail Tatishchev, at the beginning of the 17th century there was already a small group of Ossetians living near the headwaters of the Great Liakhvi. The Georgian-Ossetian population of the Ksani took an active part in the Kakhetian Uprising (1659). In 1711, Vakhtang VI launched an armed expedition against the Ossetians in South Ossetia and Dvaleti. He destroyed 80 towers and forced the Ossetians of Dvaleti, North part of South Ossetia to submit to Kingdom of Kartli. Following the Russian revolution, the area of modern South Ossetia became part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia. In 1918, conflict began between the landless Ossetian peasants living in Shida Kartli (Interior Georgia), who were influenced by Bolshevism and demanded ownership of the lands they worked, and the Menshevik government backed ethnic Georgian aristocrats, who were legal owners. Although the Ossetians were initially discontented with the economic policies of the central government, the tension soon transformed into ethnic conflict. The first Ossetian rebellion began in February 1918, when three Georgian princes were killed and their land was seized by the Ossetians. The central government of Tiflis retaliated by sending the National Guard to the area. However, the Georgian unit retreated after they had engaged the Ossetians. Ossetian rebels then proceeded to occupy the town of Tskhinvali and began attacking the ethnic Georgian civilian population. During uprisings in 1919 and 1920, the Ossetians were covertly supported by Soviet Russia, but even so, were defeated. According to allegations made by Ossetian sources, the crushing of the 1920 uprising caused the death of 5,000 Ossetians, while ensuing hunger and epidemics were the causes of death of more than 13,000 people.

Reader's Guide

South Ossetia's significance lies in its role as a flashpoint in post-Soviet geopolitics, particularly between Georgia and Russia. The region's declaration of independence from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in September 1990 led to the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War, with Russian involvement on the Ossetian side. The conflict remained frozen throughout the 1990s and saw two major escalations in the 2000s: in 2004 and in 2008. The latter conflict led to the full-scale Russo-Georgian War of August 2008, during which Ossetian and Russian forces gained full de facto control of the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast. Since the 2008 war, Georgia and a significant part of the international community have regarded South Ossetia as occupied by the Russian military. South Ossetia relies heavily on military, political, and financial aid from Russia. Since 2008, the South Ossetian government has expressed their intention of joining the Russian Federation; if successful, this would end its proclaimed independence. The prospect of a referendum on this matter has been raised multiple times in domestic politics, but none has taken place. The region's contested status continues to affect Georgia–Russia relations and remains unresolved internationally.

Did You Know?

• South Ossetia has been formally known as the State of Alania since 2017.
• A tombstone in the village Zakagori, dated 1326, bears an inscription in the Ossetian language written in Syriac-Nestorian script.
• In 1711, Vakhtang VI destroyed 80 towers during an armed expedition against Ossetians in South Ossetia and Dvaleti.
• According to Ossetian sources, the crushing of the 1920 uprising caused the death of 5,000 Ossetians, with hunger and epidemics killing more than 13,000.
• The South Ossetian government has expressed intentions of joining the Russian Federation since 2008, but no referendum on the matter has taken place.