[M] As you might have noticed, I have been a bit out of things and will be for the foreseeable future. This is why this post is shorter than usual. Luckily, the war was easy to resolve. Casualties have not been included because it is not relevant, but both sides suffered around 20% casualties. [/M].

The Safavid invasion of Armenia continued, and the Georgian monarchy adopted a posture of guerilla warfare against the Safavids, who instead focused on vicious raiding and occupation. A key part of a guerilla is popular support, but also the support of the elites. However, the war that Georgia-Armenia had itself launched against Ismail had started without such support, it being a personal project of the monarchy that its subjects of note had counseled against. As such, when the Georgians lost decisively against Ismail in 1507, they hoped a peace would soon follow and that the monarchy would learn from the painful concessions that would come as the result of their hubristic war.

Instead, King Aleksander and Co-King Giorgi insisted on continuing the war. Within Armenia, where a large part of the population was muslim and rather apathetic to the rule of the kings in Giorgikalakis, the popular resistance necessary to oppose Ismail failed to materialise. Instead, local elites, especially muslim ones, sought to reach understandings with the occupier. Lacking local support, the armed forces of the monarchy itself could not stand up against the much more mobile, fierce and experienced Safavid raiders.

The unity of Georgia-Armenia was now at stake. Was all of Caucasian Christianity being led into a foolish martyrdom by two obstinate kings? Word came from Samtskhe that its rulers were beginning to reconsider the current political arrangement. This war could not last much longer, and if Georgia-Armenia had taken the responsibility to start it, they should also find themselves humble enough to end it.

However, Ismail did not find the lands of Armenia smooth sailing either. Going against counsel to ignore Georgia-Armenia, he now heard the dreadful news from the southeast: Iran, his birthright, had been conquered by a new invader. The Aq Qoyunlu were finally dead, but the killing stroke had not been by his hand.

Results:

• Occupation Map
• The Kingdom of Georgia-Armenia is becoming unstable.