In the spring of 1915, a group of armored warriors rode into the city of Tbilisi, Georgia.
They approached the governor’s palace with a straightforward question: “Where’s the war?”
Dressed in rusty chain mail and armed with broadswords, these men resembled medieval Crusaders. It had taken seven months for news of World War I to reach their remote mountain homes, and they were ready to fight.
American adventurer Richard Halliburton chronicled this in his 1935 book “Seven League Boots.” The warriors were Khevsurs, from the historical region of Khevsureti in northeast Georgia. Legend claims that the Khevsurs are descendants of Crusaders who ventured north through Turkey and Armenia, eventually settling in the Caucasus Mountains.
The Khevsurs are renowned for their warrior culture, preserving ancient martial traditions and a distinctive form of Georgian Orthodox Christianity. Their attire and weapons bore the insignia of the Crusaders, including the motto “Ave Mater Dei” (Holy Mary, Mother of God) and Crusader crosses. Historical manuscripts even mention these Crusaders participating in battles against Muslims in Georgia, such as the Battle of Didgori.
Though modern scholars debate the veracity of their Crusader origins, the Khevsurs show us a time when Crusader knights defended their faith and homeland!
Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
