First contact occurred early in the fall of 1220, when approximately 20,000 Mongols led by Subutai and Jebe pursued the ousted Shah Muhammad II of the Khwarazmian dynasty to the Caspian Sea.

King George IV "Lasha" of Georgia hastily assembled an army of about 10,000 men including many Georgian crusaders commanded by him and his atabeg (tutor) Ivane Mkhargrdzeli, and managed to drive the invaders back but were consequently defeated in Armenia by successive Mongol counter-attacks.

Subatai and Jebe received reinforcements from Genghis Khan[10] and recruited local Turkish and Kurdish forces under the command of Akush, a disloyal underling of Atabag Uzbek.

[11] In spring, after ravaging Southeast Georgia, the Mongols withdrew to Karabakh, According to Kirakos Gandzaketsi, after this battle, Jebe and Subutai dwelt in a very safe place, which was between the cities of Barda and Beylagan.

[citation needed] This time King George IV and atabeg Mkhargrdzeli had assembled a larger force of 30,000[9] consisting of Georgians and Armenians, while Jebe had received reinforcements from Genghis.