Vakhtang I of Iberia

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The statue of King Vakhtang Girgasali next to Metekhi Church
The statue of King Vakhtang Girgasali next to Metekhi Church

Saint King Vakhtang I Gorgasali (440 – 502: Georgian: ვახტანგ I გორგასალი ) was the Georgian king (mepe) of Kartli (Iberia) in 447-522 (or 452–502) who led a lengthy anti-Persian liberation war, founded Tbilisi, Georgia’s modern capital city and helped Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church gain autocephaly. Later he was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church.


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[edit] Vakhtang I life

He was a son of Mithridates V, King of Kartli and Queen Sagduht of Ran.

Vakhtang was called Gorgasali (Georgian transliteration for Persian Gorgaslan, Gurgaslan,or Gorgasar: “Wolf headed”) by the Persians because of the shape of the helmet he wore.

Married to a Persian princess, he guarded the northern passes through Kartli, subdued the Alans (Ossetes) and participated in Persian campaigns against Byzantium between 455 and 458 and in India, probably in Shah Peroz's wars against the Hephthalites in 474-476. Vakhtang resented Persian encroachments on his independence and reinforced his position by supporting autocephalous status for the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church and by establishing his dominance over Byzantium-held western Georgian countries of Egrisi (Lazica) and Abkhazia, fortified Kartlian fortresses, made an alliance with Armenians and began preparations for a major anti-Persian uprising.

In 482, he ordered Varsken killed, Iran’s most faithful vassal and pitiaxsh (vitaxa – viceroy) of one of the Kartlian provinces, who had martyred his wife Shushanik in 475. Vakhtang married Princess Helena of Byzantium and sought Emperor Justinian’s help, but in vain. The Georgian-Armenian rebellion of 482 was defeated and the country was ravaged by Persian punitive expeditions in 483 and 484. After a short exile in Lazica, he made peace with Persia and returned to Kartli in 485. However, Vakhtang refused to join a new Persian campaign against Byzantium and Shah Kavad attacked Kartli in 502. The Georgians fought bravely and defended their borders in a four-day battle, despite being three-fold outnumbered. On the last day of the bloody battle, Vakhtang was fatally wounded. According to the legend, one of the King’s slaves betrayed him and shot him through an armpit defect of his armour.

Vakhtang’s bodyguards took him in his fortified residence of Ujarma, where he died in a few days and was buried in Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.

King Vakhtang Gorgasali has become a national hero of the Georgian people. Numerous legends and folk songs have been created in honor to him. For many centuries, Georgia’s flag has been known as “Gorgasliani” after his name.

The Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali is one of the highest decorations awarded by Georgia.

[edit] The legend of Tbilisi

The legend concerning the creation of Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, has been told for centuries and is still alive:

“King Vakhtang Gorgasali was hunting in the forest. His falcon chased a pheasant. The bird fell into a hot water spring and the king and his servants saw the steam come out of the water. Surprised by the abundance of hot water, Vakhtang gave orders to build a city on this site and named it Tphilisi (Tbilisi; In Georgian “the site of warm springs”)."

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Mithridates V		 King of Iberia
447-522		 Succeeded by
Dachi
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