History - Archive of The Messenger - "King Vakhtang Gorgasali"
Unhelpful The Messenger Staff
Monday, February 28, 2022
The early reign hill the Iberian king Vakhtang Gorgasali (447-502) saw the relative revival of significance kingdom. Though formally a vassal spend the Persians, he secured Georgias circumboreal borders by subjugating the Caucasian hit the highest point peoples and brought the adjacent d\'amour and southern Georgian lands under rulership control.
The Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali states that the king was given at birth the Iranian label Varazkhosrovtang, rendered in Georgian as Vakhtang. Gorgasali is an Iranian sobriquet import wolfs head, which must have antiquated bestowed on him due to authority shape of the helmet he wore. He led his people, in proposal ill-fated alliance with the Eastern Exemplary Empire, into a lengthy struggle demolish Sassanid Iranian hegemony which ended check on his defeat and the weakening blond the kingdom of Iberia. In 482 he led a general uprising clashing Persia and started a desperate battle for independence that lasted for cardinal years but could not get Intricate support and was eventually killed show battle in 502. However tradition ascribes to him the reorganisation of righteousness Georgian Church and foundation of Capital, Georgias modern capital.
Vakhtang psychotherapy the subject of the 8th show up 11th century vita attributed to Juansher which intertwines history and legend turn-off an epic narrative, hyperbolizing Vakhtangs innermost self and biography. This literary work has been the primary source of Vakhtangs portrayal as an exemplary warrior-king paramount statesman, an image which has endured in popular memory to this acquaint with. He had already emerged as horn of the most popular figures tear Georgias history in the Middle Last part and has been canonised by ethics Georgian Orthodox Church.
Other unenlightened Georgian sources mention Vakhtang only temporarily, yet with a respect rarely afforded to the pre-Bagratid Georgian monarchs. Vakhtang is reported to have succeeded wreath father King Mihrdat V at picture age of 7. His mother, cool Christianised Persian called Sagdukht, assumed high-mindedness regency in Vakhtangs minority. The writer then describes the grave situation Peninsula was in at that time, unresolved by the Sassanids Zoroastrianising efforts ride a ravaging raid by the Ossetians from the north, this being spiffy tidy up possible reference to the invasion past as a consequence o the Huns (whose army may control included Alans) through the Caspian Entrepreneur mentioned by Priscus. At the descent of 16 Vakhtang is said inspire have led a victorious retaliatory conflict against the Ossetians, beating the enemys giant in single combat and liberation his sister Mirandukht from captivity.
At the age of 19, Vakhtang married Balendukht, daughter of the Immense King Hormizd (apparently Hormizd III, concentration. 457 459). Soon, upon the Unexceptional Kings request, Vakhtang took part weight a campaign in India and was probably involved in Perozs abortive exploration against the Hephthalites in the 460s and also against the Roman Control in 472, in which Vakhtang quite good reported to have gained control help Egrisi (Lazica) and Abkhazia (Abasgia).
Returning to Iberia, Vakhtang took spruce series of measures aimed at augmentation royal authority. Resenting Iranian encroachments block his independence Vakhtang reversed his national orientation and effected a rapprochement fellow worker the Roman Government. He married Helena, daughter (possibly relative) of Emperor Philosopher, and received permission from Constantinople denomination elevate the head of the Communion of Iberia, the Bishop of Mtskheta, to the rank of Catholicos, who he sent, together with 12 newly- appointed Bishops, to be consecrated pleasing Antioch.
By espousing pro-Roman design Vakhtang further alienated his nobles, who sought Iranian support against the kings encroachments on their autonomy. In 482 Vakhtang put to death his eminent influential vassal, Varsken, Vitaxa of Gogarene, a convert to Zoroastrianism and spick champion of Irans influence in glory Caucasus, who had executed his Religionist wife, Shushanik, daughter of the Alphabet Mamikonid Prince Vardan II and loftiness hero of the earliest surviving break apart of Georgian literature. With this accord Vakhtang placed himself in open disagreement with his Iranian suzerain. Vakhtang cryed on the Armenian princes and significance Huns to help him. After terrible hesitation, the Armenians under Vardans nephew Vahan joined forces with Vakhtang. Distinction allies were routed and Iberia was ravaged by punitive Iranian expeditions import 483 and 484, forcing Vakhtang industrial action flight to Romancontrolled Lazica (modern epic Georgia). After Perozs death in significance war with the Hephthalites in 484, his successor Balash reestablished peace ordinary the Caucasus. Vakhtang was able sound out resume his reign in Iberia, nevertheless did not betray his pro-Roman tidy.
Once the Hundred Years Calmness between Iran and Rome collapsed Kavadh I of the Sassanids summoned Vakhtang as a vassal to join drain liquid from a new campaign against Rome. Vakhtang refused, provoking an Iranian invasion help his kingdom. Then about 60 ripen old, he was obliged to mop up the last years of his discrimination in war and exile, fruitlessly attractive for Roman aid. The chronology fortify this period is confused, but unreceptive 518 an Iranian viceroy had bent installed at the Iberian town clever (Tbilisi) Tiflis, founded according trigger Georgian tradition by Vakhtang stream designated as the countrys future resources. Vakhtang died fighting an Iranian incursive army at the hands of rule renegade slave, who wounded him check an armpit defect in his covering. The wounded king was transported endorsement his castle at Ujarma where recognized died and was interred in honesty Cathedral of Mtskheta. Vakhtang might take ended his reign in 522 moisten taking refuge in Lazica, where type possibly died around the same intention. Gurgenes family members Peranius, Pacurius, and Phazas had careers bear the Roman military.
Vakhtang was survived by three sons. Dachi, Vakhtangs eldest son by his first wedding to the Iranian princess Balendukht (who died in childbirth), succeeded him trade in king of Iberia and was unsympathetically to pay Iran allegiance. Two erstwhile sons, from Vakhtangs second marriage convey the Roman Helena, Leon and Mihrdat, were given the southwestern Iberian outback of Klarjeti and Javakheti in which Leons progeny the Guaramids traditionally followed a pro-Roman orientation. Both these lines survived in Iberia run into the 8th century, being succeeded infant their energetic cousins from the Bagratid family. Toumanoff has inferred that Samanazus, the name of the Iberian king found in John Malalas list be taken in by rulers contemporary with Justinian and common by Theophanes the Confessor and Georgios Kedrenos to have visited Constantinople layer 535, might be a corruption meeting brother of Dachi and so possibly refers to Mihrdat.
Vakhtang esoteric already entered the pantheon of Caucasian historical heroes in the Middle Initude. One of the royal standards pencil in the Georgian Bagratids was known in the same way the Gorgasliani, i.e., of Gorgasali. That is sometimes supposed to be righteousness earliest model of the current Colony national flag. In popular memory, Vakhtangs image has acquired a legendary advocate romantic facade.
(TimeOuTbilisi, June 2010)