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Vakhtang I

January 01, 1970

Vakhtang I Gorgasali (Georgian: ვახტანგ I გორგასალი, romanized: vakht'ang I gorgasali; c. 439 or 443 – 502 or 522), of the Chosroid dynasty, was a king (mepe) of Iberia, natively known as Kartli (eastern Georgia) in the second half of the 5th and first quarter of the 6th century.

Vakhtang I Gorgasali
A miniature by Pier Rossi based on the 17th century fresco of Vakhtang from Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
32nd King of Iberia
(more...)
Reignc. 447/49 – 502/22
PredecessorMihrdat V
SuccessorDachi
Bornc. 439/43
Mtskheta, Kingdom of Iberia, Sasanian Empire
Diedc. 502/22 (aged 62–63 or 78-79)
Ujarma, Kingdom of Iberia, Sasanian Empire
Burial
Mtskheta, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
SpouseBalendukht
Elene
IssueDachi
Leon
Mihrdat
Two anonymous daughters
DynastyChosroid dynasty
FatherMihrdat V
MotherSagdukht
ReligionGeorgian Orthodox Church

He led his people, in an ill-fated alliance with the Byzantine Empire, into a lengthy struggle against Sasanian Iranian hegemony, which ended in Vakhtang's defeat and weakening of the kingdom of Iberia. Tradition also ascribes him reorganization of the Georgian Orthodox Church and foundation of Tbilisi, Georgia's modern capital.[1]

Dating Vakhtang's reign is problematic. Ivane Javakhishvili assigns to Vakhtang's rule the dates c. 449–502 while Cyril Toumanoff suggests the dates c. 447–522. Furthermore, Toumanoff identifies Vakhtang with the Iberian king Gurgenes known from Procopius' Wars of Justinian.[2]

Vakhtang is a subject of the 8th or 11th century vita attributed to Juansher, which intertwines history and legend into an epic narrative, hyperbolizing Vakhtang's personality and biography. This literary work has been a primary source of Vakhtang's image as an example warrior-king and statesman, which has preserved in popular memory to this day.

He emerged as one of the most popular figures in Georgia's history already in the Middle Ages[3] and has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church[4] as The Holy and Right-Believing King Vakhtang (Georgian: წმინდა დიდმოწამე მეფე ვახტანგი) and is commemorated on December 13 [O.S. November 30].[4]

Name edit

According to the Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali, the king was given at his birth an Iranian name Varazkhosrovtang, rendered in Georgian as Vakhtang.[5] The name may indeed be derived from Iranian *warx-tang (vahrka-tanū)—"wolf-bodied", a possible reflection of the wolf cult in ancient Georgia.[6] Beginning in the late 13th century, numerous Georgian princes and kings took the name Vakhtang.[1] Toumanoff observes that the name Vakhtang has no Classical equivalent and infers that the king's sobriquet Gorgasal—given to Vakhtang because of the shape of the helmet he wore—was rendered by the 6th-century Roman historian Procopius as Gurgenes (Greek: Γουργένης). Toumanoff's identification of Vakhtang with Gurgenes has not been universally accepted.[7]

Early reign edit

 
The largest expansion of Iberia under Vakhtang I[citation needed]

Beyond the Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali (hereinafter LVG), the medieval Georgian sources mention Vakhtang only briefly, yet with respect rarely afforded to the pre-Bagratid Georgian monarchs.[3] Notwithstanding its semi-legendary epic character, the LVG provides many important details, which can be combined with the sources closer to the period in question, such as Lazarus of Parpi and Procopius.[2]

Vakhtang is reported by the LVG to have succeeded at the age of 7 his father King Mihrdat (V). His mother, a Christianized Persian Sagdukht, assumed regency in Vakhtang's minority. The author then describes the grave situation in which Iberia was at that time, troubled by the Sassanids' Zoroastrianizing efforts and a ravaging raid by the "Ossetians" from the north, this latter being a possible reference to the invasion by the Huns (which may have included Alans) through the Caspian Gates mentioned by Priscus. At the age of 16, Vakhtang is said to have led a victorious retaliatory war against the "Ossetians", winning a single combat against the enemy's giant and relieving his sister Mirandukht from captivity. At the age 19, Vakhtang married Balendukht, "daughter" of the Great King Hormizd (apparently Hormizd III, r. 457–459). Soon, upon the Great King's request, Vakhtang took part in the campaign in "India", probably in Peroz's abortive expedition against the Hephthalites in the 460s, and against the Roman Empire in 472, in which Vakhtang is reported to have gained control of Egrisi (Lazica) and Abkhazia.[2][8][9]

Church affairs edit

Returning to Iberia, Vakhtang took up a series of measures aimed at strengthening the royal authority. Resenting Iranian encroachments on his independence, Vakhtang reversed his political orientation and effected a rapprochement with the Roman government. He married Helena, "daughter" (possibly relative) of Emperor Zeno, and received permission from Constantinople to elevate the head of the church of Iberia, the bishop of Mtskheta, to the rank of catholicos, whom he sent, together with twelve newly appointed bishops, to be consecrated at Antioch. These rearrangements did not pass smoothly and the king had to overcome opposition, especially in the person of Mikel, the deposed bishop of Mtskheta. Javakhishvili explains this conflict on account of doctrinal differences between the Monophysite Vakhtang and Diophysite Mikel, a presumption supported by Toumanoff, who points out, that the change of prelate and his subordination to Antioch could "only imply acceptance of Zeno's formulary of faith", i.e., the moderately Monophysite Henotikon of 482. On his part, another Georgian historian, Simon Janashia, argues that Vakhtang was inclined towards Diophysitism while Mikel adhered to Monophysitism.[9][10]

War with Iran edit

 
Ruins of Ujarma, once an Iberian stronghold under Vakhtang

By espousing pro-Roman policy, Vakhtang further alienated his nobles, who sought Iranian support against the king's encroachments on their autonomy. In 482, Vakhtang put to death his most influential vassal, Varsken, vitaxa of Gogarene, a convert to Zoroastrianism and a champion of Iran's influence in the Caucasus, who had executed his Christian wife, Shushanik, daughter of the Armenian Mamikonid prince Vardan II and a hero of the earliest surviving piece of Georgian literature. By this act, Vakhtang placed himself in open confrontation with his Iranian suzerain. Vakhtang called on the Armenian princes and the Huns for co-operation. After some hesitation, the Armenians under Vardan's nephew Vahan Mamikonian, joined forces with Vakhtang. The allies were routed and Iberia was ravaged by Iranian punitive expeditions in 483 and 484, forcing Vakhtang into flight to Roman-controlled Lazica (modern western Georgia). After Peroz's death in the war with the Hephthalites in 484, his successor Balash reestablished peace in the Caucasus. Vakhtang was able to resume his reign in Iberia, but did not betray his pro-Roman line.[9][10]

 
Vakhtang I Gorgasali on the 2014 Georgian postage stamp

Once the Hundred Years Peace between Iran and Rome collapsed, Kavadh I of the Sassanids summoned Vakhtang as a vassal to join in a new campaign against Rome. Vakhtang refused, provoking an Iranian invasion of his kingdom. Then about 60, he had to spend the last years of his life in war and exile, fruitlessly appealing for the Roman aid. The chronology of this period is confused, but by 518 an Iranian viceroy had been installed at the Iberian town of Tiflis, founded—according to Georgian tradition—by Vakhtang and designated as the country's future capital. According to the LVG, Vakhtang died fighting an Iranian invading army at the hands of his renegade slave who shot him through an armpit defect of his armor. The wounded king was transported to his castle at Ujarma where he died and was interred at the cathedral in Mtskheta. Javakhishvili puts Vakhtang's death at c. 502. If Toumanoff's identification of Procopius’ Gurgenes with Vakhtang is true, the king might have ended his reign in 522 by taking refuge in Lazica, where he possibly died around the same time. Gurgenes’ family members—Peranius, Pacurius, and Phazas—had careers in the Roman military.[2][11]

Family edit

According to the LVG, Vakhtang was survived by three sons. Dachi, Vakhtang's eldest son by his first marriage to the Iranian princess Balendukht (who died at childbirth), succeeded him as king of Iberia and had to return to Iranian allegiance. Two younger sons by Vakhtang's second marriage to the Roman lady Elene—Leon and Mihrdat—were enfeoffed of the southwestern Iberian provinces of Klarjeti and Javakheti in which Leon's progeny—the Guaramids—traditionally followed pro-Roman orientation. Both these lines survived in Iberia into the 8th century, being succeeded by their energetic cousins of the Bagratid family.[2] Toumanoff has inferred that the Samanazus, a name of the Iberian "king" found in John Malala's list of rulers contemporary with Justinian and reported by Theophanes the Confessor and Georgios Kedrenos to have visited Constantinople in 535, might have been a corruption of words meaning "brother of Dachi" and so perhaps refers to Mihrdat.[12]

Will of Vakhtang edit

Before his death, the wounded King Vakhtang left the will to his son Dachi and to the Georgians:

მე ესე რა წარვალ წინაშე ღმრთისა ჩემისა, და ვმადლობ სახელსა მისსა, რამეთუ არა დამაკლო [or: დამარხო] გამორჩეულთა წმიდათა მისთა. აწ გამცნებ თქუენ, რათა მტკიცედ სარწმუნოებასა ზედა სდგეთ და ეძიებდეთ ქრისტესთჳს სიკუდილსა სახელსა მისსა ზედა, რათა წარუვალი დიდება მოიგოთ.
And I, as I go to my God, I give thanks to His name, because he did not sacrifice [or: 'spare'] his chosen blessings. Now I exhort you, that you stand firm in your faith and seek death for Christ in His name, so that you may obtain imperishable glory! [13]

He also called on Georgians not to abandon ties with the Byzantine Empire:

მე ჴორციელებრითა დიდებითა გადიდენ თქუენ ნათესავთა ჩემთა. და სახლსა ჩუენსა ნუ შეურაცხჰყოფთ, და სიყუარულსა ბერძენთასა ნუ დაუტეობთ.
I have magnified you and all my generations in the flesh with glory; neither disgrace our home nor abandon the love of the Greeks.[14]

Legacy edit

 
Grave of Vakhtang I at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.

Vakhtang entered a pantheon of Georgian historical heroes already in the Middle Ages. A royal oriflamme of the Georgian Bagratids was known as "Gorgasliani", i.e., "of Gorgasali". It is sometimes supposed to be the earliest model of the current Georgian national flag.[citation needed][clarification needed] In popular memory, his image has acquired a legendary and romantic façade. Vakhtang is a subject of several folk poems and legends, extolling the king's perceived greatness, enormous physical strength, courage and devoutness to Christianity.[15]

Vakhtang has been credited with the foundation of several towns, castles, and monasteries across Georgia, including the nation's capital Tbilisi, where a street and a square bear his name, and a 1967 monument by the sculptor Elguja Amashukeli tops the Metekhi cliff. A legend has it that when King Vakhtang was 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 "Tbilisi", that is, "the site of warm springs".[16]

Vakhtang was officially included in the Georgian Orthodox calendar—and a church built in his honor in the city of Rustavi—early in the 1990s, but he had presumably been considered a saint long before that.

The Vakhtang Gorgasal Order, created in 1992, is one of the highest military decorations in Georgia.[17]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts, p. 320. Peeters Publishers, ISBN 90-429-1318-5
  2. ^ a b c d e Toumanoff, Cyril (1963). Studies in Christian Caucasian History, pp. 368–9. Georgetown University Press.
  3. ^ a b Rapp (2003), passim.
  4. ^ a b Machitadze, Archpriest Zakaria (2006), "The Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali (†502)", in The Lives of the Georgian Saints 2008-06-14 at the Wayback Machine. Pravoslavie.Ru. Retrieved on April 19, 2009.
  5. ^ Thomson, Robert W. (1996), Rewriting Caucasian History, p. 156. Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-826373-2
  6. ^ Gamkrelidze, Tamaz; Ivanov, Vyacheslav; Winter, Werner (transl. by Nichols, Johanna; 1995), Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans: a reconstruction and historical analysis of a proto-language and a proto-culture, p. 416. M. de Gruyter, ISBN 3-11-009646-3
  7. ^ Greatrex, Geoffrey (1998), Rome and Persia at war, 502–532, p. 129. Francis Cairns, ISBN 0-905205-93-6
  8. ^ Thomson, Robert W. (1996), Rewriting Caucasian History, pp. 153–251. Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-826373-2
  9. ^ a b c (in Russian) М. Лордкипанидзе, Д. Мусхелишвили (Ред., 1988), Очерки истории Грузии. Т.2: Грузия в IV-X веках. АН ГССР, Ин-т ист., археол. и этнографии – Тб. : Мецниереба: Тип. АН ГССР.
  10. ^ a b Suny, Ronald Grigor (1994), The Making of the Georgian Nation, pp. 23–25. Indiana University Press, ISBN 0-253-20915-3
  11. ^ Procopius reports that the Iberian king Gurgenes defected to the Romans at some point during Justin I's reign, but was defeated by Iranians and forced into flight to the Roman territory (Bell. pern. 1.12.)
  12. ^ Martindale, John Robert (1992), The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, p. 1109. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-07233-6
  13. ^ Georgian royal annals, Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali, page of edition 203, line of edition 9-10-11-12-13
  14. ^ Georgian royal annals, Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali, page of edition 203, line of edition 16-17
  15. ^ (in Russian) Tsulaia, G. V. (trans., 1986), Джуаншер Джуаншериани. «Жизнь Вахтанга Горгасала» (Juansher Juansheriani. "Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali"). Tbilisi: Metsniereba. Online version, digitalized by Тhietmar. 2002. Vostlit.Info. Retrieved on April 22, 2009
  16. ^ Constantine B. Lerner, "The 'River of Paradaise' and the Legend about the City of Tbilisi: A Literary Source of the Legend," Folklore 16 (November 2001): 72–77
  17. ^ State Decorations. President of Georgia website. Retrieved on April 22, 2009

Further reading edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vakhtang I of Iberia.
  • ჯუანშერი, "ცხოვრება ვახტანგ გორგასლისა/ქართლის ცხოვრება, ს. ყაუხჩიშვილის გამოც. ტ. I, თბილისი, 1955
  • ლ. ჯანაშია, ლაზარ ფარპეცის ცნობები საქართველო შესახებ, თბილისი, 1962
  • ლ. ჯანაშია, ქართლი V საუკუნის მეორე ნახევარში/ საქართველოს ისსტორიის ნარკვევები, ტ. II, თბილისი, 1973
  • ბ. ლომინაძე, საქართველოს მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესიის ადმინისტრაიული ორგანიზაცია V საუკუნეში, საქართველოს ფეოდალური ხანის ისტორიის საკითხები, VII, გამომცემლობა "ცოტნე"
  • ვ. გოილაძე, ვახტანგ გორგასალი და მისი ისტორიკოსი, თბილისი, 1991
  • ზ.ალექსიძე, ვახტანგ გორგასალსა და მიქაელ მთავაეპისკოპოსს შორის კონფლიქტის გამო/ ძიებანისაქართველოსა და კავკასიის ისტორიიდან, 1976
  • ნ. ლომოური, საქართველოსა და ბიზანტიის ურთიერთობა V საუკუნეში,1989, გვ. 52
  • ვ. მ. ლორთქიფანიძე, ქართლი V საუკუნის მეორ ნახევარში, თბილისი, 1979
  • Les plus anciens homéliaires géorgiens, étude descriptive et historique par Michel van Esbroeck. Publication de l'institut orientaliste de Louvain, 10. Luvain-la-neuve, 1975
Preceded by King of Iberia
447–522 		Succeeded by

January 01, 1970
vakhtang, gorgasali, georgian, ვახტანგ, გორგასალი, romanized, vakht, gorgasali, chosroid, dynasty, king, mepe, iberia, natively, known, kartli, eastern, georgia, second, half, first, quarter, century, gorgasalia, miniature, pier, rossi, based, 17th, century, f. Vakhtang I Gorgasali Georgian ვახტანგ I გორგასალი romanized vakht ang I gorgasali c 439 or 443 502 or 522 of the Chosroid dynasty was a king mepe of Iberia natively known as Kartli eastern Georgia in the second half of the 5th and first quarter of the 6th century Vakhtang I GorgasaliA miniature by Pier Rossi based on the 17th century fresco of Vakhtang from Svetitskhoveli Cathedral32nd King of Iberia more Reignc 447 49 502 22PredecessorMihrdat VSuccessorDachiBornc 439 43Mtskheta Kingdom of Iberia Sasanian EmpireDiedc 502 22 aged 62 63 or 78 79 Ujarma Kingdom of Iberia Sasanian EmpireBurialMtskheta Svetitskhoveli CathedralSpouseBalendukhtEleneIssueDachiLeonMihrdatTwo anonymous daughtersDynastyChosroid dynastyFatherMihrdat VMotherSagdukhtReligionGeorgian Orthodox Church He led his people in an ill fated alliance with the Byzantine Empire into a lengthy struggle against Sasanian Iranian hegemony which ended in Vakhtang s defeat and weakening of the kingdom of Iberia Tradition also ascribes him reorganization of the Georgian Orthodox Church and foundation of Tbilisi Georgia s modern capital 1 Dating Vakhtang s reign is problematic Ivane Javakhishvili assigns to Vakhtang s rule the dates c 449 502 while Cyril Toumanoff suggests the dates c 447 522 Furthermore Toumanoff identifies Vakhtang with the Iberian king Gurgenes known from Procopius Wars of Justinian 2 Vakhtang is a subject of the 8th or 11th century vita attributed to Juansher which intertwines history and legend into an epic narrative hyperbolizing Vakhtang s personality and biography This literary work has been a primary source of Vakhtang s image as an example warrior king and statesman which has preserved in popular memory to this day He emerged as one of the most popular figures in Georgia s history already in the Middle Ages 3 and has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church 4 as The Holy and Right Believing King Vakhtang Georgian წმინდა დიდმოწამე მეფე ვახტანგი and is commemorated on December 13 O S November 30 4 Contents 1 Name 2 Early reign 3 Church affairs 4 War with Iran 5 Family 6 Will of Vakhtang 7 Legacy 8 References 9 Further readingName editAccording to the Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali the king was given at his birth an Iranian name Varazkhosrovtang rendered in Georgian as Vakhtang 5 The name may indeed be derived from Iranian warx tang vahrka tanu wolf bodied a possible reflection of the wolf cult in ancient Georgia 6 Beginning in the late 13th century numerous Georgian princes and kings took the name Vakhtang 1 Toumanoff observes that the name Vakhtang has no Classical equivalent and infers that the king s sobriquet Gorgasal given to Vakhtang because of the shape of the helmet he wore was rendered by the 6th century Roman historian Procopius as Gurgenes Greek Goyrgenhs Toumanoff s identification of Vakhtang with Gurgenes has not been universally accepted 7 Early reign edit nbsp The largest expansion of Iberia under Vakhtang I citation needed Beyond the Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali hereinafter LVG the medieval Georgian sources mention Vakhtang only briefly yet with respect rarely afforded to the pre Bagratid Georgian monarchs 3 Notwithstanding its semi legendary epic character the LVG provides many important details which can be combined with the sources closer to the period in question such as Lazarus of Parpi and Procopius 2 Vakhtang is reported by the LVG to have succeeded at the age of 7 his father King Mihrdat V His mother a Christianized Persian Sagdukht assumed regency in Vakhtang s minority The author then describes the grave situation in which Iberia was at that time troubled by the Sassanids Zoroastrianizing efforts and a ravaging raid by the Ossetians from the north this latter being a possible reference to the invasion by the Huns which may have included Alans through the Caspian Gates mentioned by Priscus At the age of 16 Vakhtang is said to have led a victorious retaliatory war against the Ossetians winning a single combat against the enemy s giant and relieving his sister Mirandukht from captivity At the age 19 Vakhtang married Balendukht daughter of the Great King Hormizd apparently Hormizd III r 457 459 Soon upon the Great King s request Vakhtang took part in the campaign in India probably in Peroz s abortive expedition against the Hephthalites in the 460s and against the Roman Empire in 472 in which Vakhtang is reported to have gained control of Egrisi Lazica and Abkhazia 2 8 9 Church affairs editReturning to Iberia Vakhtang took up a series of measures aimed at strengthening the royal authority Resenting Iranian encroachments on his independence Vakhtang reversed his political orientation and effected a rapprochement with the Roman government He married Helena daughter possibly relative of Emperor Zeno and received permission from Constantinople to elevate the head of the church of Iberia the bishop of Mtskheta to the rank of catholicos whom he sent together with twelve newly appointed bishops to be consecrated at Antioch These rearrangements did not pass smoothly and the king had to overcome opposition especially in the person of Mikel the deposed bishop of Mtskheta Javakhishvili explains this conflict on account of doctrinal differences between the Monophysite Vakhtang and Diophysite Mikel a presumption supported by Toumanoff who points out that the change of prelate and his subordination to Antioch could only imply acceptance of Zeno s formulary of faith i e the moderately Monophysite Henotikon of 482 On his part another Georgian historian Simon Janashia argues that Vakhtang was inclined towards Diophysitism while Mikel adhered to Monophysitism 9 10 War with Iran edit nbsp Ruins of Ujarma once an Iberian stronghold under Vakhtang By espousing pro Roman policy Vakhtang further alienated his nobles who sought Iranian support against the king s encroachments on their autonomy In 482 Vakhtang put to death his most influential vassal Varsken vitaxa of Gogarene a convert to Zoroastrianism and a champion of Iran s influence in the Caucasus who had executed his Christian wife Shushanik daughter of the Armenian Mamikonid prince Vardan II and a hero of the earliest surviving piece of Georgian literature By this act Vakhtang placed himself in open confrontation with his Iranian suzerain Vakhtang called on the Armenian princes and the Huns for co operation After some hesitation the Armenians under Vardan s nephew Vahan Mamikonian joined forces with Vakhtang The allies were routed and Iberia was ravaged by Iranian punitive expeditions in 483 and 484 forcing Vakhtang into flight to Roman controlled Lazica modern western Georgia After Peroz s death in the war with the Hephthalites in 484 his successor Balash reestablished peace in the Caucasus Vakhtang was able to resume his reign in Iberia but did not betray his pro Roman line 9 10 nbsp Vakhtang I Gorgasali on the 2014 Georgian postage stamp Once the Hundred Years Peace between Iran and Rome collapsed Kavadh I of the Sassanids summoned Vakhtang as a vassal to join in a new campaign against Rome Vakhtang refused provoking an Iranian invasion of his kingdom Then about 60 he had to spend the last years of his life in war and exile fruitlessly appealing for the Roman aid The chronology of this period is confused but by 518 an Iranian viceroy had been installed at the Iberian town of Tiflis founded according to Georgian tradition by Vakhtang and designated as the country s future capital According to the LVG Vakhtang died fighting an Iranian invading army at the hands of his renegade slave who shot him through an armpit defect of his armor The wounded king was transported to his castle at Ujarma where he died and was interred at the cathedral in Mtskheta Javakhishvili puts Vakhtang s death at c 502 If Toumanoff s identification of Procopius Gurgenes with Vakhtang is true the king might have ended his reign in 522 by taking refuge in Lazica where he possibly died around the same time Gurgenes family members Peranius Pacurius and Phazas had careers in the Roman military 2 11 Family editAccording to the LVG Vakhtang was survived by three sons Dachi Vakhtang s eldest son by his first marriage to the Iranian princess Balendukht who died at childbirth succeeded him as king of Iberia and had to return to Iranian allegiance Two younger sons by Vakhtang s second marriage to the Roman lady Elene Leon and Mihrdat were enfeoffed of the southwestern Iberian provinces of Klarjeti and Javakheti in which Leon s progeny the Guaramids traditionally followed pro Roman orientation Both these lines survived in Iberia into the 8th century being succeeded by their energetic cousins of the Bagratid family 2 Toumanoff has inferred that the Samanazus a name of the Iberian king found in John Malala s list of rulers contemporary with Justinian and reported by Theophanes the Confessor and Georgios Kedrenos to have visited Constantinople in 535 might have been a corruption of words meaning brother of Dachi and so perhaps refers to Mihrdat 12 Will of Vakhtang editBefore his death the wounded King Vakhtang left the will to his son Dachi and to the Georgians მე ესე რა წარვალ წინაშე ღმრთისა ჩემისა და ვმადლობ სახელსა მისსა რამეთუ არა დამაკლო or დამარხო გამორჩეულთა წმიდათა მისთა აწ გამცნებ თქუენ რათა მტკიცედ სარწმუნოებასა ზედა სდგეთ და ეძიებდეთ ქრისტესთჳს სიკუდილსა სახელსა მისსა ზედა რათა წარუვალი დიდება მოიგოთ And I as I go to my God I give thanks to His name because he did not sacrifice or spare his chosen blessings Now I exhort you that you stand firm in your faith and seek death for Christ in His name so that you may obtain imperishable glory 13 He also called on Georgians not to abandon ties with the Byzantine Empire მე ჴორციელებრითა დიდებითა გადიდენ თქუენ ნათესავთა ჩემთა და სახლსა ჩუენსა ნუ შეურაცხჰყოფთ და სიყუარულსა ბერძენთასა ნუ დაუტეობთ I have magnified you and all my generations in the flesh with glory neither disgrace our home nor abandon the love of the Greeks 14 Legacy edit nbsp Grave of Vakhtang I at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral Vakhtang entered a pantheon of Georgian historical heroes already in the Middle Ages A royal oriflamme of the Georgian Bagratids was known as Gorgasliani i e of Gorgasali It is sometimes supposed to be the earliest model of the current Georgian national flag citation needed clarification needed In popular memory his image has acquired a legendary and romantic facade Vakhtang is a subject of several folk poems and legends extolling the king s perceived greatness enormous physical strength courage and devoutness to Christianity 15 Vakhtang has been credited with the foundation of several towns castles and monasteries across Georgia including the nation s capital Tbilisi where a street and a square bear his name and a 1967 monument by the sculptor Elguja Amashukeli tops the Metekhi cliff A legend has it that when King Vakhtang was 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 Tbilisi that is the site of warm springs 16 Vakhtang was officially included in the Georgian Orthodox calendar and a church built in his honor in the city of Rustavi early in the 1990s but he had presumably been considered a saint long before that The Vakhtang Gorgasal Order created in 1992 is one of the highest military decorations in Georgia 17 References edit a b Rapp Stephen H 2003 Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts p 320 Peeters Publishers ISBN 90 429 1318 5 a b c d e Toumanoff Cyril 1963 Studies in Christian Caucasian History pp 368 9 Georgetown University Press a b Rapp 2003 passim a b Machitadze Archpriest Zakaria 2006 The Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali 502 in The Lives of the Georgian Saints Archived 2008 06 14 at the Wayback Machine Pravoslavie Ru Retrieved on April 19 2009 Thomson Robert W 1996 Rewriting Caucasian History p 156 Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 826373 2 Gamkrelidze Tamaz Ivanov Vyacheslav Winter Werner transl by Nichols Johanna 1995 Indo European and the Indo Europeans a reconstruction and historical analysis of a proto language and a proto culture p 416 M de Gruyter ISBN 3 11 009646 3 Greatrex Geoffrey 1998 Rome and Persia at war 502 532 p 129 Francis Cairns ISBN 0 905205 93 6 Thomson Robert W 1996 Rewriting Caucasian History pp 153 251 Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 826373 2 a b c in Russian M Lordkipanidze D Mushelishvili Red 1988 Ocherki istorii Gruzii T 2 Gruziya v IV X vekah AN GSSR In t ist arheol i etnografii Tb Mecniereba Tip AN GSSR a b Suny Ronald Grigor 1994 The Making of the Georgian Nation pp 23 25 Indiana University Press ISBN 0 253 20915 3 Procopius reports that the Iberian king Gurgenes defected to the Romans at some point during Justin I s reign but was defeated by Iranians and forced into flight to the Roman territory Bell pern 1 12 Martindale John Robert 1992 The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire p 1109 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 07233 6 Georgian royal annals Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali page of edition 203 line of edition 9 10 11 12 13 Georgian royal annals Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali page of edition 203 line of edition 16 17 in Russian Tsulaia G V trans 1986 Dzhuansher Dzhuansheriani Zhizn Vahtanga Gorgasala Juansher Juansheriani Life of Vakhtang Gorgasali Tbilisi Metsniereba Online version digitalized by Thietmar 2002 Vostlit Info Retrieved on April 22 2009 Constantine B Lerner The River of Paradaise and the Legend about the City of Tbilisi A Literary Source of the Legend Folklore 16 November 2001 72 77 State Decorations President of Georgia website Retrieved on April 22 2009Further reading edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vakhtang I of Iberia ჯუანშერი ცხოვრება ვახტანგ გორგასლისა ქართლის ცხოვრება ს ყაუხჩიშვილის გამოც ტ I თბილისი 1955 ლ ჯანაშია ლაზარ ფარპეცის ცნობები საქართველო შესახებ თბილისი 1962 ლ ჯანაშია ქართლი V საუკუნის მეორე ნახევარში საქართველოს ისსტორიის ნარკვევები ტ II თბილისი 1973 ბ ლომინაძე საქართველოს მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესიის ადმინისტრაიული ორგანიზაცია V საუკუნეში საქართველოს ფეოდალური ხანის ისტორიის საკითხები VII გამომცემლობა ცოტნე ვ გოილაძე ვახტანგ გორგასალი და მისი ისტორიკოსი თბილისი 1991 ზ ალექსიძე ვახტანგ გორგასალსა და მიქაელ მთავაეპისკოპოსს შორის კონფლიქტის გამო ძიებანისაქართველოსა და კავკასიის ისტორიიდან 1976 ნ ლომოური საქართველოსა და ბიზანტიის ურთიერთობა V საუკუნეში 1989 გვ 52 ვ მ ლორთქიფანიძე ქართლი V საუკუნის მეორ ნახევარში თბილისი 1979 Les plus anciens homeliaires georgiens etude descriptive et historique par Michel van Esbroeck Publication de l institut orientaliste de Louvain 10 Luvain la neuve 1975 Preceded byMithridates V King of Iberia447 522 Succeeded byDachi Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vakhtang I amp oldid 1224664272, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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