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Vakhtang I Gorgasali
 
 
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Saint King Vakhtang I Gorgasali (440 – 502: ) was the Georgian king (mepe) of Kartli
Kartli

Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia . It includes the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and two other major cities, Gori and Rustavi....
 (Iberia
Caucasian Iberia

Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Ancient Greece and Roman Empire to the ancient Georgia kingdom of Kartli corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia....
) in 447-522 (or 452–502) who led a lengthy anti-Persian liberation war, founded Tbilisi
Tbilisi

Tbilisi , is the capital city and the largest city of Georgia , lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form Tpilisi and it was officially known as ?????? in Russian, until 1936....
, Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
’s modern capital city and helped Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church
Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church

The Georgian Orthodox Church is one of the world's most ancient Christian Churches, and tradition traces its origins to the mission of Twelve Apostles Saint Andrew in the 1st century....
 gain autocephaly
Autocephaly

Autocephaly, in hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy churches, is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop....
. Later he was canonized
Canonization

Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint and is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints....
 by the Georgian Orthodox Church.

as a son of Mithridates V, King of Kartli
Kartli

Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia . It includes the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and two other major cities, Gori and Rustavi....
 and Queen Sagduht of Ran
Rán

In Norse mythology, R?n is a Water deity. According to Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda book Sk?ldskaparm?l, in his retelling of the Poetic Edda poem Lokasenna, she is married to ?gir and they have daughters of ?gir together....
.

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.






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Saint King Vakhtang I Gorgasali (440 – 502: ) was the Georgian king (mepe) of Kartli
Kartli

Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia . It includes the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and two other major cities, Gori and Rustavi....
 (Iberia
Caucasian Iberia

Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Ancient Greece and Roman Empire to the ancient Georgia kingdom of Kartli corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia....
) in 447-522 (or 452–502) who led a lengthy anti-Persian liberation war, founded Tbilisi
Tbilisi

Tbilisi , is the capital city and the largest city of Georgia , lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form Tpilisi and it was officially known as ?????? in Russian, until 1936....
, Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
’s modern capital city and helped Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church
Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church

The Georgian Orthodox Church is one of the world's most ancient Christian Churches, and tradition traces its origins to the mission of Twelve Apostles Saint Andrew in the 1st century....
 gain autocephaly
Autocephaly

Autocephaly, in hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy churches, is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop....
. Later he was canonized
Canonization

Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint and is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints....
 by the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Vakhtang I life

He was a son of Mithridates V, King of Kartli
Kartli

Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia . It includes the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and two other major cities, Gori and Rustavi....
 and Queen Sagduht of Ran
Rán

In Norse mythology, R?n is a Water deity. According to Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda book Sk?ldskaparm?l, in his retelling of the Poetic Edda poem Lokasenna, she is married to ?gir and they have daughters of ?gir together....
.

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. The name itself is attested in Ossetian language as W?rxt?n?g from Old Iranian
Iranian languages

The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European languages and its subfamily, Indo-Iranian languages. These languages are mainly spoken by the Iranian Peoples....
 *varka-tanu ("with the body of a wolf").

Married to a Persian princess, he guarded the northern passes through Kartli
Kartli

Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia . It includes the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and two other major cities, Gori and Rustavi....
, subdued the Alans
Alans

The Alans or Alani were a group among the Sarmatians people, Eurasian nomads of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian language and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian language....
 (Ossetes) and participated in Persian
Persian Empire

The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
 campaigns against Byzantium
Byzantium

Byzantium was an Ancient Greece city, which was founded by Greeks colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas ....
 between 455 and 458 and in India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, probably in Shah Peroz
Peroz

Peroz, Pirooz, Firuz or Feroz was the name of two nobles of the Persian Sassanid dynasty:*Peroz I, ruled 457-484*Pirooz II, exiled Persian prince who traveled to Tang Dynasty China and became a general and governor...
'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
Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church

The Georgian Orthodox Church is one of the world's most ancient Christian Churches, and tradition traces its origins to the mission of Twelve Apostles Saint Andrew in the 1st century....
 and by establishing his dominance over Byzantium-held western Georgian countries of Egrisi
Egrisi

Egrisi is a medieval Georgian language name for the region and kingdom in the western part of modern-day Georgia , known to the Byzantine Empire authors as Lazica and to Persian Empire as Lazistan after the Laz people tribe, which at some time dominated the local ruling ?lite....
 (Lazica) and Abkhazia
Abkhazia

Abkhazia is a disputed region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Since its declaration of independence from Georgia in 1991 during the Georgian?Abkhaz conflict, it is governed by the International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Republic of Abkhazia....
, fortified Kartlian fortresses, made an alliance with Armenians
Armenians

The Armenians are a nation and ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands. A large concentration of them has remained there, especially in Armenia, but many of them are also scattered elsewhere throughout the world ....
 and began preparations for a major anti-Persian uprising.

In 482, he ordered the death of Varsken, Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
’s most faithful vassal and the pitiaxsh (vitaxa – viceroy) of one of the Kartlian provinces, after Varsken had martyred his wife Shushanik
Shushanik

Saint Shushanik was a Christian woman who was murdered by her husband Varsken in the town of Tsurtavi, Georgia . Since she died defending her right to profess Christianity, she is regarded as a martyr....
 in 475. The Georgian-Armenian rebellion of 482 was defeated and the country was ravaged by Persian
Persian Empire

The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
 punitive expeditions in 483 and 484. After a short exile in Lazica, he made peace with Persia and returned to Kartli
Kartli

Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia . It includes the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and two other major cities, Gori and Rustavi....
 in 485. However, Vakhtang refused to join a new Persian campaign against Byzantium
Byzantium

Byzantium was an Ancient Greece city, which was founded by Greeks colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas ....
 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
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in the historical town of Mtskheta, Georgia , 20 kilometre northwest of the nation's capital of Tbilisi....
.

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
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
.

The legend of Tbilisi


The legend concerning the creation of Tbilisi
Tbilisi

Tbilisi , is the capital city and the largest city of Georgia , lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form Tpilisi and it was officially known as ?????? in Russian, until 1936....
, the capital city of Georgia, has been told for centuries and is still alive:

“King Vakhtang Gorgasali was hunting in the forest. His falcon
Falcon

A falcon is any species of bird of prey in the genus Falco. The word comes from their Latin name falco, related to Latin falx because of the shape of these birds' wings....
 chased a pheasant
Pheasant

Pheasants are a group of large birds in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, with males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattle and long tails....
. 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”)."

See also

  • Peranius
    Peranius

    Peranius was a Georgia prince from Caucasian Iberia and a military commander in Eastern Roman Empire service. According to Procopius, he was the eldest son of the Iberian king Gurgenes....
  • Pacurius
    Pacurius

    Pacurius was a prince of the Caucasian Iberia Chosroid dynasty and a military commander in the Eastern Roman Empire service in Italy. His name is presumably a Latinized rendition of the Georgian language Bakuri....
  • Juansheriani
    Juansheriani

    Juansheriani were an offshoot of the royal Chosroid dynasty of Caucasian Iberia whose Appanage consisted of lands in Shida Kartli and in Kakheti....


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