Vakhtang I. Gorgassali
Vakhtang I. Gorgassali ( Georgian ვახტანგ I გორგასალი ; * 440 ; † 502 in Udscharma , Iberia ) was a Georgian king from the Chosroids dynasty . From 452 to 502 he ruled over the Kingdom of Iberia . He waged a war against the Persian Empire and founded Tbilisi , today's Georgian capital.
Life
Wachtang I. Gorgassali was born as the son of the Iberian king Mirdat V and the queen Sagducht von Ran.
The nickname Gorgassali is a modification of the Persian word Gorgaslan , Gurgaslan or Gorgasar (German wolf head ). He received it from the Persian war opponents, based on the shape of his helmet .
Wachtang was married to a Persian princess. He protected the mountain passes north of Iberia through the Great Caucasus , defeated the Alans and took part in the Persian campaigns against the Byzantine Empire and India from 455 to 458 , probably also in the wars of Shah Peroz I against the Hephthalites from 474 to 476 .
He felt his political independence was impaired by Persia. He therefore endeavored to strengthen his position by supporting the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church , which brought the western Georgian countries of Byzantium Egrisi , Lasika and Abkhazia under his rule, expanded the Iberian fortresses, formed an alliance with the Armenians and made preparations met with a large-scale anti-Persian uprising.
In 482 he ordered Warsken, the viceroy of an Iberian province and loyal Persian vassal, to be killed. According to legend, Warsken is said to have thrown his wife Shushanik in dungeon in 475 because she did not want to accept the Persian faith (see Martyrdom of Saint Shushanik ). Wachtang married Princess Helena of Byzantium and asked Emperor Zenon for help. But there was no help. The Georgian-Armenian uprising of 482 was suppressed and the country was ravaged by Persian punitive expeditions in 483 and 484.
After a short exile in Lasika, Wachtang made peace with the Persians and returned to Iberia in 485. However, he refused to join another Persian campaign against Byzantium. Thereupon Shah Kavadh I attacked Iberia in 502. Although the Persians were three times superior, the Iberians managed to defend their borders in a four-day battle.
Wachtang was fatally wounded on the last day of the battle. Legend has it that one of the royal slaves shot him through an opening in his armor . His bodyguards took him to the Usharma fortified residence, where he died a few days later. He was buried in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral .
Vakhtang Gorgassali became a Georgian national hero . Its history has been shrouded in legends over the centuries . It is the content of various Georgian folk songs . For several centuries the Georgian flag was called Gorgasliani after its nickname . Today the order of Vakhtang Gorgassali is the highest order in Georgia. The Georgian Orthodox Apostle Church has named him a saint . The words “Seek death for Christ's sake” (“ეძიებდით სიკვდილს ქრისტესთვის”) are considered as the testament of Wachtang (“ვახტანგის ანდერძი”) to all born Georgians. The equestrian monument of King Wachtang I has greeted visitors since 1967 as a symbol of the Georgian capital.
The legend of Tbilisi
Vakhtang Gorgassali is at the center of the legend about the founding of Tbilisi: King Vakhtang Gorgassali was hunting in a forest. His falcon killed a pheasant . The bird fell into a spring of hot water. The king and his servants saw steam rising from the water. Surprised by the abundance of hot water, Vakhtang gave the order to build a city here and name it Tphilisi (Georgian Tbilisi , "place of warm springs").
literature
- Sargis Kakabaje: Vaxtang Gorgasalis xana . Tbilisis Damoukidebeli Univ. [u. a.], Tbilisi 1994
- Vaxtang Goilaje: Vaxtang Gorgasali da misi istorikosi . Mecniereba, Tbilisi 1991, ISBN 5-520-00966-X
Web links
Individual evidence
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Mirdat V. |
King of Georgia 452–502 |
Dachi |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Vakhtang I. Gorgassali |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | ვახტანგ I გორგასალი (Georgian) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Georgian king |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 440 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 502 |
| Place of death | Udscharma , Iberia |