Vakhtang I Gorgasali was the king of Iberia. He came out of the Chosroid dynasty. His father was King Mithridates VI, and his mother was Queen Sandukhta. Ranked among the saints. Vakhtang was one of the founders of statehood in Georgia in the 2nd half of the 5th century.
Start of reign
After the death of his father, Mithridates VI, Vakhtang took the throne at the age of seven. Until he came of age, his mother, Sandukhta, remained with him as regent.
By the beginning of the reign of Vakhtang, from the middle of the 5th century, the kingdom of Kartli was subordinate to Sasanian Iran. Mazdeism, the religion of pre-Islamic Iran, was practiced here as a legitimate religion. His wife was Princess Balendukhta, daughter of Ormidz, King of Persia.
Wolf Head
This is how the nickname "Gorgasal" is translated from Persian. Which is a nod to the shape of the helmet he wore. The literal translation of the nickname sounds like "Wolfhead". It was given to the king by the Persians. According to legend, the king's helmet had an image of a wolf's head on the front, and a lion's head on the back. When the Persians saw a helmet with such images, theythey warned each other by shouting: "Dur for the gorgasar", which meant "beware of the wolf's head."
Unification of Georgian lands
The biography of Vakhtang Gorgasali is notable for the fact that the basis of his activity was the desire to unite Georgia and reduce its dependence on the Iranian authorities. The king used the confrontation between Byzantium and Iran in the interests of Kartli. He managed to return the Georgian province of Klarjeti, captured by Byzantium; annex Hereti, which was in the sphere of influence of Iran; extend the influence of Kartli to Egrisi, a western Georgian state.
In the 460s, Vakhtang opposed the nomadic Alans, occupying the Darial fortress. The latter was a stronghold of Kartli on the northern borders. After that, he made a trip to Western Georgia, which he liberated from the Byzantines.
King Vakhtang Gorgasali fortified and restored many fortresses and created a powerful system of fortifications.
Victory over the fire worshipers
In the 470s, Vakhtang did not participate in hostilities against Byzantium. Binkaran, the chief minister of the fire cult, he threw into prison, and expelled his followers from the kingdom of Kartli.
In response, the Iranians sent an army of punishers. As a result of the negotiations that took place, Vakhtang was again forced to recognize his kingdom as a vassal of Iran. However, fire worship here has already lost its former status.
Having received the consent of the deliberative body (darbazi) acting under it,Vakhtang Gorgasali introduced the positions of eristavis in the provinces, directly subordinate to his authority.
The beginning of church reform
Vakhtang decided to seek recognition of the independence of the Georgian Orthodox Church. To this end, he began a church reform and asked the Eastern Roman emperor to send the priest Peter, with whom he was familiar, and 12 bishops to Kartli. He wanted to put Peter at the head of the church as a catholicos.
Michael I, Archbishop of Kartli, was very angry about this. Before that, he had already had disagreements with the king. The archbishop declared Vakhtang an apostate and cursed him along with the army. In order to prevent the development of the conflict, the king went to Michael, knelt before him, touching his robe. But he kicked Vakhtang, knocking out his tooth. After that, the archbishop was expelled from the country to the patriarch, by whom he was assigned as a monk to a monastery near Constantinople.
Outpost of Christianity in the Caucasus
At that time, the Georgian church was subordinate to the Antiochian, so Peter and 12 bishops, who came from Constantinople, went to the Patriarch of Antioch. Enlisting his blessing, they returned to the capital of Byzantium.
Emperor Leo I the Great presented them with gifts intended for the Georgian king. In addition, he sent his daughter Elena to Mtskheta, who was to become the wife of Vakhtang Gorgasali.
Arriving in Kartli, part of the bishops became the head of the newly formed dioceses, and part changed supportersMichael I. At the end of the 5th century, there were 24 dioceses in the country, and it turned into an outpost of Christianity in the Caucasus.
Fatal Wound
After the country's position has strengthened, the fight against Iran continued. In 484, Vakhtang led a major uprising of Georgians and Armenians. Although the uprising was crushed, the Sassanid regime was weakened.
In 502, in a battle with the Persians on the banks of the river Iori, the king was mortally wounded. Before his death, Vakhtang Gorgasali called his family, clergy and the royal court to him. He bequeathed to them to observe firmness of faith and, in order to receive eternal glory, to seek destruction for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ. The king was buried in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, where there was a fresco with his image.
Memory
Vakhtang's plans were to move the capital to Tbilisi, for this he carried out a number of construction works. The implementation of this plan, he bequeathed to his successor. He built the temples of Ninotsminda and Nikozi, the fortress city of Cheremi. The king's heir was his son Dachi.
And also the name of Vakhtang is associated with participation in the construction of a monastery in Jerusalem, bearing the name of the Holy Cross. Until the 19th century, there was his image on one of the walls. In storage in the British Museum is a gem, which depicts a man in a royal crown. He is identified with Vakhtang Gorgasali.
In Georgia, he is revered and loved by the people, being a model of wisdom and courage. Many poems, folk verses, and legends are dedicated to him. The Georgian Church canonized him as a saint, the day of his remembrance is 30November.
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II gave his blessing, and a chapel dedicated to Vakhtang Gorgasali was added to the Zion Patriarchal Church. And in the city of Rustavi, a cathedral was erected in his honor.
