| Vakhtang I Gorgasali | |
|---|---|
 A miniature by Pier Rossi based on the 17th century fresco of Vakhtang from Svetitskhoveli Cathedral | |
| 32nd King of Iberia | |
| Reign | c. 447/49 – 502/22 |
| Predecessor | Mihrdat V |
| Successor | Dachi |
| Born | c. 439/43 Mtskheta, Kingdom of Iberia, Sasanian Empire |
| Died | c. 502/22 (aged 62–63 or 78-79) Ujarma, Kingdom of Iberia, Sasanian Empire |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Balendukht Elene |
| Issue | Dachi Leon Mihrdat Two anonymous daughters |
| Dynasty | Chosroid dynasty |
| Father | Mihrdat V |
| Mother | Sagdukht |
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church |
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.
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 to him the reorganization of the Georgian Orthodox Church and the 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 examplary warrior-king and statesman, which has been preserved in popular memory to this day.
By the Middle Ages, he emerged as one of the most popular figures in Georgia's history[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]
- ^ Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts, p. 320. Peeters Publishers, ISBN 90-429-1318-5
- ^ Toumanoff, Cyril (1963). Studies in Christian Caucasian History, pp. 368–9. Georgetown University Press.
- ^ 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.