Saint King Vakhtang I Gorgasali (440 – 502) was the Georgian king (mepe) of Kartli (Iberia) in 452–502 who led a lengthy anti-Persian liberation war and founded Tbilisi, Georgia’s modern capital city. Events September 29 - Leo succeeds Sixtus as Pope. ... Events End of the Qi Dynasty and beginning of the Liang Dynasty in southern China. ... Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia. ... Iberia can mean: The Iberian peninsula of southwest Europe; That part of it once inhabited by the Iberians, who spoke the Iberian language. ... Events Attila, king of the Huns, invades Italy Northern Wei Tai Wu Di is succeeded by Northern Wei Nan An Wang, then by Northern Wei Wen Cheng Di as ruler of the Northern Wei Dynasty in China. ... Events End of the Qi Dynasty and beginning of the Liang Dynasty in southern China. ... View of Tiflis from the Grounds of Saint David Church, ca. ...

Vakhtang’s Life

He was a son of Mihrdat V, King of Kartli and Queen Sagduht of Ran. Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia. ... Ran can mean: An ancient Norse goddess. ...

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.

Married to a Persian princess, he guarded the northern passes through Kartli, subdued the Alans (Ossetes) and participated in Persian campaigns against Byzantium between 455 and 458 and in India, probably in Shah Peroz'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 and by establishing his dominance over Byzantium-held western Georgian countries of Egrisi (Lazica) and Abkhazia, fortified Kartlian fortresses, made an alliance with Armenians and began preparations for a major anti-Persian uprising. Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia. ... The Alans or Alani were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people, warlike nomadic pastoralists of mixed backgrounds, who spoke an Iranian language and shared, in a broad sense, a common culture. ... ... Persia or Persian most often refer to: Persia The Persians, an ethnic group, also called Tajiks Persian language Persian (Pokémon) See also Iranian, Iranian peoples, Iranian languages and Aryan. ... Byzantium was an ancient Greek city-state, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas. ... Events June 2 - Gaiseric leads the Vandals into Rome and plunder the city for two weeks. ... Events Childeric I succeeds Merovech as king of the Franks (or 457). ... The Hephthalites, also known as White Huns, were a nomadic people who lived across northern China, Central Asia, and northern India in the fourth through sixth centuries. ... Events January 18 - Leo II briefly becomes Byzantine emperor. ... Events August - The usurper Basiliscus is deposed and Zeno is restored as Eastern Roman Emperor. ... The Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church (Kartuli Martlmadidebeli da Samotsikulo Eklesia, ქართული მართლმადიდებელი და სამოციქულო ეკლესია in Georgian language) is one of the worlds most ancient Christian Churches, founded in the 1st century by the Apostle Andrew. ... Egrisi (or Kolkheti) was a kingdom in the western part of Georgia, which flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It was covered the territory of the former kingdom Kolkha (Colchis) and the territory of modern Abkhazia). ... Egrisi (or Kolkheti) was a kingdom in the western part of Georgia, which flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It was covered the territory of the former kingdom Kolkha (Colchis) and the territory of modern Abkhazia). ... Abkhazia (Abkhaz Аҧсны/Aphsny, Georgian აფხაზეთი/Apkhazeti, Russian Абха́зия/Abkhazia) is a region of 8,600 km² (3,300 sq. ...

In 482, he ordered to kill Varsken, Iran’s most faithful vassal and pitiaxsh (vitaxa – viceroy) of one of the Kartlian provinces, who had martyred his wife Shushanik in 475. Vakhtang married Princess Helena of Byzantium and sought Emperor Justinian’s help, but in vain. The Georgian-Armenian rebellion of 482 was defeated and the country was ravaged by Persian punitive expeditions in 483 and 484. After a short exile in Lazica, he made peace with Persia and returned to Kartli in 485. However, Vakhtang refused to join a new Persian campaign against Byzantium 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. Saint Shushanik (Å uÅ¡anik) (ca 440-475) was a Christian lady who was martyred by her husband Varsken in the town of Tsurtavi, Georgia. ... See also 475 (number) Events Orestes forces western Roman emperor Julius Nepos to flee and declares his son Romulus Augustus to be emperor. ... Justinian I depicted on a Byzantine mosaic Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus or Justinian I (May 11, 483–November 13/14, 565), was Eastern Roman Emperor from AD August 1, 527 until his death. ... Events Qi Gao Di, ruler of the Chinese Qi Dynasty Byzantine emperor Zeno I issues the Henotikon, an attempt to reconcile the differences between the supporters of Orthodoxy and Monophysitism. ... Persia or Persian most often refer to: Persia The Persians, an ethnic group, also called Tajiks Persian language Persian (Pokémon) See also Iranian, Iranian peoples, Iranian languages and Aryan. ... Events March 13 - Pope Felix III succeeds Pope Simplicius The general Illus and Verina, mother-in-law of Byzantine emperor Zeno I, attempt to overthrow Zeno and place a general named Leontius on the throne. ... Events December 28 - Alaric II succeeds Euric as king of the Visigoths. ... Egrisi (or Kolkheti) was a kingdom in the western part of Georgia, which flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It was covered the territory of the former kingdom Kolkha (Colchis) and the territory of modern Abkhazia). ... Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia. ... Events Peter the Fuller is excommunicated by a synod in Rome. ... Byzantium was an ancient Greek city-state, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas. ... Events End of the Qi Dynasty and beginning of the Liang Dynasty in southern China. ...

Vakhtang’s bodyguards took him in his fortified residence of Ujarma, where he passed away in a few days and was buried in Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.

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. Georgians (Kartveli Eri, ქართველი ერი or Kartvelebi, ქართველები in Georgian language) are a nation or ethnic group (ethnos), originating in the Caucasus, one of the most ancient peoples of the world. ...

The Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali is one of the highest decorations awarded by Georgia.

The Legend of Tbilisi

The legend concerning the creation of Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, has been told for centuries and is still alive: View of Tiflis from the Grounds of Saint David Church, ca. ...

“King Vakhtang Gorgasali was hunting in the forest. His falcon chased a pheasant. The bird fell into a hot water and made a sound and became well again and flew away. Surprised by the miraculous healing powers of water, Vakhtang gave orders to build a city on this site and named it Tphilisi (Tbilisi; In Georgian “the site of warm springs”)." Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Genera Ithaginis Catreus Rheinartia Crossoptilon Lophura Argusianus Pucrasia Syrmaticus Chrysolophus Phasianus † See also partridge, quail Pheasants are a group of large birds in the order Galliformes. ...

See also

• List of Georgians
• List of Georgian Kings
• History of Georgia

The following is a partial list of prominent people from the country Georgia, arranged chronologically within categories. ... This is a list of Georgian kings Parnavaz I of Iberia (284BC - 219BC) Mirian II Vakhtang Gorgasali David the Builder (1073-1125) Tamar (1184-1213) Giorgi the Brilliant Erekle II Categories: Stub | Monarchs ... The recorded history of Georgia dates back more than 4,000 years and the Georgian language is one of the oldest living languages in the world. ...

External Link

• http://www.iranica.com/articles/v10f5/v10f504b.html
• http://www.parliament.ge/GENERAL/HISTORY/his2.html