Ashot the Swift (died in 939) ( ka, აშოტ კისკასი, tr) was a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

prince of the

Bagrationi dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is som ...

from

Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to: * Tao-Klarjeti, part of Georgian historical region of Upper Kartli * Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, AD 888 to 1008 {{set index article Kingdom of Iberia Historical regions of Georgia (country) ...

. He was nicknamed ''Kiskas'', meaning "the Swift" Ashot was a son of

Bagrat I of Klarjeti Bagrat I ( ka, ბაგრატ I) (died April 20, 900) was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti and the ruler of Klarjeti from 889 until his death. There is some confusion in dating Bagrat's death. According to the 11th- ...

. He was married to the sister of

George II of Abkhazia George II (, Giorgi II), of the Leonid dynasty was a king of Abkhazia from 923 to 957 AD. His lengthy reign is regarded as a zenith of cultural flowering and political power of his realm. Despite being independent and locally titled as a ''Mepe'' ( ...

. Together they had a daughter who was married to

Gurgen II of Tao Gurgen II "the Great" (, ''Gurgen Didi'') (died February 14, 941) was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti and hereditary ruler of Tao with the title of '' eristavt-eristavi'', "duke of dukes". He also bore the Byzantine ti ...

. Ashot was in possession of the important fortified town of Artanuji, which he probably inherited from his elder brother, Gurgen I of Klarjeti. According to

Constantine Porphyrogenitus Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Ka ...

' '' De Administrando Imperio'', Ashot was on bad terms with his son-in-law Gurgen of Tao, who was determined to take Artanuji as his own. Ashot offered to hand the town over to the Byzantines in return for their protection. The Byzantine plenipotentiary, the ''

patrikios The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned aft ...

'' Constans fulfilled his mission to confirm Gurgen of Tao as ''

magistros The ''magister officiorum'' (Latin literally for "Master of Offices", in gr, μάγιστρος τῶν ὀφφικίων, magistros tōn offikiōn) was one of the most senior administrative officials in the Later Roman Empire and the early cent ...

'' and proceeded to occupy Artanuji with the Chaldian army. The Georgian princes, competing with Ashot, protested and threatened to go over to the Arabs unless it was restored. The emperor

Romanos I Lekapenos Romanos I Lekapenos ( el, Ρωμανός Λεκαπηνός; 870 – 15 June 948), Latinized as Romanus I Lecapenus, was Byzantine emperor from 920 until his deposition in 944, serving as regent for the infant Constantine VII. Origin Romanos ...

had to disown Constans's action to pacify them. Ashot the Swift was given back Artanuji, but Gurgen soon captured the town and gave his father-in-law some land in compensation, which also he later annexed. Ashot died in 939 as a refugee at the court of his brother-in-law, George II.Cyrille Toumanoff, Les dynasties de la Caucasie chrétienne de l'Antiquité jusqu'au XIXe siècle : Tables généalogiques et chronologiques, Rome, 1990, p. 132.

References

939 deaths Bagrationi dynasty of Klarjeti 9th-century rulers in Europe 10th-century rulers in Europe Year of birth unknown {{Georgia-royal-stub