Vakhtang ( ka, ვახტანგი) or Tsuata ( ka, ცუატა) (c. 1118 – 1138) was a Georgian royal prince (''

batonishvili ''Batonishvili'' ( ka, ბატონიშვილი, ) is a title for royal princes and princesses who descend from the Kings of Georgia from the Bagrationi dynasty. ''Batonishvili'' is suffixed after or before the given names e.g. David ' ...

'') of the

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

. He was the son of King

David IV the Builder David IV, also known as David IV the Builder ( ka, დავით IV აღმაშენებელი, tr; 1073 – 24 January 1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th king (''mepe'') of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1089 until his dea ...

and the

Cuman The Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Rus' chronicles, as " ...

Kipchak Kipchak may refer to: * Kipchaks, a medieval Turkic people * Kipchak languages, a Turkic language group * Kipchak language, an extinct Turkic language of the Kipchak group * Kipchak Khanate or Golden Horde * Kipchak Mosque, a mosque in the villa ...

princess Gurandukht, daughter of Khan Otrok. Vakhtang was involved in an attempted coup against

Demetrius I of Georgia Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumitru, Demitri, D ...

, his half-brother and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

. Vakhtang was captured, blinded and cast in prison where he apparently died shortly afterwards.

Biography

The 12th-century document ''The Will of King David'' contains a vague and controversial passage whereby David instructs the eldest son and

Demetrius I to rear his younger brother Vakhtang and make him a successor to the throne if the latter proves to be "capable". Given the Georgian

order of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

and indication that an attempted coup against Demetrius in the 1130s involved Vakhtang, many modern scholars in Georgia consider the passage to be a latter-day forgery by Vakhtang's sympathizers. A reference to the aristocratic plot against Demetrius on behalf of Vakhtang is found in the contemporaneous

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n chronicle by

Vardan Vardan (; Vartan (disambiguation), Vartan in Western Armenian transliteration, pronounced in both Eastern and Western Armenian), Varden (disambiguation), Varden ( ka, ვარდენ) in Georgian language, Georgian, is an Armenian name of Midd ...

although the author does not directly names the rebellious prince. This plot, intended to assassinate Demetrius I, was directed by the influential nobleman Ivane

Abuletisdze The Abuletisdze family ( ka, აბულეთისძე) was a Georgian noble family – eristavs – with its most prominent members in the 12th and 13th century. The family held appanages in the valleys of Aragvi and Tedzami in the eastern ...

and his son Kirkish. The king was timely warned by Ivane's father Abulet. Vakhtang was captured, blinded and cast in prison where he apparently died shortly afterwards. Melikishvili, Giorgi & Anchabadze, Zurab (ed., 1979)
საქართველოს ისტორიის ნარკვევებიტ. 3: საქართველო XI–XV საუკუნეებში
(''Studies in the History of Georgia'', vol. 3: ''Georgia in the 11th–15th centuries''). Tbilisi: Sabchota Sakartvelo

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vakhtang 1110s births 1138 deaths Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Georgia Georgian princes People of Cuman descent