Vakhtang III

Vakhtang III (Georgian: ვახტანგ III; 1276–1308), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the king (mepe) of Georgia from 1302 to 1308. He ruled during the Mongol dominance of Georgia.

Vakhtang III
Relief of King Vakhtang III
King of Georgia
Reign	1302–1308
Predecessor	George V David VIII
Successor	David VIII
Born	1276
Died	1308
Burial	Dmanisi Sioni cathedral
Spouse	Ripsime
Issue	Demetrius George
Dynasty	Bagrationi dynasty
Father	Demetre II of Georgia
Religion	Georgian Orthodox Church

A son of Demetrius II of Georgia by his Trapezuntine wife, Vakhtang was appointed, in 1302, by the Ilkhan Ghazan as a rival king to his brother David VIII, who had revolted against the Mongol rule. Vakhtang, however, controlled only the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and parts of the southern and eastern provinces of the kingdom. After an unsuccessful offensive against David's guerrillas, the brothers agreed to rule the kingdom jointly. However, Vakhtang was destined to spend most of his reign as a commander of the Georgian and Armenian auxiliaries in endless Mongol campaigns, particularly against Damascus (1303) and Gilan (1304).

Family

Vakhtang III married Ripsime. The 18th-century Georgian Chronicle mentions her as a niece of Shabur. They had two known sons:

• Demetrius, ruler of Dmanisi.
• George, ruler of Samshvilde.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Vakhtang III
16. David Soslan 8. George IV of Georgia 17. Tamar of Georgia 4. David VII of Georgia 2. Demetre II of Georgia 10. Kakhaber IV Kakhaberidze 5. Gvantsa Kakhaberidze 1. Vakhtang III of Georgia 24. Manuel Komnenos 12. Alexios I of Trebizond 25. Rusudan of Georgia 6. Manuel I of Trebizond 26. John Komnenos Axouchos 13. Theodora Axouchina 3. Theodora Megale Komnena 7. Irene Syrikaina

References

• Ivane Javakhishvili. History of the Georgian nation. v. 3; Tbilisi, 1982: 147-150 (in Georgian)