Tzath I of Lazica
Encyclopedia
Tzath I was king of Lazica from 521/522 to an unknown date. He rejected Sassanid Persian overlordship and turned to the Byzantine emperor Justin I
(r. 518–527) for aid.
Tzath was the son of Damnazes, of whom nothing is known. Upon his father's death, in 521 or 522, he refused to recognize the traditional suzerainty exercised by the Persian ruler over Lazica, and instead turned to the Byzantines. He went to Constantinople
, where he was received by Justin I, baptized as a Christian, and wedded to a noble wife, Valeriana. After having received the insignia and royal robes that signified both his royal status and his submission to the Byzantine emperor, he returned to Lazica.
Tzath is mentioned for the last time with the outbreak of the Iberian War
in 527, when Lazica was attacked by the Persians, who had easily overrun the rebellious Iberians
. He sent for aid to Justinian I
(r. 527–565), who had succeeded his uncle. Justinian responded by sending an army, which allowed Lazica to resist the Persians successfully.
Professor Cyril Toumanoff
of Georgetown University
has conjectured that Tzath's reign lasted until 540, when he was succeeded by his possible son, Gubazes II
. Opsites
, an uncle of Gubazes, is mentioned by the Roman historian Procopius
as sometime "king of the Lazi" on one occasion and as prince of east Abasgia on the other. If indeed a king, Opsites reign may well be placed between those of Tzath and Gubazes. Toumanoff, however, further assumes that Opsites was a member of the Lazic royal family and prince of Abasgia, but never a king of Lazica, thus making Gubazes a direct successor of Tzath I.
Justin I
Justin I was Byzantine Emperor from 518 to 527. He rose through the ranks of the army and ultimately became its Emperor, in spite of the fact he was illiterate and almost 70 years old at the time of accession...
(r. 518–527) for aid.
Tzath was the son of Damnazes, of whom nothing is known. Upon his father's death, in 521 or 522, he refused to recognize the traditional suzerainty exercised by the Persian ruler over Lazica, and instead turned to the Byzantines. He went to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, where he was received by Justin I, baptized as a Christian, and wedded to a noble wife, Valeriana. After having received the insignia and royal robes that signified both his royal status and his submission to the Byzantine emperor, he returned to Lazica.
Tzath is mentioned for the last time with the outbreak of the Iberian War
Iberian War
The Iberian War was fought from 526 to 532 between the Eastern Roman Empire and Sassanid Empire over the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia.-Origin:After the Anastasian War, a seven-year truce was agreed on, yet it lasted for nearly twenty years...
in 527, when Lazica was attacked by the Persians, who had easily overrun the rebellious Iberians
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
. He sent for aid to Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
(r. 527–565), who had succeeded his uncle. Justinian responded by sending an army, which allowed Lazica to resist the Persians successfully.
Professor Cyril Toumanoff
Cyril Toumanoff
Cyril Leo Heraclius, Prince Toumanoff was an United States-based historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armenia, the Byzantine Empire, and Iran...
of Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
has conjectured that Tzath's reign lasted until 540, when he was succeeded by his possible son, Gubazes II
Gubazes II of Lazica
Gubazes II was king of Lazica from ca. 541 until his assassination in 555. He was one of the central personalities of the Lazic War, first as a Sassanid Persian vassal and after 548 as an ally of the Eastern Roman Empire....
. Opsites
Opsites of Lazica
Opsites is the name twice mentioned by the Roman historian Procopius in De Bellis, while recounting the events related to the Lazic War fought between the Eastern Roman and Sassanid Persian empires over the Caucasian state of Lazica....
, an uncle of Gubazes, is mentioned by the Roman historian Procopius
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine scholar from Palestine. Accompanying the general Belisarius in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he became the principal historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History...
as sometime "king of the Lazi" on one occasion and as prince of east Abasgia on the other. If indeed a king, Opsites reign may well be placed between those of Tzath and Gubazes. Toumanoff, however, further assumes that Opsites was a member of the Lazic royal family and prince of Abasgia, but never a king of Lazica, thus making Gubazes a direct successor of Tzath I.
Sources
- Toumanoff, Cyril. "How Many Kings Named Opsites?". A Tribute to John Insley Coddington on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the American Society of Genealogists. Association for the Promotion of Scholarship in Genealogy, 1980.