Vakhtang, son of David IV of Georgia
Encyclopedia
Vakhtang or Tsuata (c. 1118 – 1138) was the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 Bagratid prince and the son of King David IV "the Builder"
David IV of Georgia
David IV "the Builder", also known as David II , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Georgia from 1089 until his death in 1125....

 (r. 1089–1125), probably of his second marriage to the Kipchak
Kipchaks in Georgia
Kipchaks are an ancient nomadic, Turkic people who occupied large territories from Central Asia to Eastern Europe. They, together with the Cumans played an important role in the history of many nations in the region, Georgia among them...

 "princess" Gurandukht, daughter of Otrok
Otrok
Otrok was an early eleventh-century Kipchak chieftain who was involved in the wars with Kievan Rus', and later served to the king of Georgia...

.

The 12th-century document The Will of King David contains a vague and controversial passage whereby David instructs the eldest son and heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

 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
Order of succession
An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...

 based on primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...

 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
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

n chronicle by Vardan
Vardan Areveltsi
Vardan Areveltsi was a thirteenth century Armenian historian, geographer, philosopher and translator. In addition to establishing numerous schools and monasteries, he also left behind a rich contribution to Armenian literature...

 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
Abuletisdze
Abuletisdze 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 province of Kakheti....

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.
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