Martyr 5th century

Royal Martyr Mirdat King of Kartli

died 410

Also known as Mirdat of Georgia

A king of Kartli who loved Christ and his people, taken captive by the Persians and put to death for the faith; remembered as the first martyred king of Georgia.

Feast Day

July 8

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Commemorated as

The Holy Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli

Life

Mirdat was a king of Kartli, the central Georgian kingdom, who reigned from 408 to 410 and is remembered as the first martyred king of Georgia. According to the Georgian tradition, he was the son of Varaz-Bakur and was raised by his maternal grandfather, King Trdat, who is credited with instilling in him devotion to God and to his nation. He is commemorated on July 8 (July 21 by the new calendar).

The synaxarion accounts describe Mirdat as a capable and resolute ruler, noting his wisdom, fearlessness, and courage. During his short reign he liberated the region of Klarjeti from Byzantine control and abolished the tribute system by which Kartli had been required to pay taxes to Persia. Having freed his kingdom of that obligation, he prepared its defenses for the conflict with Persia that followed.

When the Persian king assembled a large army against Kartli, Mirdat advanced toward Gardabani in eastern Georgia with a much smaller force. The Georgians were defeated and the king was taken captive. The Persian ruler demanded that he renounce the Christian faith, but Mirdat steadfastly refused. He was tortured and bound in chains, and after prolonged torment he died in prison in 410, for which the Church venerates him as a martyr.

Timeline 4 moments Read Hide

408 Accession Mirdat became king of Kartli.
408–410 Reign He liberated Klarjeti from the Byzantines and abolished the tribute paid to Persia.
410 Defeat and capture He was defeated by a large Persian army near Gardabani in eastern Georgia and taken captive.
410 Martyrdom Refusing to renounce Christ, he was tortured and died in a Persian prison.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributions Read Hide

Reign and Martyrdom

Mirdat's reign of roughly two years was marked by efforts to assert the independence of Kartli against both Byzantine and Persian pressure. The tradition presents his liberation of Klarjeti and his abolition of the Persian tribute as the immediate provocations for the Persian campaign that ended his rule.

Defeated at Gardabani and taken prisoner, Mirdat refused the Persian king's demand to abandon Christianity. The accounts relate that neither intimidation nor torture broke his resolve, and that he remained firm in the faith until he died in captivity. He is honored as the first of the Georgian kings to suffer death as a martyr for Christ.

Historical Context

In the secular historical record Mirdat is identified with the king of Iberia of the Chosroid dynasty who reigned in the early fifth century, positioned between the reigns of Pharasmanes IV and his own son and successor Archil. The Georgian kingdom of his day lay between the Roman (Byzantine) and Sasanian empires, and he is remembered for opposing both powers. The conflicting genealogies and circumstances of his death found in later chronicles reflect the difficulty of reconstructing this period of Georgian history from the surviving sources.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints