Ashot the Swift ( ka, აშოტ კისკასი, tr; died in 939) was a Georgian prince 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 ...

from

Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to: * Tao-Klarjeti, part of Georgian historical region of Upper Kartli * Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, AD 888 to 1008 {{set index article Kingdom of Iberia Historical regions of Georgia (country) ...

. He was nicknamed ''Kiskas'', meaning "the Swift" Ashot was a son of

Bagrat I of Klarjeti Bagrat I ( ka, ბაგრატ I) (died 20 April 900) was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti and the ruler of Klarjeti from 889 until his death. There is some confusion in dating Bagrat's death. According to the 11th-ce ...

. He was married to the sister of

George II of Abkhazia George II (, Giorgi II), of the Leonid dynasty was a Divan of the Abkhazian Kings, king of Kingdom of Abkhazia, Abkhazia from 923 to 957 AD. His lengthy reign is regarded as a zenith of cultural flowering and political power of his realm. Despite ...

. Together they had a daughter who was married to Gurgen II of Tao. Ashot was in possession of the important fortified town of Artanuji, which he probably inherited from his elder brother, Gurgen I of Klarjeti. According to

Constantine Porphyrogenitus Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, an ...

' ''

De Administrando Imperio (; ) is a Greek-language work written by the 10th-century Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII. It is a domestic and foreign policy manual for the use of Constantine's son and successor, the Emperor Romanos II. It is a prominent example of Byz ...

'', Ashot was on bad terms with his son-in-law Gurgen of Tao, who was determined to take Artanuji as his own. Ashot offered to hand the town over to the Byzantines in return for their protection. The Byzantine plenipotentiary, the ''

patrikios The patricians (from ) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after the Conflict of the Orders (494 BC to 287 B ...

'' Constans fulfilled his mission to confirm Gurgen of Tao as ''

magistros The (Latin; ; ) was one of the most senior administrative officials in the Later Roman Empire and the early centuries of the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantium, the office was eventually transformed into a senior honorary rank, simply called ''magist ...

'' and proceeded to occupy Artanuji with the

Chaldia Chaldia (, ''Khaldia'') was a historical region located in the mountainous interior of the eastern Black Sea, northeast Anatolia (modern Turkey). Its name was derived from a people called the ''Chaldoi'' (or '' Chalybes'') that inhabited the reg ...

n army. The Georgian princes, competing with Ashot, protested and threatened to go over to the Arabs unless it was restored. The emperor

Romanos I Lekapenos Romanos I Lakapenos or Lekapenos (; 870 – 15 June 948), Latinisation of names, Latinized as Romanus I Lacapenus or Romanus I Lecapenus, was Byzantine emperor from 920 until his deposition in 944, serving as regent for and senior co-ruler of ...

had to disown Constans's action to pacify them. Ashot the Swift was given back Artanuji, but Gurgen soon captured the town and gave his father-in-law some land in compensation, which also he later annexed. Ashot died in 939 as a refugee at the court of his brother-in-law, George II.Cyrille Toumanoff, Les dynasties de la Caucasie chrétienne de l'Antiquité jusqu'au XIXe siècle : Tables généalogiques et chronologiques, Rome, 1990, p. 132.

References

939 deaths Bagrationi dynasty of Klarjeti 9th-century monarchs in Europe 10th-century monarchs in Europe Year of birth unknown {{Georgia-royal-stub