Bagrat I of Abkhazia

Bagrat I
ბაგრატ I
Bagrat I; ბაგრატ I
King of Abkhazia
Reign	882 - 894
Predecessor	Adarnase
Successor	Constantine III
Dynasty	Anchabadze
Religion	Georgian Orthodox Church

Bagrat I (Georgian: ბაგრატ I) was the King of Abkhazia between 882 and 894.^[A] He was the second son of Demetrius II of the Anchabadze dynasty.

Life

After the usurper John Shavliani seized the throne Bagrat fled to Constantinople and lived there for some time until he returned to Abkhazia in 887. He deposed and put to death Adarnase Shavliani (the son of John Shavliani), reclaimed the throne and married the latter's widow (daughter of Guaram of Samtskhe), with whom he had a son Constantine who succeeded him to the throne of Abkhazia.^[1]

Intervention in Tao-Klarjeti

Bagrat supported his brother-in-law, Nasra who tried to take power in Tao-Klarjeti, the latter killed David I curopalates in 881 and placed on the throne Gurgen I of Tao. After the murder, Nasra was forced to flee to the Byzantine Empire, where he was retrieved by Bagrat I. Bagrat managed to secure the Byzantine military aid for him and invaded the Bagratid possessions on Nasra's behalf in 887. The only son of David I, Adarnase then allied to Ashot I of Armenia and resisted invaders. Thus, a Bagratid dynastic feud evolved into a regional conflict. Eventually, Gurgen I of Tao switched his side and joined Adarnase against Nasra who was defeated and put to death in 888.