Arch'il of the Chosroid Dynasty

Chosroid Dynasty

The Chosroids were a dynasty of the kings and later of the presiding princes of the early Georgian state of Iberia, natively known as Kartli, from the fourth to the ninth centuries. Of Iranian origin and a branch of the Mihranid House, the family accepted Christianity as their official religion c...

, was the king of Iberia

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...

 (Kartli

Kartli

Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...

, eastern Georgia

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...

) from c. 411 to 435. He was the son and successor of King Mirdat IV

Mihrdat IV of Iberia

Mihrdat IV |Latinized]] as Mithridates), of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia from c. 409 to 411.He was the son of Varaz-Bakur II and the grandson of Trdat...

.

The two principal medieval Georgian chronicles – The Conversion of Kartli

Conversion of Kartli

The Conversion of Kartli is the earliest surviving medieval Georgian historical compendium, independent from The Georgian Chronicles, the major corpus historicum of medieval Georgia...

, and The Life of Kartli, – relate conflicting versions of Archil’s reign. The former story is extremely brief, but regretfully indicates that the positions of Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...

, an official Sasanid religion, was firm in Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 Iberia, a testimony to the effectively unchallenged Sasanid hegemony over the country. The other chronicle informs us of Archil’s successful rebellion against Iran, his victory over a punitive force and a retaliatory raid into Arran. The authenticity of this latter account has been questioned by modern scholars.

Arch'il is also attested in two Armenia

Armenia

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

n sources: Koryun

Koryun

Koryun was the earliest Armenian-language historian. Writing in the fifth century, his "Life of Mesrob" contains many details about the evangelization of Armenia and the invention of the Armenian alphabet.Some Armenian and European scholars, such as G.Alishan, O.Torosyan, G.Fintigliyan, A.Sarukhan,...

’s The Life of Mashtots

Saint Mesrob

Saint Mesrop Mashtots was an Armenian monk, theologian and linguist. He is best known for having invented the Armenian alphabet, which was a fundamental step in strengthening the Armenian Church, the government of the Armenian Kingdom, and ultimately the bond between the Armenian Kingdom and...

, cap. 18; and Moses of Chorene, III.60.