547–561 AD: Sovereignty under Siege

King Pharasmanes V (Parsman V) ruled during the climax of the Sassanid-Byzantine wars for the Caucasus. His reign is a testament to the limited power of a small king caught between two empires determined to destroy each other.

In 547 AD, the Persian Shah Khosrow I was consolidating his hold on Lazica (Western Georgia), having captured the key fortress of Petra. While the war raged in the west, Pharasmanes V in the east (Kartli) faced immense pressure to provide troops and supplies for the Persian war machine. Every Georgian soldier sent to fight Romans in Lazica was one less soldier defending Tbilisi.

The Erosion of Power

Pharasmanes V’s reign saw the further erosion of royal authority. The Persian marzban (governor) in Tbilisi began to take over more judicial and administrative functions. The King was slowly being reduced to a figurehead, a leader of the nobility but not the state.

However, Pharasmanes fought to maintain the dynastic succession. Despite Persian attempts to introduce elective monarchy (which would allow them to pick puppets), Pharasmanes ensured that the Chosroid principle of primogeniture (father to son) remained the law of the land. This legal resistance was crucial; it kept the idea of a legitimate Georgian royal house alive.

Tourism Guide: The Hidden Basilicas

During this period of political suppression, religious architecture became smaller but more widespread, moving to rural areas away from Persian eyes:

  1. Katskhi Pillar (Imareti/Kartli border): While the current hermitage is later, the tradition of extreme asceticism and withdrawal from the political world began gaining traction in this era as a response to Persian dominance.
  2. Old Shuamta (Kakheti): One of the basilicas here dates to the 5th/6th century. It represents the type of architecture Pharasmanes V would have patronized—simple, sturdy, and hidden in the forests of Gombori.