561 AD – Unknown: The Calm Before the Storm

King Pharasmanes VI (Parsman VI) ascended the throne in 561 AD, the exact year the Roman and Persian empires signed the “Fifty-Year Peace” treaty. For the great powers, this was a time of relief. For Iberia, it was a death sentence.

The treaty solidified the status quo: Lazica (West) belonged to Rome, and Iberia (East) belonged to Persia. Pharasmanes VI ruled a country that had been officially signed away by the international community. There were no more Roman legions coming to help. The King was alone with his overlords.

The Invisible King

Historical records on Pharasmanes VI are scant, and this silence speaks volumes. He was likely stripped of all significant military and diplomatic power by the Persian administration. He retained the royal title and the right to collect certain taxes, but the real decisions were made in Ctesiphon.

His reign represents the final phase of the Chosroid monarchy—a “phantom sovereignty.” Yet, the very fact that the title “King of Iberia” continued to exist suggests a stubborn resilience. Pharasmanes VI kept the court alive, maintained the royal rituals, and ensured the Church remained the spiritual center of the nation, even as the political center shifted to the Persian governor.

The Seeds of Revolt

While Pharasmanes VI was powerless, the dissatisfaction among the Georgian nobility (the eristavis) was growing. The heavy Persian taxes and the imposition of Zoroastrian customs were creating a pressure cooker. Pharasmanes VI’s inability to act likely pushed the nobility to consider a radical idea: if the King cannot protect us, perhaps we do not need a King at all.