Mirian I (Georgian:მირიან I) was a king (mepe) ofIberia who reigned in the2nd century BC. An adopted son of his father-in-law KingSauromaces I, he was a Persian-born prince but governed over Iberia as a member of thePharnavazid dynasty.

His reign coincided with the emergence of large geopolitical changes associated with the slow collapse of theSeleucid Empire and the rise ofParthia, as well as the increasing power of the neighboringKingdom of Armenia. While he faced a violent North Caucasian invasion, he repelled it successfully and fortified theDariali Pass, which would remain Georgia's first line of northern defense until the 19th century.

The medievalGeorgian Chronicles, telling the history of the ancientKingdom of Iberia, remains vague on the origins of Mirian. In the book, he is named a "Nebrotid" along with his descendants, an indication of his Persian origin as "Nebrot" was the Georgian name for Biblical figureNimrod, the mythical ancestor of Persians.^[1] While the identity of his father is unknown, his mother was said to be a maternal aunt of the wife of KingSauromaces I of Iberia and a sister of the Persian governor of Azerbaijan.^[2]

Vakhushti of Kartli andMarie-Félicité Brosset talk of Mirian I as the founder of the Nebrotid dynasty of Iberia.^[1] However,Cyril Toumanoff believed that the king was born into theOrontid royal dynasty of Armenia (though the latter disappeared around200 BC), or even a PersianMihranid (and so even though the Mihranids only appeared in history in the 4th century). Most likely, Mirian I was a Persian noble, his name coming from theMiddle Persianmihrbān ("friendly, good")^[3] and theOld Persian "Miθrāpāna" ("under the protection ofMithra").^[4]

King Sauromaces I had Mirian sent to Iberia as he had no male heir and was seeking a successor.^[2] He offered him his oldest daughter to wed, as well as the provinces ofGachiani andSamshvilde, the southern marches of the kingdom, with the title oferistavi ("royal governor").^[2] He would eventually formally be appointed as heir to the throne by Sauromaces I,^[5] making his reign a continuation of thePharnavazid dynasty.^[1]

In162 BC (or159 BC according to Cyril Toumanoff), King Sauromaces I died after a long reign of 75 years. Mirian acceded the throne, becoming the third King of Iberia,^[6] his capital beingMtskheta. He ruled at a time of tense geopolitical crises: at his southern border,Artaxiad Armenia at an increasing ambition that threatened the southern territories of Iberia, while HellenSeleucids and ParthianArsacids were at war over the control of the Near East.

The largest conflict came, however, at the north of Iberia, where several mountainous tribes maintained an unstable relationship with Iberia. At an unknown date, theDzurdzuk tribe, historical allies of Iberia, invaded the provinces ofKakheti andBazaleti, in the north of the kingdom.^[1] Along with several other North Caucasian tribes and the Chartaletian clan, which had been settled in Iberia by King Sauromaces I, the Dzurdzuks ravaged the country and captured many Iberians as hostages. King Mirian I summoned the governors of the eight royal provinces of the kingdom, as well as the pro-Iberian Dzurdzuk contingent inSvaneti to repel the invasion.^[1]

Mirian and his troops managed to first free to lands occupied by the North Caucasians, before chasing down the Dzurdzuks.^[1] The decisive battle took place in theDariali Gorge, where Iberian forces afoot, led by the king himself, won a bloody victory over the invaders.^[1] Continuing his campaign, King Mirian pursued the North Caucasians and ravaged the Dzurdzuk and Chartaletian lands.^[5]

Following this invasion, Mirian I had a series of fortifications built in the gorge, known as the Dariali Pass. Till the 19th century, these fortifications would be used as the first line of defense against North Caucasian raids.^[5]

Unlike his predecessors, King Mirian became a vassal ofParthia, while seeking to keep close ties with the Seleucid Empire, notably my marrying his daughter to wed the Armenian PrinceArtaxias, son of the pro-Seleucid kingArtavasdes I. These alliances, however, could not prevent the rise of theKingdom of Pontus, whose ruler KingMithridates VIEupator acceded the throne in120 BC and began a progressive annexation ofColchis.^[5]

The Persian origins of Mirian I may be behind the fact that he has been depicted as aZoroastrian. He dispatched several religious representatives across Iberia, but had to face a large opposition and several bloody revolts.^[7] In112 BC (or109 BC), King Mirian I died and left his throne to his sonPharnajom.

King Mirian I had at least two children from an unknown wife:

• Pharnajom, King of Iberia
• a daughter, wife of KingArtaxias I.

• Brosset, Marie-Félicité (1849).Histoire de la Géorgie depuis l'Antiquité jusqu'au XIXe siècle. Volume I [History of Georgia from Ancient Times to the 19th Century, Volume 1] (in French). Saint-Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences.
• Toumanoff, Cyril (1969).Chronology of the early Kings of Iberia. Traditio.
• Rayfield, Donald (2012).Edge of Empires, a History of Georgia. London: Reaktion Books.ISBN 978-1-78023-070-2.
• Allen, W.E.D. (1932).A History of the Georgian People. London: Routledge & Keagan Paul.
• Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2009). "Mithridates VI Eupator and Iran". In Højte, Jakob Munk (ed.).Mithridates VI and the Pontic Kingdom. Black Sea Studies. Vol. 9. Aarhus University Press. pp. 163–190.ISBN 978-8779344433.ISSN 1903-4873.
• Rapp, Stephen H. (2003).Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts and Eurasian Contexts. Peeters.ISBN 978-2-87723-723-9.
• Rapp, Stephen H. (2009)."The Iranian Heritage of Georgia (2009)".Iranica Antiqua.XLIV. Russian State Humanities University:645–692.doi:10.2143/IA.44.0.2034389.
• Rapp, Stephen H. (2014).The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes: Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.ISBN 978-1472425522.

• Pharnavazid kings of Iberia
• 2nd-century BC monarchs in Asia
• 2nd-century BC Iranian people
• Vassal rulers of the Parthian Empire

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles containing Georgian-language text
• CS1 French-language sources (fr)