Vachagan IIIthe Pious (Old Armenian:Վաչագան Բարեպաշտ,romanized: Vačʿagan Barepašt) orVachagan II (according to some authors) was the lastArsacid king ofCaucasian Albania, ruling approximately from 485 to 523.

His lineage is uncertain.Murtazali Gadjiev considers him a son (or nephew) of theKing of Kings (shahanshah)Yazdegerd II (r. 438–457) and brother (or nephew) ofVache II.^[1] However, Aleksan Hakobyan refers to 5th century Armenian historianElishe's mention of Vache as "a son inherited families", concluding that Vache was not heir but a second son. Hence, according to him, Vachagan was the son of elder but deceased son ofAswagen, thus a nephew of Vache II.^[2]

Vache II previously ruled Caucasian Albania as aSasanian vassal, but had been forced to abdicate after his revolt was crushed by Yazdegerd II's son and successorPeroz I (r. 457–484) in 462.[3]^[4] Albania would remain kingless until 485, when Vachagan III was installed on the throne by Peroz's brother and successorBalash (r. 484–488).[4] This happened around the time of the signing of theTreaty of Nvarsak.^[3] The 6th-centurySyriac authorZacharias Rhetor reports thesiege of theByzantine city ofAmida by the Sasanian forces. After the city was captured in January 503, the victors started plundering the city and capturing prisoners. While this took place, mention is made of a "Christian prince of the country of Aran pleaded with the (Persian) king on behalf of one church, called the Church of the Forty Martyrs, and he spared it while it was full of people." Modern historianMurtazali Gadjiev deduces that the Christian prince described is "without a doubt" Vachagan III.^[3] Although sources don't give date for end of Vachagan's reign, Hakobyan puts it into 523, about the time ofKavad I's invasion of Georgia and abolishment of Iberian monarchy.^[2]

The History of the Country of Albania names two children of Vachagan—a son, Pantaleon, named afterSaint Pantaleon, and a daughter named Khanchik. His wife, named Shushanik (Old Armenian:Շուշանիկ) was probably aMamikonian princess.^[2]

Vachagan is presented inThe History of the Country of Albania as a staunch Christian who ordered the Albanian aristocrats who had apostatized to return to their Christian beliefs. Furthermore, he also declared war againstZoroastrianism,paganism,idolatry and witchcraft.^[4] He opened religious schools in the country and recovered theGrigoris' andSaint Pantaleon's relics and buried them in a tomb within theAmaras Monastery with help of his uncle Khochkorik.^[5] Hakobyan considers chapter on Vachagan's life as a tale and an image of the ideal and the good Christian ruler.^[2] He is traditionally assumed to be buried inYeghishe Arakyal Monastery.

Vachagan's rule in Albania was characterized by gradual Armenianization of the country, relying on Armenian feudals. Hakobyan believes this is whenArmenians came to consider Albania as an Armenian realm too.^[2] Later princely houses in the region, such as theAranshahiks (authors such asPatrick Donabédian^[6] andBagrat Ulubabyan are supporters of this theory) and theHasan-Jalalyans claimed descent from him. Vachagan has become a symbol of renewal inNagorno-Karabakh; there is a state "Order of Vachagan the Pious" in theNagorno-Karabakh Republic.^[2] The Armenian taleAnahit and Vachagan is loosely based on Vachagan's life. The tale was retold as romantic prose byGhazaros Aghayan^[2] (adapted into the filmAnahit in 1947) and as a children's story byRobert San Souci.^[7]

Vachagan was depicted on thecoat of arms ofStepanakert from 2012 until itfell to Azerbaijani control in 2023.^[8]

• Chaumont, M. L. (1985)."Albania". InYarshater, Ehsan (ed.).Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. I/8: Alafrank–Alp Arslan. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 806–810.ISBN 978-0-71009-097-3.
• Chaumont, M. L.; Schippmann, K. (1988)."Balāš". InYarshater, Ehsan (ed.).Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. III/6: Baḵtīārī tribe II–Banān. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 574–580.ISBN 978-0-71009-118-5.
• Gadjiev, Murtazali (2017)."Construction Activities of Kavād I in Caucasian Albania".Iran and the Caucasus.21 (2). Brill:121–131.doi:10.1163/1573384X-20170202.
• Gadjiev, Murtazali (2020)."The Chronology of the Arsacid Albanians". In Hoyland, Robert (ed.).From Albania to Arrān: The East Caucasus between the Ancient and Islamic Worlds (ca. 330 BCE–1000 CE). Gorgias Press. pp. 29–35.
• Schippmann, Klaus (1999)."Fīrūz". InYarshater, Ehsan (ed.).Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. IX/6: Festivals VIII–Fish. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 631–632.ISBN 978-0-933273-34-4.

• Arsacid kings of Caucasian Albania
• 5th-century Iranian people
• 6th-century Iranian people
• Vassal rulers of the Sasanian Empire

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