Bagrat III, of the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty, was a king (mepe) of Abkhazia from 978 on and King of Georgia from 1008 on. He united these two titles by dynastic inheritance and, through conquest and diplomacy, added more lands to his realm, effectively becoming the first king of the Kingdom of Georgia. Before Bagrat was crowned as king, he had also reigned in Kartli as co-ruler with his father Gurgen from 976 to 978.
King Bagrat III, fresco from Bedia Cathedral
Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi, a World Heritage Site.
The Bedia Chalice donated by Bagrat to the Bedia Monastery is an important piece of Georgian metal art. c. 999 AD
Bagrat III on the 2014 Georgian postage stamp
The Bagrationi dynasty is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is sometimes Hellenized and referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, also known in English as the Bagrations.
David III of Tao depicted on a bas-relief from the Oshki Monastery
King David IV of Georgia
Erekle II, king of the eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kakheti and Kartli-Kakheti
General Pyotr Bagration