List of Armenian monarchs explained

Royal Title:King
Realm:Armenia
First Monarch:Hydarnes I (satrap)
Orontes II (king)
Last Monarch:Leo V
Began:521 BC (satrapy)
336 BC (kingdom)
Ended:1375

This is a list of the monarchs of Armenia, rulers of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia (336 BC – AD 428), the medieval Kingdom of Armenia (884–1045), various lesser Armenian kingdoms (908–1170), and finally the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (1198–1375). The list also includes prominent vassal princes and lords who ruled during times without an Armenian kingdom, as well as later claimants to the position.

Ancient Armenia (521 BC – AD 428)

See also: Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity).

Early satraps (521–401 BC)

See also: Satrapy of Armenia.

Orontid dynasty (401–200 BC)

See also: Orontid dynasty.

The Orontid dynasty lost power in 200 BC due to a revolt instigated by the Seleucid Empire. The Seleucid Empire then incorporated Armenia, which was placed under three vassal strategoi (military governors): Artaxias (Greater Armenia), Zariadres (Sophene) and Mithridates (Lesser Armenia). After a decade of vassalage, Armenian royal power was restored under Artaxias.

Artaxiad dynasty (200 BC–AD 2)

See also: Artaxiad dynasty.

Non-dynastic rulers (2–61)

The first century AD was a time of intense conflict between the Roman and Parthian empires. In Armenia, this resulted in rapid appointments and depositions of Armenian client kings by both sides.[8]

Arsacid dynasty (61–428)

See also: Arsacid dynasty of Armenia.

In 384, the Sasanian Empire appointed Khosrov IV as Armenian king, in opposition to the Roman-supported Arshak III. This resulted in Armenia becoming informally divided under the two kings. In 387, the division was made formal through an agreement between the Roman emperor Theodosius I and Sasanian king Shapur III. The agreement saw Armenia be partitioned into a western (under Roman influence) and a eastern (under Sasanian influence) kingdom.

Western Armenia (387–389)

Upon the death of Arshak III in 389, Emperor Theodosius I chose to not appoint another king, ending the western kingdom.[18] Arshak's lands were instead incorporated into the Roman Empire.[19]

Eastern Armenia (384–428)

In 428, the Sasanian king Bahram V deposed Artaxias IV, with the permission of the Armenian nobility, and annexed his lands into the Sasanian Empire.

Vassal lords and princes (428–884)

Marzbāns in Sasanian Armenia (428–646)

See also: Sasanian Armenia. The Sasanian-ruled Armenian territories were after 428 placed under the rule of an official with the title marzbān (governor-general[20] or viceroy). The first marzbān, appointed by Bahram V, was the military officer Veh Mihr Shapur.

The list of marzbāns is not entirely contiguous. This is due to gaps in the historical record as well as there having been periods without any appointed marzbāns. It was relatively common for the office to be vacant since the Sasanian Empire periodically tried to assert more direct control.[21]

Presiding princes of Armenia (628–884)

In the sixth century, the Byzantine Empire established the position of presiding prince of Armenia (formally "prince of the Armenians"). This office was created in an attempt to legitimize a local vassal leader with Byzantine backing and counteract Sasanian efforts in the region. During later centuries, the princes often wavered in allegiance between Byzantium and the Islamic Caliphates, who competed over influence in the region. The princes were most often autonomous tributary vassals. The earliest known presiding prince of Armenia is Mjej II Gnuni, appointed by the Byzantines in the early seventh century.

Restored kingdom (884–1045)

Bagratuni dynasty (884–1045)

See also: Bagratuni dynasty and Bagratid Armenia. After more than four centuries of dormancy, the Armenian kingdom was restored under the Bagratuni dynasty, from which several presiding princes had hailed. The Abbasid caliphs were prominent supporters of the Bagratuni princes gaining power over other Armenian nobles due to fears of Byzantine influence in the region. In 884, Prince Ashot V Bagratuni was crowned king (as Ashot I) by his peers. Ashot's new position was recognised by both the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate; Emperor Basil I and Caliph Al-Mu'tamid each sent him a royal crown.[22]

The Bagratid kingdom and its capital of Ani was conquered by the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos in 1045.

Lesser medieval Armenian kingdoms

Vaspurakan, Artsruni dynasty (908–1021)

See also: Artsruni dynasty and Kingdom of Vaspurakan. The Artsruni family ruled in Vaspurakan as princes under the Bagratuni kings. The Artsruni family revolted after King Smbat ceded some of the Artsruni lands to the nearby princes of Syunik. Shortly thereafter, in 908, Vaspurakan became a separate kingdom with Gagik Artsruni's recognition as a king by Abbasid caliph.

Senekerim-Hovhannes, the last king of Vaspurakan, surrendered his crown to the Byzantine Empire in 1021 under pressure from incursions by the Seljuk Turks and resettled with his family in Cappadocia.

Vanand, Bagratuni dynasty (961–1065)

See also: Kingdom of Vanand. The Kingdom of Vanand was created as a vassal state by the Bagratuni kings in 961, ruled by members of their own dynasty.[24]

Vanand was ceded to the Byzantine Empire by Gagik-Abas II in 1065.

Tashir-Dzoraget, Kiurikian dynasty (982–c. 1145)

See also: Kiurikian dynasty and Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget. The Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget was a vassal kingdom founded in 982 by Kiuriki I, youngest son of Ashot III of Armenia, and was thereafter ruled by his descendants. It was for most of its history ruled from the fortress of Lori.[25]

Tashir-Dzoraget was largely conquered by the Seljuk Turks in 1081/1089. In the early 12th century, further conquests led to David II and Abas only retaining control of the fortress of Macnaberd. The kingdom was fully conquered by around 1145, though it is possible that some members of the Kiurikian dynasty retained control of fortresses and settlements in the region thereafter.

Syunik, Siunia dynasty (970–1170)

See also: Siunia dynasty and Kingdom of Syunik. The independent Kingdom of Syunik was established under the Siuni prince Smbat Sahak in 970.

The Kingdom of Syunik was conquered by the Seljuk Turks in 1170.[27]

Shah-i Armens (1100–1185; 1420–1437)

Ahlat Shah-i Armens (1100–1185)

See also: Shah-Armens. In the decades following the Battle of Manzikert (1071), one of the Turkmen[28] vassal dynasties of the Seljuk Turks gained control of Ahlat, in the former Armenian heartland. These Muslim emirs took the title Shah-i Armen ("King of the Armenians");[29] [30] the same title Islamic sources had previously used for the Bagratuni kings.[31]

Sökmen II left no heirs, his death in 1185 terminating the Shah-i Armen dynastic line. Ahlat was thereafter ruled by a series of slave emirs; Seyfeddin Bektimur 1185–1193, Bedreddin Aksungur 1193–1198, Sücaeddin Kutlug 1198, Melukülmansur Muhammed 1198–1207, and Izzeddin Balaban 1207. The city's period of relative autonomy came to an end when it was captured by the Ayyubid Sultanate in 1207.

Qara Qoyunlu (1420–1437)

See also: Qara Qoyunlu. The title Shah-i Armen was temporarily revived in the 15th century under the rule of the Turkmen Qara Qoyunlu, being used by Sultan Qara Iskander as part of his policy to cultivate the Armenian population.[34]

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (1080–1375)

See also: Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and List of monarchs of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenians who fled the Seljuk invasion of their homeland.[35] It was initially ruled by the Rubenids, an offshoot of the Bagratuni dynasty. While the Rubenid rulers were initially regional princes, their close ties with the Western world after the First Crusade saw the principality recognised as a kingdom under Leo I by the Holy Roman Empire in 1198.[36] The rulers of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilia thereafter styled themselves simply as "King of Armenia".

Rubenid dynasty (1080–1252)

See also: Rubenids.

Hethumid dynasty (1226–1341)

See also: Hethumids. The Hethumid dynasty gained power through marriage with Isabella of the Rubenid dynasty. Upon her death, her husband Hethum I became sole ruler and he was followed as king by their descendants.

Lusignan and Neghir dynasties (1342–1375)

See also: House of Lusignan and House of Neghir. After the death of Leo IV in 1341, Leo's cousin Guy de Lusignan was elected to succeed him as Constantine II, beginning the rule of the Lusignan dynasty. This dynasty ruled for just over three decades before Cilicia was captured by the Mamluks, bringing an end to the kingdom.

Later claimants

Lusignan claimants (1375–1489)

Leo V continued to claim the title "King of Armenia" in exile until his death in 1393. Leo's claims were then inherited by James I, his cousin (both were great-grandsons of the Cypriot king Hugh III) who ruled as King of Cyprus. From 1393 to the end of the Cypriot kingdom in 1489, the rulers of Cyprus claimed the full title "King of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia".[39]

After the fall of the Kingdom of Cyprus in 1489, Catherine Cornaro sold her claims and titles (including her claim to Armenia) to the Republic of Venice, which at times thereafter advanced a shadowy claim to Cilicia or Armenia as a whole.[40]

Savoyard claimants (1485–1946)

Charlotte, who ruled as Queen of Cyprus 1458–1464, was deposed in 1464 but maintained claims to her titles in exile. In 1485, she ceded all her titular claims to her first cousin once removed, Charles I, Duke of Savoy.[41] As a consequence of Charlotte's sale, the House of Savoy is often seen as the heirs of the Lusignan kings of Cyprus and Armenian Cilicia. For centuries thereafter, the heads of the family maintained the style "Duke of Savoy and titular King of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia".[42]

The title "King of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia" was maintained even after the Savoyard dynasts became kings of Italy, for instance being used by both Victor Emmanuel II[43] and Victor Emmanuel III.

See also

Notes and References

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  2. Book: Lang, David Marshall . Armenia, Cradle of Civilization . 1980 . Allen & Unwin . 978-0-04-956009-3 . 121 . en.
  3. Book: Boyce . Mary . A History of Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism under Macedonian and Roman Rule . Grenet . F. . 2015 . BRILL . 978-90-04-29391-5 . 310 . en.
  4. Book: Toumanoff, Cyrille . Studies in Christian Caucasian History . 1963 . Georgetown University Press . 279–282 . en.
  5. Book: Wijlick, Hendrikus A. M. van . Rome and the Near Eastern Kingdoms and Principalities, 44-31 BC: A Study of Political Relations during Civil War . 2020 . BRILL . 978-90-04-44176-7 . 242 . en.
  6. Book: Spier . Jeffrey . Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World . Potts . Timothy . Cole . Sara E. . 2022 . Getty Publications . 978-1-60606-680-5 . 5 . en.
  7. Book: Wijlick, Hendrikus A. M. van . Rome and the Near Eastern Kingdoms and Principalities, 44-31 BC: A Study of Political Relations during Civil War . 2020 . BRILL . 978-90-04-44176-7 . 138 . en.
  8. Book: Baumer, Christoph . History of the Caucasus: Volume 1: At the Crossroads of Empires . 2021 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 978-0-7556-3969-4 . 125, 142, 166, 190, 305, 310–311 . en.
  9. Book: Brijder, Herman . Nemrud Dagi: Recent Archaeological Research and Preservation and Restoration Activities in the Tomb Sanctuary on Mount Nemrud . 2014 . Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG . 978-1-61451-622-4 . 72 . en.
  10. Book: Marek, Christian . In the Land of a Thousand Gods: A History of Asia Minor in the Ancient World . 2021 . Princeton University Press . 978-0-691-23365-9 . 571 . en.
  11. Book: Vardanankʻ ew Vahaneankʻ . 1984 . Diocese of the Armenian Church of America . 16 . hy.
  12. Book: Potts, Daniel T. . Araby the Blest: Studies in Arabian Archaeology . 1988 . Museum Tusculanum Press . 978-87-7289-051-7 . 150 . en.
  13. Book: Russell, James R. . Zoroastrianism in Armenia . 1987 . Harvard University, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations . 978-0-674-96850-9 . 161–162 . en.
  14. Book: Spuler, Bertold . Rulers and Governments of the World . 1977 . Bowker . 978-0-85935-021-1 . 36 . en.
  15. Book: Adalian, Rouben Paul . Historical Dictionary of Armenia . 2010 . Scarecrow Press . 978-0-8108-7450-3 . 174–176, xxxvii–xxxviii . en.
  16. Web site: ARMENIA AND IRAN ii. The pre-Islamic period – Encyclopaedia Iranica . Sep 4, 2019 . www.iranicaonline.org.
  17. Book: Zakaria . The Chronicle of Deacon Zakʻaria of Kʻanakʻer . 2004 . Mazda Publishers . 978-1-56859-121-6 . 9 . en.
  18. Book: Hacikyan . Agop Jack . The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the oral tradition to the Golden Age . Basmajian . Gabriel . Franchuk . Edward S. . Ouzounian . Nourhan . 2000 . Wayne State University Press . 978-0-8143-2815-6 . 84 . en.
  19. Book: Redgate, Anne Elizabeth . The Armenians . 2000 . Wiley . 978-0-631-14372-7 . 62, 67, 77, 91–95, 133, 135, 137–138 . en.
  20. Book: Bauer-Manndorff, Elisabeth . Armenia, Past and Present . 1981 . Armenian Prelacy . 85 . en.
  21. Book: Vacca, Alison . Non-Muslim Provinces under Early Islam: Islamic Rule and Iranian Legitimacy in Armenia and Caucasian Albania . 2017 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1-107-18851-8 . 123–124 . en.
  22. Book: Chahin, Mack . The Kingdom of Armenia: New Edition . 2013 . Routledge . 978-1-136-85243-5 . 228, 230, 232 . en.
  23. Book: Bury, John Bagnell . The Cambridge Medieval History: Volume IV Part I: Byzantium and its Neighbours . 1966 . University Press . 780–785 . en.
  24. Book: Arakelyan . Babken . Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia Volume 5 . Vardanyan . Vrezh . Khalpakhchyan . Hovhannes . Armenian Encyclopedia . 1979 . Yerevan . 342–344 . hy . Կարս [Kars] . Babken Arakelyan.
  25. Akopyan . Alexander . Vardanyan . Aram . 2015 . A Contribution to Kiurikid Numismatics: Two Unique Coins of Gagik, King of Kakhet'i and of David II of Loři (Eleventh Century) . The Numismatic Chronicle . 175 . 214 . 43859792 . 0078-2696.
  26. Book: Khachʻatryan . Hayk . Queens of the Armenians: 150 Biographies Based on History and Legend . Merguerian . Barbara J. . 2001 . Amaras . 978-0-9648787-2-3 . 84–85 . en.
  27. Book: Holding, Deirdre . Armenia: with Nagorno Karabagh . 2014 . Bradt Travel Guides . 978-1-84162-555-3 . 317 . en.
  28. Book: Peacock . A. C. S. . The Seljuks of Anatolia: Court and Society in the Medieval Middle East . Yildiz . Sara Nur . Yildiz . Dr Sara Nur . 2012 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 978-0-85773-346-7 . en . The World of Tutbeg b. Bahram al-Khilati.
  29. Book: Eastmond, Antony . Tamta's World . 2017 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1-107-16756-8 . 5 . en.
  30. Book: Payaslian, S. . The History of Armenia: From the Origins to the Present . 2008 . Springer . 978-0-230-60858-0 . 104 . en.
  31. Book: Lynch, H. F. B. . Armenia, Travels and Studies Vol 1: Volume 1 . 2020 . 978-3-7524-1017-4 . 330 . BoD – Books on Demand . en.
  32. Book: Güzel . Hasan Celâl . The Turks: Middle ages . Oğuz . Cem . Karatay . Osman . 2002 . Yeni Türkiye . 978-975-6782-57-6 . 496 . en.
  33. Book: Bedirhan, Yaşar . Türkiye Selçuklu Devleti Tarihi . 2022 . Eğitim Yayinevi . 978-625-8468-42-7 . 123– . tr.
  34. Dickran Kouymjian, "Armenia from the Fall of the Cilician Kingdom (1375) to the Forced Emigration under Shah Abbas (1604)," The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times, Richard Hovannisian, editor (New York: St. Martin Press, 1997), vol. 2, p. 5
  35. Poghosyan, S.; Katvalyan, M.; Grigoryan, G. et al. Cilician Armenia (Կիլիկյան Հայաստան). Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia. vol. v. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1979, pp. 406–428
  36. Book: Kurdoghlian, Mihran . Badmoutioun Hayots, Volume II . Hradaragoutioun Azkayin Oussoumnagan Khorhourti . 1996 . Athens, Greece . 29–56. hy.
  37. Book: Künker . Fritz Rudolf . 1000 Years of European Coinage, Part III: England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Balkan, the Middle East, Crusader States, Jetons und Weights . Kirsch . Arne . Steinbach . Sebastian . Numismatischer Verlag Künker . 340–341 . en.
  38. Bedoukian . Paul Z. . 1969 . The Copper Coins of the Later Kings of Cilician Armenia . Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society) . 15 . 131–135 . 43574131 . 0145-1413.
  39. Book: Ghazarian, Jacob G. . The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia During the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins 1080–1393 . Routledge . 2000 . 0-7007-1418-9 . Oxford. Section "The seeds of Lusignan rule in Cilicia"
  40. Book: Fortescue, Adrian . The Lesser Eastern Churches . Catholic Truth Society . 1913 . London . 992420. p. 390
  41. Book: Hill, George . A History of Cyprus . Cambridge University Press . 1948 . The Frankish Period, 1432–1571 . Cambridge . 468917323. p. 612
  42. Book: Mauvillon, Eleazar . The History of Francis-Eugene, Prince of Savoy . James Hodges . 1742 . London. p. 1
  43. Book: Davies, Norman . Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe . Penguin UK . 2011 . 978-0141048864 . London. Section "Sabaudia".

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