Stephanos I Explained

King of Caucasian Albania
Reign:770 — 800
Predecessor:Gagikh II
Successor:Varaz Trdat II
Issue:Varaz Trdat II
Father:Gagikh II
Religion:Church of Caucasian Albania
Dynasty: Mihranids

Stephanos I (d. 800) was the Mihranid king of Caucasian Albania from 770 to 800 and the son of the previous ruler Gagikh II.[1]

After the death of his father in 770, he becomes the ruler of the Gardman region. However, he continued the struggle against the Caliphate and in this he relied on an alliance with the Khazar Khaganate. Gradually managed to restore power over the northern (piedmont) Caucasian Albania.[2]

At the same time, in the south the Arabs finally strengthened due to the resettlement of Muslims here.[3] Here the caliphate province of Arminiya (Arran) was completely formed. Stepanos I accepted Christian Albanians who moved to the north. Probably in 797 he contributed to the Khazars in the capture of Derbent and the liquidation of the Derbent Emirate. Hе died in 800 and was succeeded by his son Varaz Trdat II.

References

  1. Book: Toumanoff, Cyrille . Les dynasties de la Caucasie chrétienne de l'Antiquité jusqu'au xixe siècle : Tables généalogiques et chronologiques.
  2. Book: Bunyadov, Ziya . Азербайджан в VII-IX веках — Azerbaijan in the 7th-9th centuries . 1965 . Baku.
  3. Book: Abduragimov, Haji . Caucasian Albania-Lezgistan; history and modernity . 1995 . St. Petersburg.