Tigranes Artashid, King of Armenia I

• Preferred Name: Tigranes Artashid, King of Armenia I^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}
  
• Alternate Name: Tigranes King I
  
• Gender: M
  
• Death: BEF 276 in Armenia at LATI: N0 LONG: E5
  
• FSID: 9CSK-HSG
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: 3rd King of Armenia - of the Artaxiad DynastyBET 115 BC AND 95 BC
  
• Birth: BEF 203 in Roman Empire at LATI: N1.9667 LONG: E2.6667
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Tigranes I of Armenia (Armenian: Տիգրան Ա, Ancient Greek: Τιγράνης) was a Artaxiad King of Armenia at the end of 2nd and the beginning of 1st century BC. Few records have survived about his and his predecessor Artavasdes I's reign, which has led to some confusion. Some modern scholars have doubted that such a king reigned at all. Contrary to them other researchers, such as Manandian, Lang and Adalian consider him a real figure but differ or are uncertain on the exact dates of his reign. Although it has been proposed that Tigranes I reigned from 123 BC to 96 BC, this view has been criticized. Another suggestion is that Tigranes I ruled in 120 BC - 95 BC and this has been recently corroborated by historian Christian Marek.
  
  Currently, Tigranes I is assumed to be the successor and brother of Artavasdes I (who died without an heir) and the son of Artaxias I. Manandian, citing Strabo, mentions that Tigranes I put a strong resistance against the Parthians and successfully defended Armenia. Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi in his work mentions a Tigran, "son of Artaxias and brother of Artavasdes", who has been identified as Tigranes I. According to Khorenatsi, after the death of Artaxias I and against his wishes, the priests of the Vahuni family moved the gold-plated copper statue of Heracles from Armavir to their own temple-complex in Ashtishat. Once Tigranes I assumed the throne, he stripped Vahunis of priesthood and converted Ashtishat into a royal domain.
  
  After his death, Tigranes II, who was given as hostage to the Parthians by Artavasdes I, returned from his captivity in Parthia and assumed the throne. According to Appian, Tigranes II was the son Tigranes I. This view has also been supported by modern research.
  Barring the conflict with Parthians, the reign of Tigranes I has been described as generally peaceful and devoid of major external events.
  
  Tigranes I had two sons, his successor Tigranes II (r. 95–55 BC) and Guras, who is mentioned by Plutarch as the governor of Nisibis. Guras was later captured by Roman general Lucullus. Judging by Roman author Lucian's Macrobii, Tigranes II was born to Tigranes I at c. 140 BC.

1. Tigranes II 'the Great' , King of Armenia, b. ABT 140 BC in Armenia     d. 55 BC in of Tigranocerta, Armenia

1. Title: Wikiwand: Artaxiad dynasty
   Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Artaxiad_dynasty;
   Note: The Artaxiad dynasty or Ardaxiad dynasty (Artashesian Dynasty, Armenian: Արտաշեսյան արքայատոհմ) ruled the Kingdom of Armenia from 189 BC until their overthrow by the Romans in AD 12. Their realm included Greater Armenia, Sophene and intermittently Lesser Armenia and parts of Mesopotamia. Their main enemies were the Romans, the Seleucids and the Parthians, against whom the Armenians had to conduct multiple wars. Historical background According to the geographer Strabo, Artaxias and Zariadres were two satraps of the Seleucid Empire, who ruled over the provinces of Greater Armenia and Sophene respectively. After the Seleucid defeat at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC, they revolted and declared their independence, with Artaxias becoming the first king of the Artaxiad dynasty of Armenia in 188. Scholars believe that Artaxias and Zariadres were not foreign generals but local figures related to the previous Orontid dynasty, as their Irano-Armenian (and not Greek) names would indicate. According to Nina Garsoian / Encyclopaedia Iranica, the Artaxiads were a branch of the earlier Orontid (Eruandid) dynasty of Iranian origin attested as ruling in Armenia from at least the 5th century BCE. Consolidation of Armenian lands under Artaxias Artaxias is regarded as one of the most important kings in Armenian history. He presented himself as a legitimate descendant of Orontids, although it is unknown if he was in fact related to that dynasty. In the beginning of his rule, parts of the Armenian Highlands with Armenian speaking populations remained under the rule of neighbouring states. Artaxias made the reunification of those lands under his domain a priority. Greek geographer and historian Strabo recounts the conquests of Artaxias towards West, East, North and South as well as stating that the population of those territories was Armenian speaking. Strabo, Geography, book 11, chapter 14: "According to report, Armenia, though a small country in earlier times, was enlarged by Artaxias and Zariadris, who formerly were generals of Antiochus the Great, but later, after his defeat, reigned as kings (the former as king of Sophene, Acisene, Odomantis, and certain other countries, and the latter as king of the country round Artaxata), and jointly enlarged their kingdoms by cutting off for themselves parts of the surrounding nations,--I mean by cutting off Caspiane and Phaunitis and Basoropeda from the country of the Medes; and the country along the side of Mt. Paryadres and Chorsene and Gogarene, which last is on the far side of the Cyrus River, from that of the Iberians; and Carenitis and Xerxene, which border on Lesser Armenia or else are parts of it, from that of the Chalybians and the Mosynoeci; and Acilisene and the country round the Antitaurus from that of the Cataonians; and Taronitis from that of the Syrians; and therefore they all speak the same language." According to Strabo and Plutarch, Artaxias also founded the Armenian capital Artaxata with the aid of the Carthaginian general Hannibal who was being sheltered from the Romans within Artaxias' court. The population of the previous Orontid capital of Ervandashat was transferred to Artaxata. Over a dozen stone boundary markers have been discovered on the territory of modern Armenia from the time of the reign of Artaxias with Aramaic inscriptions; before their discovery, the existence of these stones was attested by Moses of Khorene. In these inscriptions Artaxias claims descent from the Orontid Dynasty: King Artaxias, the son of Orontid Zariadres. Hellenistic influences Though Greater Armenia had only been superficially affected by the conquests of Alexander the Great, the country began to be influenced by the Hellenistic world under the Orontids in the 3rd century and this process reached its peak under the Artaxiads, particularly King Tigranes the Great. During this time, the Armenian rulers incorporated many Greek elements. This is shown by the contemporary Armenian coins (which had first appeared under the Orontids). They followed Greek models and have inscriptions in the Greek language. Some coins describe the Armenian kings as "Philhellenes" ("lovers of Greek culture"). Knowledge of Greek in Armenia is also evidenced by surviving parchments and rock inscriptions. Cleopatra, the wife of Tigranes the Great, invited Greeks such as the rhetor Amphicrates and the historian Metrodorus of Scepsis to the Armenian court, and - according to Plutarch - when the Roman general Lucullus seized the Armenian capital Tigranocerta, he found a troupe of Greek actors who had arrived to perform plays for Tigranes. Tigranes' successor Artavasdes II even composed Greek tragedies himself. Nevertheless, Armenian culture still retained a strong Iranian element, particularly in religious matters. Religion As Prof. James R. Russell states; "It was only natural that the Artaxiad monarchs should declare themselves philhellenes, yet it must not be thought that their religious beliefs ceased to be what they had been of old: staunchly Zoroastrian." Prof. David Marshall Lang adds that the Hellenistic religion and the pantheon of the Classical divinities had undoubtedly become popular amongst the upper classes in the later Artaxiad period. Armenian Empire During the reign of Tigranes the Great (95–55 BC), the kingdom of Armenia was at the zenith of its power and briefly became the most powerful state to the Roman east. Artaxias and his followers had already constructed the base upon which Tigranes built his empire. Despite this fact, the territory of Armenia, being a mountainous one, was governed by nakharars who were largely autonomous from the central authority. Tigranes unified them in order to create internal security in the kingdom. The borders of Armenia stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. At that time, the Armenians had become so expansive, that the Romans and Parthians had to join forces in order to beat them. Tigranes found a more central capital within his domain and named it Tigranocerta. Large territories were taken from Parthians, who were forced to sign a treaty of friendship with Tigranes. Iberia, Albania, and Atropatene also lost territories and the remainder of their Kingdoms became vassal states. The Greeks within the Seleucid Empire offered Tigranes the Seleucid crown in 83, after which the Armenian empire reached as far south as modern Acre, Israel resulting in a conflict with Hasmoneans. Decline Roman involvement in Asia Minor brought Tigranes' empire to an end. Tigranes had allied himself with Rome's great enemy Mithridates the Great, King of Pontus, and during the Third Mithridatic War, in 69 BC, a Roman army led by Lucullus invaded the Armenian empire and routed Tigranes outside Tigranocerta. In 66, Lucullus' successor Pompey finally forced Tigranes to surrender. Pompey reduced Armenia to its former borders but allowed Tigranes to retain the throne as an ally of Rome. From now on, Armenia would become a buffer state between the two competing empires of the Romans and the Parthians. Tigranes' heir Artavasdes II maintained the alliance with Rome, giving helpful advice to the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus on his campaign against the Parthians – advice which went unheeded and led to Crassus' disastrous defeat at the Battle of Carrhae. When Mark Antony became ruler of Rome's eastern provinces, he began to suspect the loyalty of Artavasdes, who had married his sister to the heir to the Parthian throne. In 35, Antony invaded Armenia and sent Artavasdes into captivity in Egypt, where he was later executed. Antony installed his own six-year-old son by Cleopatra, Alexander Helios, on the throne of Armenia. Artavasdes' son Artaxias II gained help from the Parthians, seized the throne back and massacred the Roman garrisons in Armenia, but after a reign of ten years he was murdered. The kingdom broke down into a civil war between pro-Roman and pro-Parthian parties until it decisively became a Roman protectorate under the emperor Augustus. The Artaxiad dynasty petered out in chaos and it was a considerable time before the Arsacid dynasty emerged as their undisputed successors. Artaxiad Kings of Armenia (Note: Some dates are approximate or doubtful).[11] Artaxias I (190–159 BC) Tigranes I (159–123 BC) Artavasdes I (123–95 BC) Tigranes the Great (Tigranes II, 95–55 BC) Artavasdes II (55–34 BC) Artaxias II (33 BC–20 AD) Tigranes III (20 BC–10 AD) Tigranes IV with Erato (10–2 BC) Ariobarzanes (2 BC–4 AD) Artavasdes III (4–6 AD) Tigranes V then ruled with Erato (6–12 AD) Genealogy of the Artaxiads Genealogy of the Artaxiads as proposed by Cyril Toumanoff.
   
2. Title: Wikiwand: Tigranes I
   Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Tigranes_I;
   Note: Tigranes I of Armenia (Armenian: Տիրան Ա) reigned as King of Armenia from 115 BC to 95 BC. Artavasdes I did not leave any heir; his brother Tigranes ascended to the throne of the Artaxiads. According to Appian, Tigranes II was not the son of Artavasdes, but of Tigranes I.
   
3. Title: Wikiwand: List of Armenian kings
   Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_Armenian_kings;
   Note: This is a list of the kings and queens of Armenia, for more information on ancient Armenia and Armenians, please see History of Armenia. For information on the medieval Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia, please see the separate page Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. See List of kings of Urartu for kings of Urartu (Ararat), the predecessor state of Greater Armenia. Greater Armenia This is the historical designation of the largest and longest-lasting Armenian kingdom. Orontid kings and satraps In Armenian tradition Early kings in traditional Armenian chronology according to Moses of Chorene. Note that the early dates are traditional and of uncertain accuracy. Orontes I Sakavakyats (570–560 BC) Tigranes Orontid (560–535 BC) Vahagn (530–515 BC) Hidarnes I (late 6th century BC) Hidarnes II (early 5th century BC) Hidarnes III (middle of the 5th century BC) Ardashir (2nd half of the 5th century BC) Attested satraps Orontes (401–344 BC) Darius Codomannus (344–336 BC) Yervandian (Yervanduni or Orontid) Dynasty Main article: Orontid Dynasty Orontes II (336–331 BC) Mithranes (331–323 BC) Neoptolemus Orontid (non-dynastic) (323–321 BC) Mithranes (321–317 BC) Orontes III (317–260 BC) Sames (260–243 BC) Arsames (243–228 BC) Xerxes (228–212 BC) Orontes IV (212–200 BC) Artashesian (Artaxiad) Dynasty Artaxias I (190–159 BC) Artavasdes I (159–123 BC) Tigranes I (123–95 BC) Tigranes the Great (Tigranes II, 95–55 BC) Artavasdes II (55–34 BC) Artaxias II (33–20 BC) Tigranes III (20–10 BC) Tigranes IV with Erato (10 BC–2 BC) Roman and Parthian non-dynastic candidates Ariobarzanes, 2 BC to 4 (Roman protectorate) Artavasdes III 4 to 6 Tigranes V, 6 then ruled with Erato 6–12 Vonones (former king of Parthia) 12–16 (Roman protectorate) Roman interregnum 16–18 (Vonones as nominal king) Artaxias III 18–35 (Roman protectorate) Arsaces I of Armenia (son of Artabanus III) 35 (Parthian protectorate) Orodes of Armenia (pretender, son of Artabanus III) 35 Mithridates 35–37 (Roman protectorate) Orodes (now king) 37–42 (Parthian protectorate) Mithridates (second time) 42–51 (Roman protectorate) Rhadamistus (son of Pharasmanes I of Iberia) 51–53 (Roman protectorate) Tiridates I (son of Vonones II of Parthia) 53 (Roman protectorate) Rhadamistus (second time) 53–54 (Roman protectorate) Arshakuni (Arsacid) Kings of Armenia Tiridates I (second time) 52–58 Tigranes VI 59–62 (Roman protectorate) Tiridates I 62–88 (Parthian protectorate 62–63; from 63 Armenia again becomes a Roman protectorate) Sanatruces (Sanatruk) 88–110 Axidares (Ashkhadar) 110–113 Parthamasiris (Partamasir) 113–114 Roman Province 114–117/8 Vologases I (Vagharsh I) 117/8–144 Sohaemus 144–161 Bakur 161–164 Sohaemus (second time) 163/4–186? Vologases II (Vagharsh II) 186–198 Khosrov I 198–217 Tiridates II 217–252 Khosrov II c. 252 Sassanid Occupation 252–287 Artavasdes IV 252–287 Sassanid Client King Tiridates III 287–330 (Roman protectorate again) Khosrov III 330–339 Tigranes VII (Tiran) 339 – c. 350 Arsaces II (Arshak II) c. 350–368 Sassanid Occupation 368 Papas (Pap) 370–374 Varasdates (Varazdat) 374–378 Arsaces III (Arshak III) 378–387 with co-ruler Vologases III (Vagharsh III) 378–386 Khosrov IV 387–389 Vramshapuh 389–417 Local Independent Government 417–422 Artaxias IV (Artashir IV) 422–428 Marzpanate Veh Mihr Shapur 428–442 Vasak, king of Siunik 442–451 Vartan Mamikonian [AKA Vartan Zoravar, legendary Armenian general killed in battle but preserved Armenia as first Christian nation in the world] Adhur Hormizd (Adrormizd) 451–465 Adhur Gushnasp (Ardervechnasp) 465–481 Sahak Bagratuni 481–482 Military occupation by General Mihran 482 Vahan Mamikonian (provisional) 482–483 Zarmihr Hazarwuxt (military occupation) 483 Shapur of Ray 483–484 Vahan Mamikonian (second time) 484–505/510 (provisional government 484–485) Vard Mamikonian (brother) 505/510–509/514 Gushnasp Vahram ? 509/514–518 Mjej Gnuni 518–548 Tan-Shapur 548–552 Gushnasp Vahram (second time?) 552–554 Tan-Shapur (second time) 554–558/60 Varazdat 558/560–564 Sunen 564–572 Tamkhosrau 577–580 Varaz Vzur 580–581 Aspahbad Pahlav 581–582/588 Frahat 582/588–588/589 Hratzin 588/589–590 To Byzantium 590 Mushegh II Mamikonian 590–591 (governor) Hamarakar 591 (governor) Unknown 591–603 (governors) Smbat IV Bagratuni 603–611 Shahrayanpet (in the East) 611–613 Shahin Vahmanzadaghan (in the West) 611–613 Parsayenpet 613–616 Namdar Gushnasp 616–619 Shahraplakan (Sarablagas) 619–624 Rozbihan 624–627 Byzantine province 627–628 Varaztirots Bagratuni 628–634 Unknown 634–? Mjej Gnuni 627–635 Vahan 636 Davith Saharuni 636–638 Several "nakharar" 638–643 Theodore Rshtuni 643–645 Varaztirots Bagratuni 645–646 Presiding Princes of Armenia Varaztirots II Bagratuni 645-646 Theodore Rshtuni 646–653 Smbat V Bagratuni 646–653 (together Theodoros, in 653 alone) Theodore Rshtuni (second time) 653–654 Musel Mamikonian 654 Theodore Rshtuni (third time) 654–655 Maurianos, Byzantine governor 654-655 Hamazasp Mamikonian 655–661 Grigor Mamikonian 661–685 Ashot II Bagratuni 685–690 Nerseh Kamsarakan 690–693 Kouropalates Smbat VI Bagratuni 691-711 (son of Varaztirots Bagratuni, 693–695 Muslim protectorate, 705-711 Umayyad protectorate) vacant 711-726 Artavazd Kamsarakan 726-732 Ashot III Bagratuni the Blind 732–745 Grigor Mamikonian 745–746 Ashot III Bagratuni the Blind (second time) 746–750 Grigor Mamikonian (second time) 750–751 Musel Mamikonian (brother of Grigor) c.751 Arab occupation 751–754 Sahak Bagratuni, lord of Taron 754–761 Smbat VII Bagratuni 761-775 vacant 775–806 Ashot IV Bagratuni the Carnivorous 806-826 vacant 826-830 Bagrat II Bagratuni 830-851 vacant 851-862 Ashot V Bagratuni the Great 862-885 Armenian Bagratid kingdom and vassals Kings of Armenia (885-1045) Bagratuni dynasty 885-890: Ashot I the Great 890-914: Smbat I the Martyr 914-928: Ashot II the Iron 928-952: Abas I 952-977: Ashot III the Merciful 977-989: Smbat II the Conqueror 989-1020: Gagik I 1020-1040: Hovhannes-Smbat (III) 1021-1039: Ashot IV the Valiant, concurrently in certain regions after rebellion against Hovhannes 1042-1045: Gagik II, deposed, died c. 1079 To the Byzantine Empire (1045-1064) To the Turko-Persian Seljuk Empire (1064-1072) To the Muslim Shaddadids (1072-1199). In 1199 Queen Tamar of Georgia, definitely conquered Ani and enfeoffed it to the Zakarids-Mkhargrzeli, who were Georgian vassals. Zakarids-Mkhargrzeli, from Georgia 1199-1212: Za'kare I, in Ani 1201-1227: Ivane I, brother of the above, in Dvin 1212-1261: Sanse I, son of Za'kare I, in Ani 1227-1250: Sargis-Avag, son of Ivane I, in Dvin, changed his capital to Bjni in 1236 1250-1261: Za'kare II, son of Sanse I, in Bjni 1261-1280: Ivane II, son of Sanse I, in Ani, reunited Zakarid capitals 1280-1320: Sanse II, son of the above, in Ani 1320-1342: Vahram, brother of the above, in Ani 1342-1360: Za'kare III, son of the above, in Ani 1360: Sanse III, son of the above, in Ani Kings and Lords of Lori (979-1259) Bagratuni dynasty as kings 979-989: Gurgen I (also spelled Kiurike), son of Ashot III of Ani 989-1048: David I the Landless, temporarily lost his lands to the king of Ani c.1000: Smbat I, brother and co-ruler 1048-1089: Gurgen II (also spelled Kiurike) c.1063: Smbat II, brother and co-ruler 1089-1118: David II 1089-1118: Abas I, brother and co-ruler From 1118 the Kingdom of Lori became the Lordship of Matznaberd and Tavouch. The Kingdom was annexed by the Turks. Bagratuni dynasty as lords 1118-1145: David II 1118-1145: Abas I, brother and co-ruler 1145-1185: Gurgen III 1185-1192: Abas II 1192-1236: Aghsartan, illegitimate son of Abas II 1232-1236: Gurgen IV, son of Aghsartan and his co-ruler 1236-1256: Pahlavan 1256-1259: Taqiaddin Kings of Kars (962-1064) Bagratuni dynasty 962-984: Mousel, son of Abas I of Ani 984-1029: Abas I, son of the above 1029-1064: Gagik-Abas II (d.1080), son of the above, surrendered the kingdom to the Byzantine Empire Princes and Kings of Vaspurakan (800-1021) Artsruni dynasty as princes 800-836: Hamazasp II, married to a daughter of Ashot Msaker of the Bagratuni family. 836-852: Ashot I Abulabus, son, 1st time 852-853: Gurgen I, brother of the above 853-854: Abu Djafar, probably brother of the above 854-857: Gurgen II, a distant relative from Mardastan 857-868: Grigor-Derenik, son of Ashot I, married Sofia, daughter of Ashot I Bagratuni. 1st time 868-874: Ashot I Abulabus, 2nd time 874-887: Grigor-Derenik, 2nd time. 887-898: Gagik Abu Morvan Artsruni, regent for Grigor-Derenik's sons, then usurper from 896 898-900: Ashot II Sargis, son of Grigor-Derenik. (Vaspurakan occupied in 900-01 by the Sajid emir Afshin) Safi, governor 901-904: Ashot II Sargis, reinstated. After his death Vaspurakan is divided: 904-908: Gagik III, brother of Ashot II, ruler in northwest Vaspurakan, crowned king 908 904-925: Gurgen III, brother of Ashot II, ruler in southeast Vaspurakan. Artsruni dynasty as kings 908/25-943: Gagik I (III), brother of Ashot II, ruler in northwest, reunited Vaspurakan 925 943-953: Derenik-Ashot I (III), son of the above 953-972: Abusahl-Hamazasp, brother of the above 972-983: Ashot II Sahak (IV), son of the above 983-1003: Gurgen I Khachik (IV), brother of the above, also lord of Antzevasiq. 1003-1021: Seneqerim-Hovhannes, brother of the above, also lord of Rechtuniq. Kings of Syunik (987-1170) Siunia dynasty 987-998: Smbat I Sahak 998-1040: Vasak, son of the above 1040-1044/51: Smbat II, maternal grandson of the above 1044/51-1072: Grigor I, brother of the above 1072-1094: Seneqerim, brother-in-law of the above 1094-1166: Grigor II, son of the above 1166-1170: Hasan, son-in-law of the above Armenians in exile: The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees, who were fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. It was initially founded by the Rubenian dynasty, an offshoot of the larger Bagratid family that at various times held the thrones of Armenia and Georgia. While the Rubenian rulers were in......
   
4. Title: Wikiwand: Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)
   Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Kingdom_of_Armenia_(antiquity);
   Note: The Kingdom of Armenia, also the Kingdom of Greater Armenia, or simply Greater Armenia (Armenian: Մեծ Հայք Mets Hayk; Latin: Armenia Maior), was a monarchy in the Ancient Near East which existed from 321 BC to 428 AD. Its history is divided into successive reigns by three royal dynasties: Orontid (321 BC–200 BC), Artaxiad (189 BC–12 AD) and Arsacid (52–428). The root of the kingdom lies in one of the satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia called Armenia (Satrapy of Armenia), which was formed from the territory of the Kingdom of Ararat (860 BC–590 BC) after it was conquered by the Median Empire in 590 BC. The satrapy became a kingdom in 321 BC during the reign of the Orontid dynasty after the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great, which was then incorporated as one of the Hellenistic kingdoms of the Seleucid Empire. Under the Seleucid Empire (312–63 BC), the Armenian throne was divided in two – Armenia Maior and Sophene – both of which passed to members of the Artaxiad dynasty in 189 BC. During the Roman Republic's eastern expansion, the Kingdom of Armenia, under Tigranes the Great, reached its peak, from 83 to 69 BC, after it reincorporated Sophene and conquered the remaining territories of the falling Seleucid Empire, effectively ending its existence and raising Armenia into an empire for a brief period, until it was itself conquered by Rome in 69 BC. The remaining Artaxiad kings ruled as clients of Rome until they were overthrown in 12 AD due to their possible allegiance to Rome's main rival in the region, Parthia. During the Roman–Parthian Wars, the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia was founded when Tiridates I, a member of the Parthian Arsacid dynasty, was proclaimed King of Armenia in 52. Throughout most of its history during this period, Armenia was heavily contested between Rome and Parthia, and the Armenian nobility was divided among pro-Roman, pro-Parthian or neutrals. From 114 to 118, Armenia briefly became a province of the Roman Empire under Emperor Trajan. The Kingdom of Armenia often served as a client state or vassal at the frontier of the two large empires and their successors, the Byzantine and Sassanid empires. In 301, Tiridates III proclaimed Christianity as the state religion of Armenia, making the Armenian kingdom the first state to embrace Christianity officially. During the Byzantine–Sasanian wars, Armenia was ultimately partitioned into Byzantine Armenia in 387 and Persian Armenia in 428. History Origins The geographic Armenian Highlands, then known as the highlands of Ararat (Assyrian: Urartu), was originally inhabited by Proto-Armenian tribes which did not yet constitute a unitary state or nation. The highlands were first united by tribes in the vicinity of Lake Van into the Kingdom of Van (Urartian: Biainili). The kingdom competed with Assyria over supremacy in the highlands of Ararat and the Fertile Crescent. Both kingdoms fell to Iranian invaders from the neighbouring East (Medes, followed by Achaemenid Persians) in the 6th century BC. Its territory was reorganized into a satrapy called Armenia (Old Persian: Armina, Elamite: Harminuya, Akkadian: Urashtu). The Orontid dynasty ruled as satraps of the Achaemenid Empire for three centuries until the empire's defeat against Alexander the Great's Macedonian Empire at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC. After Alexander's death in 323 BC, a Macedonian general named Neoptolemus obtained Armenia until he died in 321 BC and the Orontids returned, not as satraps, but as kings. Orontid Dynasty Orontes III and the ruler of Lesser Armenia, Mithridates, recognized themselves independent, thus elevating the former Armenian satrapy into a kingdom, giving birth to the kingdoms of Armenia and Lesser Armenia. Orontes III also defeated the Thessalian commander Menon, who wanted to capture Sper's gold mines. Weakened by the Seleucid Empire which succeeded the Macedonian Empire, the last Orontid king, Orontes IV, was overthrown in 200/201 BC and the kingdom was taken over by a commander of the Seleucid Empire, Artashes I, who is presumed to be related to the Orontid dynasty himself. Artaxiad dynasty The Seleucid Empire's influence over Armenia had weakened after it was defeated by the Romans in the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC. A Hellenistic Armenian state was thus founded in the same year by Artaxias I alongside the Armenian kingdom of Sophene led by Zariadres. Artaxias seized Yervandashat, united the Armenian Highlands at the expense of neighboring tribes and founded the new royal capital of Artaxata near the Araxes River. According to Strabo and Plutarch, Hannibal Barca received hospitality at the Armenian court of Artaxias I. The authors add an apocryphal story of how Hannibal planned and supervised the building of Artaxata. The new city was laid on a strategic position at the juncture of trade routes that connected the Ancient Greek world with Bactria, India and the Black Sea which permitted the Armenians to prosper. Tigranes the Great saw an opportunity for expansion in the constant civil strife to the south. In 83 BC, at the invitation of one of the factions in the interminable civil wars, he entered Syria, and soon established himself as ruler of Syria—putting the Seleucid Empire virtually at an end—and ruled peacefully for 17 years. During the zenith of his rule, Tigranes the Great extended Armenia's territory outside of the Armenian Highland over parts of the Caucasus and the area that is now south-eastern Turkey, Iran, Syria and Lebanon, becoming one of the most powerful states in the Roman East. Roman rule Armenia came under the Ancient Roman sphere of influence in 66 BC, after the battle of Tigranocerta and the final defeat of Armenia's ally, Mithridates VI of Pontus. Mark Antony invaded and defeated the kingdom in 34 BC, but the Romans lost hegemony during the Final War of the Roman Republic in 32–30 BC. In 20 BC, Augustus negotiated a truce with the Parthians, making Armenia a buffer zone between the two major powers. Augustus installed Tigranes V as king of Armenia in AD 6, but ruled with Erato of Armenia. The Romans then installed Mithridates of Armenia as client king. Mithridates was arrested by Caligula, but later restored by Claudius. Subsequently, Armenia was often a focus of contention between Rome and Parthia, with both major powers supporting opposing sovereigns and usurpers. The Parthians forced Armenia into submission in AD 37, but in AD 47 the Romans retook control of the kingdom. In AD 51 Armenia fell to an Iberian invasion sponsored by Parthia, led by Rhadamistus. Tigranes VI of Armenia ruled from AD 58, again installed by Roman support. The period of turmoil ends in AD 66, when Tiridates I of Armenia was crowned king of Armenia by Nero. For the remaining duration of the Armenian kingdom, Rome still considered it a client kingdom de jure, but the ruling dynasty was of Parthian extraction, and contemporary Roman writers thought that Nero had de facto yielded Armenia to the Parthians. Arsacid dynasty Under Nero, the Romans fought a campaign (55–63) against the Parthian Empire, which had invaded the Kingdom of Armenia, allied with the Romans. After gaining Armenia in 60, then losing it in 62, the Romans sent the Legio XV Apollinaris from Pannonia to Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, legatus of Syria. In 63, strengthened further by the legions III Gallica, V Macedonica, X Fretensis and XXII, General Corbulo entered into the territories of Vologases I of Parthia, who then returned the Armenian kingdom to Tiridates, king Vologases I's brother. Another campaign was led by Emperor Lucius Verus in 162–165, after Vologases IV of Parthia had invaded Armenia and installed his chief general on its throne. To counter the Parthian threat, Verus set out for the east. His army won significant victories and retook the capital. Sohaemus, a Roman citizen of Armenian heritage, was installed as the new client king. But during an epidemic within the Roman forces, Parthians retook most of their lost territory in 166. Sohaemus retreated to Syria, and the Arsacid's dynasty was restored to power over Armenia. After the fall of the Arsacid dynasty in Persia, the succeeding Sasanian Empire aspired to reestablish Persian control. The Sassanid Persians occupied Armenia in 252. However, in 287, Tiridates III the Great was established King of Armenia by the Roman armies. After Gregory the Illuminator's spreading of Christianity in Armenia, Tiridates accepted Christianity and made it his kingdom's official religion. The traditional date for Armenia's conversion to Christianity is established at 301, preceding the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great's conversion and the Edict of Milan by a dozen years. In 387, the Kingdom of Armenia was split between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Persian Empire. Western Armenia first became a province of the Roman Empire under the name of Armenia Minor, and later Byzantine Armenia; Eastern Armenia remained a kingdom within Persia until, in 428, the local nobility overthrew the king, and the Sassanids installed a governor in his place, beginning the Marzpanate period over Persian Armenia. Those parts of historical Armenia remained firmly under Persian control until the Muslim conquest of Persia, while the Byzantine parts remained until being conquered, also by invading Arabic armies, in the 7th century. In 885. After years of Roman, Persian, and Arab rule, Armenia regained its independence under the Bagratuni dynasty. Army Under Tigranes the Great The army of the Kingdom of Armenia reached its peak under the reign of Tigranes the Great. According to the author of Judith, his army included chariots and 12,000 cavalrymen, most likely heavy cavalry or cataphracts, a unit also commonly used by Seleucids and Parthians. His army consisted mainly of 120,000 infantrymen and 12,000 mounted archers, also an important feature of the Parthian army. Like the Seleucids, the bulk of Tigranes' army were foot soldiers. The Jewish...