Arshak II
Encyclopedia
Arshak II or Arsaces II, was the son of King Tiran
and was himself king of Armenia
from 350 to 367.
and Persia, both of which hope to win Armenia to their side in the ongoing conflicts between them. Arshak consented to marry a Roman princess, Olympia daughter of consul Ablabius
, but managed to maintain Armemia's neutrality until 361.
Meanwhile, Persian King Shapur II
intensified his efforts to conquer Armenia
once and for all. He was able to bribe two Armenian noblemen, Vahan Mamikonian
and Meruzhan Artzruni
, and make them join his royal court. Arshak II focused on strengthening the army. He rewarded loyal generals and severely punished disloyal ones. He crafted an ambitious plan in which all criminals that settled in his newly founded city, Arshakavan, were given complete amnesty. Approximately 150 000 individuals settled in the city. His hope was to create a large army directly under his command. But, many in the Armenian nobility did not agree with the plan and subsequently destroyed the city and killed the inhabitants.
The Romans
and the Persians
were involved in conflict again. Jovian, being a weak emperor, made a dishonorable peace with Shapur II in which he allowed the Persians to take over the fortresses of Nisbis, Castra Maurorum, and Singara along with a part of Armenia. Arshak II found himself abandoned by the Romans and left to defend Armenia all alone. The Persians swiftly attacked but were unsuccessful, partly due to the leadership of the general (Armenian: sparapet
) Vasak Mamikonian
. Shapur II, seeing that brute force was not going to subjugate Arshak II, he turned to treachery. Arshak was invited by the Persian king for peace talks. When Arshak arrived with Vasak Mamikonian, he was taken prisoner and his general was skinned.
The letter of Vagharshak, king of Armenia, to Arshak the Great, king of Persia,
"To Arshak, king of earth and sea, whose person and image are as those of our gods, whose fortune and destiny are superior to those of all kings, and whose amplitude of mind is as that of the sky above the earth, from Valarshak your younger brother."
Armenians to their original faith, Zoroastrianism
, which was the one Persians believed in.
Years later, an Armenian by the name of Trastamat, saved Shapur’s life in battle. The Persian king thanked him and granted him his wish: to visit the imprisoned Arshak. During the visit Arshak was reminiscing on his glory days and feeling depressed, he took his visitor’s knife and killed himself. Trastamat, moved by what he had just witnessed, took the knife from Asrshak’s chest and stabbed himself as well.
I the Great. They included:
Diran of Armenia
Tigranes VII redirects here. Not to be confused with the famous king Tigranes II the Great.Tiran , was the king of Armenia from 339 AD to 350 AD. His reign was blemished by both internal and external conflict. Tiran had many disagreements with the reigning Catholicos St. Husik, so much that he...
and was himself king of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
from 350 to 367.
Reign
In the early years of Arshak's reign, he found himself courted by the empires of RomeRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and Persia, both of which hope to win Armenia to their side in the ongoing conflicts between them. Arshak consented to marry a Roman princess, Olympia daughter of consul Ablabius
Ablabius (consul 331)
Flavius Ablabius or Ablavius was a high official of the Roman Empire.- Life :Ablabius belonged to a poor, Pagan family, and originated from Crete. He converted to Christianity. He later become vicarius of Asia province...
, but managed to maintain Armemia's neutrality until 361.
Meanwhile, Persian King Shapur II
Shapur II
Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...
intensified his efforts to conquer Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
once and for all. He was able to bribe two Armenian noblemen, Vahan Mamikonian
Mamikonian
Mamikonian, Mamikoneans, or Mamigonian was a noble family which dominated Armenian politics between the 4th and 8th century. They ruled the Armenian regions of Taron, Sasun, Bagrevand and others...
and Meruzhan Artzruni
Meruzhan Artzruni
Meruzhan Artzruni was a Nakharar from the Artzruni family. He lived in the decades following the official conversion of Armenia to Christianity, but himself remained a Zoroastrian...
, and make them join his royal court. Arshak II focused on strengthening the army. He rewarded loyal generals and severely punished disloyal ones. He crafted an ambitious plan in which all criminals that settled in his newly founded city, Arshakavan, were given complete amnesty. Approximately 150 000 individuals settled in the city. His hope was to create a large army directly under his command. But, many in the Armenian nobility did not agree with the plan and subsequently destroyed the city and killed the inhabitants.
The Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and the Persians
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
were involved in conflict again. Jovian, being a weak emperor, made a dishonorable peace with Shapur II in which he allowed the Persians to take over the fortresses of Nisbis, Castra Maurorum, and Singara along with a part of Armenia. Arshak II found himself abandoned by the Romans and left to defend Armenia all alone. The Persians swiftly attacked but were unsuccessful, partly due to the leadership of the general (Armenian: sparapet
Sparapet
Sparapet was a hereditary military rank that originated in the 2nd century BC, under the reign of King Artashes I, and was used in the Kingdom of Armenia and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , was supreme commander of the armed forces. It was the equivalent of the Parthian Spahbod Sparapet was a...
) Vasak Mamikonian
Mamikonian
Mamikonian, Mamikoneans, or Mamigonian was a noble family which dominated Armenian politics between the 4th and 8th century. They ruled the Armenian regions of Taron, Sasun, Bagrevand and others...
. Shapur II, seeing that brute force was not going to subjugate Arshak II, he turned to treachery. Arshak was invited by the Persian king for peace talks. When Arshak arrived with Vasak Mamikonian, he was taken prisoner and his general was skinned.
The letter of Vagharshak, king of Armenia, to Arshak the Great, king of Persia,
"To Arshak, king of earth and sea, whose person and image are as those of our gods, whose fortune and destiny are superior to those of all kings, and whose amplitude of mind is as that of the sky above the earth, from Valarshak your younger brother."
Imprisonment and suicide
Living in a Persian prison, the king was unable to stop the Persian invasion of Armenia. Shapur II had conquered Armenia, and was trying to re-convert the then-recently converted ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Armenians to their original faith, Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
, which was the one Persians believed in.
Years later, an Armenian by the name of Trastamat, saved Shapur’s life in battle. The Persian king thanked him and granted him his wish: to visit the imprisoned Arshak. During the visit Arshak was reminiscing on his glory days and feeling depressed, he took his visitor’s knife and killed himself. Trastamat, moved by what he had just witnessed, took the knife from Asrshak’s chest and stabbed himself as well.
Legacy
Despite having a troublesome reign, Arshak II was able to improve many aspects of his kingdom. The chief architect of the reforms was Saint NarsesSaint Narses
Saint Nerses I the Great was an Armenian Catholicos who lived in the fourth century. He was the father of another catholicos, Saint Sahak I. His father was At'anagenes and his mother was Bambish, the sister of King Tiran....
I the Great. They included:
- The establishment of many monasteries, to isolate monks from the stress of everyday life and helped spread the gospel;
- The building of hospitals;
- The founding of many schools that would teach AssyrianAkkadian languageAkkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
and GreekGreek languageGreek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, since the Holy Bible was read in those languages at that time; - The interdiction of inbred marriages, polygamy, divorce, pagan rituals, drunkenness and revenge killings;
- Strongly encouraging slave-owners to be merciful to slaves and treat them as equals.