Sparapet was a hereditary military rank that originated in the 2nd century BC, under the reign of King Artashes I

Artaxias I

Artaxias I was the founder of the Artaxiad Dynasty whose members ruled the Kingdom of Armenia for nearly two centuries....

, and was used in the Kingdom of Armenia and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...

 (in Cilicia, the bearer of the title was known as a Constable; ), was supreme commander of the armed forces. It was the equivalent of the Parthia

Parthia

Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....

n Spahbod

Spahbod

Spahbod or Spahbed , is derived from the words Spah and bod ; or "Aspah'Paeity" , and means commander of cavaliers/ knights; alternatively Spah Salar was a rank used in the Parthian empire and more widely in the Sassanid Empire of Persia...

 (cf. Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 spaspet

Spaspet

Spaspet was a feudal office in Georgia that originated in ancient Iberia. It is usually translated in English as High Constable.The institution of spaspet, like its rough equivalent sparapet in neighboring Armenia, was designed under the influence of the Sassanian Persian Eran Spahbod, but...

"high constable, commander in chief"). The House of 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...

 traditionally held the title the first centuries of the rule of the Arsacid kings of Armenia until their weakening and eventual settlement in the Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

 in the 8th century, when Bagratuni and Artsruni feudal lords adopted the rank. See սպարապետ for etymology.

Modern usage

After his assassination, Armenian Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan was referred to as the Sparapet in some popular songs, such as Alla Levonyan's "Sparapet", in reference to his military leadership in Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...

. The title is also used for the Grand Commander of the Knights of Vartan, an Armenian-American fraternal order. The title was held by Alex Manoogian

Alex Manoogian

Alexander "Alex" Manoogian was an Armenian-American industrial engineer, businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist who had most of his career in Detroit, Michigan. He and his wife Marie donated their home to the city, which uses the Manoogian Mansion as the mayoral residence...

during his leadership of that organization.

External links

• The Sparapetutyun in Armenia in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries
• "Cilician Kingdom", Dictionary of the Middle Ages