Tiridates III of Parthia
Encyclopedia
Tiridates III of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire
briefly in 35
–36
. He was the grandson of Phraates IV
. He was sent to Rome
as a hostage and was educated there.
In about 36
, when the Parthia
n nobility rebelled against Artabanus II
, they applied to the Roman emperor
Tiberius
for a king of the race of Phraates. Tiberius sent Tiridates to the east, and ordered Lucius Vitellius
(the father of the emperor Vitellius
) to restore the Roman authority there. By very dexterous military and diplomatic operations Vitellius succeeded completely. Artabanus was deserted by his followers and fled.
However, Tiridates, who was proclaimed king, could not maintain himself, because he appeared to be a vassal of the Romans. Artabanus soon returned from Hyrcania
with a strong army of Scythian (Dahan) auxiliaries, and was again acknowledged by the Parthians. Tiridates left Seleucia on the Tigris
and fled to Syria
.
The Roman historian Tacitus
writes that the Parthian court official Abdagaeses, who exerted political control over Tiridates, spared Tiridates from danger by preventing him from visiting the Parthian tribes. This policy kept the distrustful clans from uniting against Tiridates in the meantime. However, when situations became untenable, it was Abdagaeses who advised Tiridates to retreat west to Mesopotamia
where strategic defensive locations were suitable. This move was viewed as an act of cowardice by the Parthian tribes, which led to Tiridates' ousting from his seat of power.
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....
briefly in 35
35
Year 35 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallus and Nonianus...
–36
36
Year 36 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Allenius and Plautius...
. He was the grandson of Phraates IV
Phraates IV of Parthia
King Phraates IV of Parthia, son of Orodes II, ruled the Parthian Empire from 37–2 BC. He was appointed successor to the throne in 37 BC, after the death of his brother Pacorus I...
. He was sent to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as a hostage and was educated there.
In about 36
36
Year 36 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Allenius and Plautius...
, when 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 nobility rebelled against Artabanus II
Artabanus II of Parthia
Artabanus II of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire from about AD 10 to 38. He was the son of a princess of the Arsacid Dynasty, who lived in the East among the Dahan nomads...
, they applied to the Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
for a king of the race of Phraates. Tiberius sent Tiridates to the east, and ordered Lucius Vitellius
Lucius Vitellius
Lucius Vitellius the Elder was the youngest of four sons of quaestor Publius Vitellius and the only one that did not die through politics. Under Emperor Tiberius, he was Consul in 34 and Governor of Syria in 35. He deposed Pontius Pilate in 36 after complaints from the people in Samaria...
(the father of the emperor Vitellius
Vitellius
Vitellius , was Roman Emperor for eight months, from 16 April to 22 December 69. Vitellius was acclaimed Emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors...
) to restore the Roman authority there. By very dexterous military and diplomatic operations Vitellius succeeded completely. Artabanus was deserted by his followers and fled.
However, Tiridates, who was proclaimed king, could not maintain himself, because he appeared to be a vassal of the Romans. Artabanus soon returned from Hyrcania
Hyrcania
Hyrcania was the name of a satrapy located in the territories of present day Gilan, Golestan, Mazandaran and part of Turkmenistan, lands south of the Caspian Sea. To the Greeks, the Caspian Sea was the "Hyrcanian Sea".-Etymology:...
with a strong army of Scythian (Dahan) auxiliaries, and was again acknowledged by the Parthians. Tiridates left Seleucia on the Tigris
Seleucia on the Tigris
Seleucia , also known as Seleucia on the Tigris, was one of the great cities of the world during Hellenistic and Roman times. It stood in Mesopotamia, on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the smaller town of Ctesiphon, in present day Babil Governorate, Iraq.-Seleucid empire:Seleucia,...
and fled to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
The Roman historian Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
writes that the Parthian court official Abdagaeses, who exerted political control over Tiridates, spared Tiridates from danger by preventing him from visiting the Parthian tribes. This policy kept the distrustful clans from uniting against Tiridates in the meantime. However, when situations became untenable, it was Abdagaeses who advised Tiridates to retreat west to Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
where strategic defensive locations were suitable. This move was viewed as an act of cowardice by the Parthian tribes, which led to Tiridates' ousting from his seat of power.