Arsacid dynasty of Caucasian Albania
| Arsacid | |
|---|---|
Arsacid dynasty of Parthia | |
| Country | Caucasian Albania |
| Founded | c. 300 |
| Founder | Vachagan I |
| Final ruler | Vachagan III |
| Dissolution | 510 |
The Arsacid dynasty was a dynasty of Parthian origin, which ruled the kingdom of Caucasian Albania from the 3rd to the 6th century. They were a branch of the Arsacid dynasty of Parthia and together with the Arsacid rulers of the neighboring Armenia and Iberia formed a pan-Arsacid family federation.[1]
History
Albania first emerged as an important participant in politics by the end of the 2nd-century BC, most likely in connection to the wars between the Parthian Mithridates II (r. 124–91 BC) and the Armenian king Artavasdes I (r. 159–115 BC).[2] The modern historian Murtazali Gadjiev argues that it was at the end of the 3rd-century that the Arsacids (a cadet branch of the Parthian Arsacids) gained the kingship of Albania, by being appointed as proxies by the Romans in order to gain complete control over the Caucasus.[3] Their accession marked the dominance of Iranianism in the country, and the elevation of Parthian as the language of the educated.[4]
In the 330s, the Sasanian
Ties with Sasanian Iran
Starting from Urnayr, the Arsacids repeatedly married into the family of the ruling Sasanian kings of Iran; Urnayr's mother was a Sasanian princess, and he was himself married to Shapur II's daughter, with Aswagen most likely being their offspring; Vache II was the nephew of Yazdegerd II and son of an Albanian king, probably Aswagen; Vache II himself married the niece (or sister) of Peroz I; and Vachagan III was the son (or nephew) of Yazdegerd II and brother (or nephew) of Vache II.[10] This has led Gadjiev to label the Arsacids of Albania as "Arsacid-Sasanian".[10] This relationship strengthened Sasanian influence in Albania, increasing the importance of Middle Persian in the country.[11]
Arsacid kings of Caucasian Albania
Based on written sources, Gadjiev has deduced a list of Arsacid kings of Albania and their approximate reign.[8]
- Vachagan the Brave, c. 300–336
- Vache I, c. 336–350
- Urnayr, c. 350–375
- Vachagan II, c. 375–385
- Merkhavan, c. 385–395
- Sato, c. 395–405
- Asay, c. 405–415
- Aswagen, c. 415–440
- Vache II, c. 440–462
- Vachagan III the Pious, c. 485–510
References
- ^ Toumanoff 1986, pp. 543–546.
- ^ Schulze 2018, p. 282.
- ^ a b Gadjiev 2020, p. 31.
- ^ Schulze 2018, pp. 282–283.
- ^ Gadjiev 2020, p. 30.
- ^ a b c Chaumont 1985, pp. 806–810.
- ^ Faustus of Byzantium, History of the Armenians, Book Four, Chapter 5
- ^ a b c Gadjiev 2020, p. 33.
- ^ Hewsen 2001, pp. 40, 75.
- ^ a b Gadjiev 2020, p. 32.
- ^ Alikberov 2020, pp. 311–312.
Bibliography
Ancient works
- Faustus of Byzantium, History of the Armenians.
Modern works
- Alikberov, A.K. (2020). "Peoples and languages of Caucasian Albania: on the language continuum as an alternative for Koine". In Hoyland, Robert (ed.). From Albania to Arrān: The East Caucasus between the Ancient and Islamic Worlds (ca. 330 BCE–1000 CE). Gorgias Press. pp. 307–335. ISBN 978-1463239886.
- Chaumont, M. L. (1985). "Albania". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 8. pp. 806–810.
- Gadjiev, Murtazali (2017). Construction Activities of Kavād I in Caucasian Albania. Brill. pp. 121–131.
- Gadjiev, Murtazali (2020). "The Chronology of the Arsacid Albanians". In Hoyland, Robert (ed.). From Albania to Arrān: The East Caucasus between the Ancient and Islamic Worlds (ca. 330 BCE–1000 CE). Gorgias Press. pp. 29–35. ISBN 978-1463239886.
- ISBN 978-0226332284.
- Schulze, Wolfgang (2018). "Caucasian Albanian and the Question of Language and Ethnicity". In Mumm, Peter-Arnold (ed.). Sprachen, Völker und Phantome. Gorgias Press. pp. 275–312. ISBN 9783110601268.
- Toumanoff, C. (1986). "Arsacids vii. The Arsacid dynasty of Armenia". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 5. pp. 543–546.
- Zuckerman, Constantin (2020). "The Caucasus between Byzantium and the Caliphate (9th-10th c.)". In Hoyland, Robert (ed.). From Albania to Arrān: The East Caucasus between the Ancient and Islamic Worlds (ca. 330 BCE–1000 CE). Gorgias Press. pp. 149–191. ISBN 978-1463239886.