Artaxias IV
| Artaxias IV | |
|---|---|
King of Armenia | |
| Reign | 422–428 |
| Born | 404 |
| Died | 430 |
| House | Arsacid |
| Father | Vramshapuh |
Artaxias IV or Artashir IV who is also known as Artaxias,
Family background, early life and rise to the throne
Artaxias IV was the son of
When Vramshapuh died in 417, Artaxias IV was too young to succeed his father as king.[10] After his father died, the Armenian Catholicos Sahak, who was Artaxias IV's distant relative, visited the court of the Sassanid king, Yazdegerd I, to obtain the release of Khosrov IV from political exile. Yazdegerd consented and released Khosrov from imprisonment.[11] Upon release, Khosrov may have served again as king of Armenia from 417 until 418, when he died.[7] Little is known about Artaxias IV's relationship with his father and uncle.
Until 422, Armenia was under direct rule of the local Armenian nakharar nobility and the Sassanid dynasty. The nakharar requested that the Sassanid dynasty enthrone a client king from the Arsacid line.[2] In 422, Artaxias IV was enthroned as king of Armenia.[7]
Kingship
Upon his elevation to the throne, Artaxias IV called himself Artashir
As king, Artaxias IV had the support of the reigning Catholicos, Sahak. Although Artaxias IV was recognised by the nakharars as their king, the centrifugal tendencies of the nobles were beyond his control.[13] The leading members of the nobility soon resumed their intrigues under pretense of disgust at the young king's vices. Due to his youth and weakness in character, Artaxias IV was unable to cope with the Armenian aristocracy.[14] Sahak appealed at various times to the nakharars to respect the king's supreme authority, to cooperate with him and be his ally, but these appeals were disregarded.[13]
The nakharars lost confidence in the Armenian monarchy and determined that direct rule by Persia would be preferred over vassalage.
References
- ^ a b c Yarshater 1983, p. 142.
- ^ a b c Ghazar Parpetsi, History of Armenia, 5th to 6th century
- ^ Adalian 2010.
- ^ Kurkjian 2008, p. 93.
- ^ Hovannisian 2004, pp. 85, 93.
- ^ Adalian 2010, p. 33.
- ^ a b c Hovannisian 2004, p. 85.
- ^ Toumanoff, Manual genealogy and chronology for the Christian Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Albania)
- ^ Kurkjian 2008, pp. 108, 112.
- ^ Faustus of Byzantium, History of the Armenians, Book III
- ^ Kurkjian 2008, p. 112.
- ^ Kurkjian 2008, p. 108.
- ^ a b Hovannisian 2004, p. 93.
- ^ Kurkjian 2008, pp. 112–113.
- ^ a b Ouzounian, N. (2000). The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the Oral Tradition to the Golden Age. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. p. 84.
- ^ Adalian 2010, p. 177.
- ^ Yarshater 1983, p. 142, 177.
Sources
- Adalian, R. P. (2010). Historical Dictionary of Armenia. Scarecrow Press.
- Faustus of Byzantium, History of the Armenians, 5th century
- Hovannisian, R. G. (2004). The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Kurkjian, V. M. (2008). A History of Armenia. Indo-European Publishing.
- Ghazar Parpetsi, History of Armenia, 5th to 6th century
- N. Ouzounian, The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the Oral Tradition to the Golden Age, Wayne State University Press, 2000
- C. Toumanoff, Manual genealogy and chronology for the Christian Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Albania), ED. Aquila, Rome, 1976
- Yarshater, E. (1983). The Cambridge History of Iran. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.