The Depiction of the Arsacid Dynasty in Medieval Armenian Historiography

Abstract

The Arsacid, or Parthian, dynasty was founded in the 250s bce, detaching large territories from the Seleucid Kingdom which had been formed after the conquests of Alexander the Great. This dynasty ruled Persia for about half a millennium, until 226 ce, when Ardashir the Sasanian removed them from power. Under the Arsacid dynasty, Persia became Rome’s main rival in the East. Arsacid kings set up their relatives in positions of power in neighbouring states, thus making them allies. After the fall of the Artaxiad dynasty in Armenia in 66 ce, Vologases I of Parthia, in agreement with the Roman Empire and the Armenian royal court, proclaimed his brother Tiridates king of Armenia. His dynasty ruled Armenia until 428 ce. Armenian historiographical sources, beginning in the fifth century, always reserved a special place for that dynasty. Movsēs Xorenacʽi (Moses of Xoren), the ‘Father of Armenian historiography,’ attributed the origin of the Arsacids to the Artaxiad kings who had ruled Armenia beforehand. Early Armenian historiographic sources provide us with a number of testimonies regarding various representatives of the Arsacid dynasty and their role in the spread of Christianity in Armenia. In Armenian, as well as in some Syriac historical works, the origin of the Arsacids is related to King Abgar V of Edessa, known as the first king to officially adopt Christianity. Armenian and Byzantine historiographical sources associate the adoption of Christianity as the state religion in Armenia with the Arsacid King Tiridates III. Gregory the Illuminator, who played a major role in the adoption of Christianity as Armenia’s state religion and who even became widely known as the founder of the Armenian Church, belongs to another branch of the same family. Medieval Armenian sources call that branch of the Arsacids,which played a significant role in the middle of the fifth century, the Pahlavuni branch. It produced a series of catholicoi who presided over the Armenian Church until the line was broken by Sahak I ‘The Parthian’ (386–428?). A number of medieval catholicoi, particularly from Gregory II Vkayaser to Gregory VI Apirat (eleventh–twelfth centuries), also descended from the Pahlavuni family. A theoretical justification of this inheritance was elaborated in the eleventh century and, especially, in the Vipasanutʽiwn (Narratio) of Catholicos Nerses IV the Gracious (twelfth century). From an early period, Roman and Byzantine authors speak of the Parthian Arsacids as the ruling dynasties both in Persia and Armenia. Some scions of the Arsacid dynasty, who were mostly associated with the Byzantine Empire, are mentioned in