Bagratuni Dynasty

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The Bagratuni or Bagratid royal dynasty of Armenia (Armenian: Բագրատունյաց Արքայական Տոհմ or Bagratunyac Arqayakan Tohm) is a royal family whose branches formerly ruled many regional polities, including the Armenian lands of Syunik, Lori, Vaspurakan, Kars, Taron, and Tayk.

Contents 1 Early history 2 Bagratids in Armenia 3 See also 4 References 4.1 Genealogy 4.2 History

[edit] Early history

Main article: Origin of the Bagratid dynasties

The Bagratid family first emerged as naxarars, members of the hereditary nobility of Armenia. Their holdings were in the region of Sper, in the Chorokhi valley. As early as 288-301, the Bagratid prince Smbat held the hereditary Armenian titles of Master of the Horse and t'agatir, or coronant of the King.^[1]

According to Prince Cyril Toumanoff, the earliest Bagratid prince was chronicled as early as 314 AD. In the eighth century, a later Bagratid prince (also named Smbat) revolted against the Arab Caliphate. The revolt was defeated, but was successful enough to set the stage for Georgian and Armenian independence.

Certain, generation by generation, history of the family begins only in the 8th century. The later Bagratids also claimed descent from King David of the Hebrew Bible. The claim is given no credence by modern scholarship, but was accepted in its day and lent prestige to the family. Their pretense, however, although without presenting a continuous line between them, was made through one Shemphat (S[u]mbat), reputedly the ancestor of the Bagratids (Bagratuni) of the Caucasus States, son of Nedabiah (younger brother of Shealtiel (Salathiel), acknowledged heir (after the death of the crown-prince) of the Throne of the Kingdom of Judah (father of Zerubabel, both mencioned on the Bible), Malchiram, Pedaiah (Phadaia) (father of Esthra, 3rd wife of her cousin Zerubabel), Shenazzur (Sin-ab-Usur) (married, had issue), Jekamiah (Yekamia) and Hoshama (Hochama)), who were the sons of Neri[ah], 1st husband of Tamar [daughter of the late crown-prince, Johanan, King Josiah's eldest son], representing the dynasty's main-line [1]: "An unusual occurrence is recorded to have taken place during the 4th governor of Judah's (an unnamed Babylonian army-commander) administration, starting in 582 BC when King Hraceay (Hratchea) of Armenia, while visiting the Babylonian emperor, to whose court he had come to pay homage as one of his vassals, for reasons unknown but to himself asked for a certain Jewish captive prince, Shemphat (Sumbat), the son of Nedabiah, one of Shealtiel’s brothers, to return with him to Armenia. He did, and King Hraceay (Hratchea) of Amernia, gave him a pension and an estate at Sper. The male-line descendants of Shemphat (Sumbat) survive today as the Bagratuni Family [the Bagratids], however, since they do not descend from Zorobabel but rather from his cousin the family is classified as a non-royal Davidic descent-line, and not included in the registry of the Davidic Dynasty nor represented in its genealogy except as a footnote. There are huge gaps in the Bagratuni Pedigree, however, some names are known, such as Shamba Bagarat, who was forced to convert to zoroastrianism by the Persian Shah Arsaces I (128-115BC), and, his descendant, Enanos (AD25), father of Tobias (AD50), from where the pedigree starts again following a huge gap."

This article is part of the series on: History of Armenia

Early History

Haik

Armens

Hayasa-Azzi

Nairi

Kingdom of Urartu

Kingdom of Armenia

Orontid Armenia

Artaxiad Dynasty

Arsacid Dynasty

Medieval History

Marzpanate Period

Byzantine Armenia

Bagratuni Armenia

Kingdom of Vaspurakan

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

Foreign Rule

Persian Domination

Ottoman Domination

Russian Domination

Hamidian Massacres

Armenian Genocide

Early Independence

Democratic Republic of Armenia

Soviet Armenia

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic

Modern Armenia

Republic of Armenia

Topical

Military history of Armenia

Timeline of Armenian history This box: view • talk • edit

In the Hungary be alive Prince Roland-Joseph-Ladislaus(Leslie)-Anton-Paulus von Bagratuni-Antonian-Antoniewicz de Bołoz Anieci (մեց իշխան Ռոլանդ Յոսիֆ Լադիսլաուս Անտոն Բողոս ֆոն Բազրատունի Անտոնեան Անտօնիևիչ Բողոսի Անիեցի ), journalist, filmdirector - the heir to the crown of Armenian Empire, Kingdom of Shirak, Principaute Ani and the West-Armenian Kingdom. (expertise of the hungarian geneological writer baron János József von Gudenus, historiographer writer-professors dr.Endre Kovács, dr.Gyula Germanus, dr.István Kállay and dr.Hassan Ali Jamsheer^[2]

[edit] Bagratids in Armenia

The Bagratid Princes of Armenia are known as early as 1st cenury B.C. when they served under the Artaxiad Dynasty. Unlike most noble families on Armenia they held only strips of land, as opposed to the Mamikonians, who held a unified land territory. These are the earliest Bagratid princes in Armenia prior to the establishment of the kingdom, as mentioned by the Union of Armenian Noblemen. Ashot I was the first Bagratid King, the founder of the Royal dynasty. He was recognized as prince of princes by the court at Baghdad in 861, which provoked war with local Arab emirs. Ashot won the war, and was recognized as King of the Armenians by Baghdad in 885. Recognition from Constantinople followed in 886. These are the kings of the Bagratid kings of Armenia. Ashot III the Merciful transferred their capital to the city of Ani, now famous for its ruins. They kept power by playing off the competition between the Byzantine Empire and the Arabs.

They assumed the Persian-influenced titles of the King of Kings in both Armenia and Georgia. To note, there are inscriptions on some churches of Ani citing Armenian kings as Shahanshas of the Armenians and Georgians. However, with the start of the 10th century and on, the Bagratunis broke up into different branches, breaking up the unified kingdom in a time when unity was needed in the face of Seljuq and Byzantine pressure. The rule of the Ani branch ended in 1045 with the conquest of Ani by the Byzantines. The Kars branch held on until 1064. However, the longest to last were the Bagratids of the Armenian region occupied by the principality of Lori(Tashir-Dzoraget) who were the only Armenian Bagratid kings to issue coins. The dynasty of Cilician Armenia is believed to be a branch of the Bagratids, later took the throne of an Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia. The founder, Roupen I, had an unknown relationship to the exiled king Gagik II. He was either a younger family member or kinsman.Ashot, son of Hovhannes (son of Gagik II) was later governor of Ani under the Shaddadid dynasty.

[edit] See also

• List of Bagratuni rulers of Armenia
• Zakarid Armenia
• The city of Dvin

[edit] References

[edit] History

• R. H. Hewsen. "Armenia: A Historical Atlas", 2001 ISBN 0-226-33228-4