Diran of Armenia

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This article is about Diran of Armenia an Armenian king. For other uses of the term, see Diran (disambiguation).

Diran (339-350) was a weak Armenian king whose reign was blemished by both internal and external conflict. Diran had many disagreements with the reigning Catholicos St. Husik, so much so that he ordered the execution of Husik in 347 AD. The Persians, under Shapur II, invaded Armenia and took the king hostage. They blinded and imprisoned him.

However, the Armenian nobility, assisted by the Romans, fought against the invaders and successfully drove them out. The Persians, defeated, signed a treaty and agreed to release Diran. The king, depressed and blind, abdicated and handed the crown to Arshak II in 350 AD.

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Translated from the Armenian: Mihran Kurdoghlian, Badmoutioun Hayots, A. hador [Armenian History, volume I], Athens, Greece, 1994, pg. 108