Arsacids of Armenia

Q704151

Arsacids of Armenia: name of a dynasty of kings, ruling in Armenia since the mid-first century. It was a branch of the Arsacid dynasty in the Parthian Empire.

According to a treaty, concluded in 20 BCE between the Roman ruler Augustus and his Parthian colleague Phraates IV, the Romans had the right to appoint the Armenian kings. However, in 52 CE the Parthian king Vologases I, a member of the Arsacid dynasty, using an internal crisis in Armenia and a change of government in Rome, installed his brother Tiridates as king of Armenia. This deliberate provocation led to a long war between Rome and Parthia. In the end, Tiridates was forced to visit Rome to be crowned again by the emperor Nero.

From now on, the king of Parthia was to be an Arsacid, recognized by Rome. The ties with the Parthian Arsacids remained close. When the dynasty in Parthian was overthrown by the Sasanian Persians, the sons of the last king fled to Armenia.^note[Cassius Dio, Roman History 80.3.2-3.]

Known rulers are:

Tiridates	51 - c.80
Axidares	c.110
Parthamasiris	113 - 114
Sanatruces^note[Perhaps not an Arsacid.]	c.115
Roman province	114 - 117
Vologases III	117 - c.140
Pacorus	c.140-162
Sohaemus^note[Not an Arsacid.]	164 - c.175
Vologases V	c.180 - 191
"Chosroes"	c.197
Tiridates II	217-c.252
Chosroes II	?
Tiridates III	c.298 - 330

At the beginning of the fourth century, Tiridates III allowed the Christian religion, an event that marked a new phase in Armenian history and is the subject of the History of St. Gregory and the Conversion of Armenia by Agathangelos.