Bagratuni dynasty

Bagratuni
Bagratuni
Parent house	Orontid Dynasty
Country	Armenia; Caucasian Albania
Founded	100 BC
Founder	Ashot I
Final ruler	Gagik II
Titles	King of Kings of Armenia and Iberia (Armenian: Շահնշահ Հայոց և Վրաց[1],[2]); King of Armenia; King of Albania; King of Vaspurakan; King of Syunik; King of Lori; King of Artsakh; Prince of Vanand; Prince of Taron; Prince of Khachen;
Cadet branches	Rubenids (possibly); Hasan-Jalalyan (indirectly)

The Bagratuni or Bagratid (Armenian: Բագրատունի, Armenian pronunciation: [bagɾatuni]) royal family ruled many regional polities of the medieval Kingdom of Armenia, such as Shirak, Bagrevand[3], Kogovit (Armenian: Կոգովիտ)[4], Syunik, Lori, Vaspurakan, Vanand, Taron, and Tayk.[5] According to historian Cyril Toumanoff they are also accepted as the progenitors of the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty.[6][7]

Early history

The Bagratuni family became princes in the 4th century. Their heritable rights were given to them by the Arshakuni dynasty, the kings of Armenia (52-428). They were given the title aspet, the commander of the cavalry, and were given the privilege of crowning Arshakuni kings upon their accession to the throne. Their domain included the region of Sper in the Çoruh River valley of Upper Armenia, which was famous for its gold, and Tayk. Movses Khorenatsi claimed they had an ancestor, Sembat, who came to Armenia from Judea in 6th century BC, but this is considered by modern historians to be an invention to give a biblical origin to the family.[8]

The Bagratid family first emerged as nakharars, members of the hereditary nobility of Armenia. As early as 288–301, the Bagratid prince Smbat held the hereditary Armenian titles of Aspet, which means "Master of the Horse," and T'agatir, which means Coronant of the King.[9]

According to Prince Cyril Toumanoff, the earliest Bagratid prince was chronicled as early as 314 AD. In the 8th century, Smbat VII Bagratuni revolted unsuccessfully against the Abbasid Caliphate.

1.Yellow: A. Central Armenian Kingdom of Bagratuni, B. Kingdom of Armenian Bagratuni in Iberia, C. Kingdom of Artsruni in Vaspurakan, Southern Armenia, 2.Red: Subordinate Emirates in D. Dvin, E. Nakhichevan, F. Tiflis, 3.other colours: subordinate principalities of G. Syunik, H. Artsakh, I. Parisos, J. Taron, K. Kartli, L. Kakheti, M. Caucasian Albania Albania, N. Kabala, O. Kaysite Emirate, P. Gandzak, etc..

Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia, 1000 A.D.

The vassal Kingdom of Vaspurakan, in Southern Armenia.

Bagratids in Armenia

The Bagratid Princes of Armenia are known as early as 1st century BC when they served under the Artaxiad Dynasty. Unlike most noble families of 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 Bagratid 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. In an effort to unify the Armenian nation under one flag, the Bagratids subjugated other Armenian noble families through conquests and fragile marriage alliances. Eventually, some noble families such as the Artsrunis and the Siunis broke off from the central Bagratid authority.[10] 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 title of "King of Kings" (Shahanshah).[11] However, with the start of the 10th century and on, the Bagratunis broke up into different branches, fragmenting the kingdom in a time when unity was needed in the face of Seljuk 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. The dynasty of Cilician Armenia is believed to be a branch of the Bagratids, which later took the throne of an Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia. The founder, Ruben 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.

Gallery

The Walls of Ani
Taraz (national costume) of an Armenian woman during Bagratid dynasty
Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia and Georgia, 884-962 A.D.
Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia, 1000 A.D.
The vassal Kingdom of Vaspurakan, in Southern Armenia

References

Bagratuni family Kings assumed the Persian title of "King of Kings" (Shahanshah).
Tim Greenwood, Emergence of the Bagratuni Kingdoms, p. 52, in Armenian Kars and Ani, Richard Hovannisian, ed.
Dictionary of toponymies of Armenia and adjacent regions, vol. 1, Yerevan, 1986, p. 536. In Armenian: Հայաստանի և հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան, հ.1, էջ 536: Bagrevand ... in the 9th-11th centuries was under the rule of the Bagratouni Kingdom of Armenia. Բագրևանդը … 9-11-րդ դարերում մտնում էր Բագրատունիների թագավորության տիրապետության մեջ:
The Dictionary of the toponymes of Armenia and the adjacent regions, volume 3, Yerevan State University, YSU Publishing house, Yerevan, 1991, p. 182. "During the reign of the Arshakuni dynasty, the province of Kogovit belonged to the court, but after Arshakuni Kingdom's decline it passed to the Bagratuni princes".Հայաստանի եւ հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան, Թ.Խ. Հակոբյան, Ստ.Տ. Մելիք-Բախշյան, Հ.Խ. Բարսեղյան։ Երեւանի Համալսարանի Հրատարակչություն, Հատոր 3: Երեւան, 1991, էջ 182։ ՙՙԿոգովիտ գավառը Արշակունիների թագավորության ժամանակ պատկանում էր արքունիքին, իսկ նրա անկման շրջանում անցավ Բագրատունիներին՚՚:
http://rbedrosian.com/Ref/CMH1.htm
Toumanoff, C. Iberia on the Eve of Bagratid Rule, p. 22, cited in: Suny (1994), note 30, p. 349: "All this has now come to be accepted in modern Georgian historiography".
Toumanoff, Cyril, "Armenia and Georgia", in The Cambridge Medieval History, Cambridge, 1966, vol. IV, p. 609. Accessible online at
Kurkjian, Vahan (1958). A History of Armenia. New York: Armenian General Benevolent Fund. p. 186.
Movses Khorenatsi. History of the Armenians. Translation and Commentary of the Literary Sources by R. W. Thomson. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1978 Appendix A. Primary History, pp. 358-359, 362, 365-366
Herzig, Kurkichayan, Edmund, Marina (2005). The Armenians: Past and Present in the Making of National Identity. Routledge. p. 43.
Tim Greenwood, Emergence of the Bagratuni Kingdoms, p. 52, in Armenian Kars and Ani, Richard Hovannisian, ed.

"Sebeos' History"
John Mamikonean's History of Taron"
"Aristakes Lastivertc'i's History "
"Kirakos Gandzakets'i's History of the Armenians"
Vahan Kurkjian - The Bagratid Dynasty — The Bagratuni

Genealogy

Prince Cyrille Toumanoff, Manuel de généalogie et de chronologie pour l'histoire de la Caucasie Chrétienne (Arménie-Géorgie-Albanie). Edizioni Aquila, Roma, 1976. - still remains the only account of the family generally available in the West, although its scientific standard has been criticized as very low.
The Families of the Nobility of the Russian Empire, Volume III, Moscow, 1996. - contains the latest research available in Russian, compiled by Georgian scientists, some of them Bagratids themselves.
Armenian Nobility Site
Robert Bedrosian's History Page

History

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

External links

Media related to Bagratuni at Wikimedia Commons

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[1] Bagratuni family Kings assumed the Persian title of "King of Kings" (Shahanshah).

[2] Tim Greenwood, Emergence of the Bagratuni Kingdoms, p. 52, in Armenian Kars and Ani, Richard Hovannisian, ed.

[3] Dictionary of toponymies of Armenia and adjacent regions, vol. 1, Yerevan, 1986, p. 536. In Armenian: Հայաստանի և հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան, հ.1, էջ 536: Bagrevand ... in the 9th-11th centuries was under the rule of the Bagratouni Kingdom of Armenia. Բագրևանդը … 9-11-րդ դարերում մտնում էր Բագրատունիների թագավորության տիրապետության մեջ:

[4] The Dictionary of the toponymes of Armenia and the adjacent regions, volume 3, Yerevan State University, YSU Publishing house, Yerevan, 1991, p. 182. "During the reign of the Arshakuni dynasty, the province of Kogovit belonged to the court, but after Arshakuni Kingdom's decline it passed to the Bagratuni princes".Հայաստանի եւ հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան, Թ.Խ. Հակոբյան, Ստ.Տ. Մելիք-Բախշյան, Հ.Խ. Բարսեղյան։ Երեւանի Համալսարանի Հրատարակչություն, Հատոր 3: Երեւան, 1991, էջ 182։ ՙՙԿոգովիտ գավառը Արշակունիների թագավորության ժամանակ պատկանում էր արքունիքին, իսկ նրա անկման շրջանում անցավ Բագրատունիներին՚՚:

[5] ttp://rbedrosian.com/Ref/CMH1.htm

[6] Toumanoff, C. Iberia on the Eve of Bagratid Rule, p. 22, cited in: Suny (1994), note 30, p. 349: "All this has now come to be accepted in modern Georgian historiography".

[Toumanoff1966-7] Toumanoff, Cyril, "Armenia and Georgia", in The Cambridge Medieval History, Cambridge, 1966, vol. IV, p. 609. Accessible online at

[8] Kurkjian, Vahan (1958). A History of Armenia. New York: Armenian General Benevolent Fund. p. 186.

[9] Movses Khorenatsi. History of the Armenians. Translation and Commentary of the Literary Sources by R. W. Thomson. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1978 Appendix A. Primary History, pp. 358-359, 362, 365-366

[The_Armenians-10] Herzig, Kurkichayan, Edmund, Marina (2005). The Armenians: Past and Present in the Making of National Identity. Routledge. p. 43.

[11] Tim Greenwood, Emergence of the Bagratuni Kingdoms, p. 52, in Armenian Kars and Ani, Richard Hovannisian, ed.

History of Armenia
Coat of Arms of Armenia
Origins Name People Language
Prehistory Stone and Copper Age Shulaveri-Shomu culture c. 6500–3400 BCE Areni-1 Cave Complex Kura–Araxes culture c. 3400–2000 BCE Legend of Hayk (?) 2492 BCE Bronze and Iron Age Trialeti-Vanadzor c. 2200–1600 BCE Hayasa-Azzi c. 1500–1290 BCE Arme-Shupria c. 1300–1190 BCE Ararat/Urartu Diauehi c. 1100-760 BCE Mushki Nairi Tribes 1114–860 BCE Kingdom of Van 860–590 BCE Scythian and Mede invasions 6^th cen. BCE
Antiquity Achaemenid period Satrapy of Armina 549–331 BCE Orontid Dynasty Kingdom of Armenia Armenia Minor 331–72 BCE Kingdom of Armenia 321 BCE–428 CE Artaxiad dynasty 189 BCE–12 CE Empire 84–34 BCE Arsacid dynasty 52–428 CE Roman–Parthian War 58–63 CE Roman Province of Armenia 114–118 CE Christianization 301 CE Kingdom of Sophene c.200–94 BCE Kingdom of Commagene 163 BCE–72 CE Marzpanate period Byzantine Armenia 387–536 Persian Armenia 428–646 Mamikonian dynasty Battle of Avarayr 451 Muslim conquest of Armenia 645
Middle Ages Arabic period Emirate of Armenia 653–884 Hamamshen 700s–1300s Amatuni Dynasty Kingdom of Armenia Bagratid Armenia 884–1045 Bagratid dynasty 861–1118 Sajid dynasty 889–929 Kingdom of Vaspurakan 908–1021 Artsruni dynasty Sallarid dynasty 919–1062 Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget 979–1118 Kingdom of Syunik 987–1170 Kingdom of Artsakh 1000–1261 House of Hasan-Jalalyan Battle of Manzikert 1071 Cilician and Turko-Mongol Period Seljuk Empire 1071–1201 Kingdom of Georgia Zakarid Armenia 1201–1360 Principality of Khachen 1261–15^th cen. Mongol Empire & Ilkhanate Mongol Armenia 1236–1335 Turkomania 14^th—15^th cen. Timurid Empire 15^th cen. Kingdom of Cilicia 1198–1375 Rubenid dynasty 1000–1261 Hethumid dynasty 1226–1373 Lusignan dynasty 1341–1375
Early modern age Perso-Ottoman period Iranian Armenia 1502–1828 Five Melikdoms 15^th cen.—1822 Shah Abbas I's deportation 1606 Russo-Persian War 1804–13 Treaty of Gulistan 1813 Russo-Persian War 1826–1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay 1828 Ottoman Empire 1548–1915 Armenian millet Russo-Turkish War 1877–1878 Armenian Question Six Vilayets 1878 Hamidian massacres 1895–1896 Adana massacre 1909 Armenian Genocide 1909–1918 Confiscation of Armenian properties Russian period Russian rule 1828–1918 Armenian Oblast 1828–1840 Western Armenia 1915–1918 Caucasus Campaign 1914–1918 National Liberation Movement Armenakan 1885 S.D. Hunchakian Party 1887 ARF (Dashnaktsutyun) 1890
Modern age Independence First Republic of Armenia 1918–1920 War with Azerbaijan 1918–1920 War with Georgia 1918 Treaty of Sèvres 1920 Wilsonian Armenia 1920 War with Turkey 1920 Treaty of Alexandropol 1920 Soviet period Armenian S.S.R. 1920–1991 February Uprising 1921 Republic of Mountainous Armenia 1921 Treaty of Moscow 1921 Treaty of Kars 1921 Soviet Claims in Turkey 1945–1953 Nagorno-Karabakh A.O. 1923–1991 Diaspora Armenian diaspora Hidden Armenians Repatriation Contemporary Armenia Republic of Armenia since 1991 Post-Soviet transition 1991–1995 Modern era since 1995 Republic of Artsakh since 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War 1989–1994
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