Cotys IX
Encyclopedia
Cotys IX or Kotys IX was a Thracian
prince and the Roman
Client King of Lesser Armenia
. Cotys was the second son and was among the children of Roman Client Rulers of Thrace Cotys VIII and Antonia Tryphaena
. His paternal grandparents were loyal Roman Client Rulers Rhoemetalces I
and Pythodoris I of Thrace, while his maternal grandparents Roman Client Rulers Polemon Pythodoros
and Pythodorida of Pontus
. Cotys was the namesake of his father and was of Persian
, Greek
and Roman descent. His maternal grandmother Pythodorida of Pontus was the first grandchild of Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
. Thus through his maternal grandmother, Cotys was related to various members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
.
Cotys was raised and educated in Rome
along with his distant relative Roman prince and future Roman Emperor
Caligula
. Cotys was raised in households of Roman Empress Livia
Drusilla and his maternal great, great aunt Antonia Minor
. While Cotys was growing up he was a part of the remarkable court of Antonia Minor. Antonia Minor was a very influential woman and supervised her circle of various princes and princesses. Her circle assisted in the political preservation of the Roman Empire’s borders and affairs of the client states.
In 38 his late father’s first paternal cousin Rhoemetalces III
, became Roman Client King of Thrace and had married Cotys’ sister Pythodoris II
. Also in 38 the Roman Emperor Caligula with the Roman Senate
, appointed Cotys as Roman Client King of Lesser Armenia
. Caligula and the Roman Senate gave him a part of the Lesser Armenian Kingdom and some parts of Arabia to rule. These parts of Arabia later became the Roman province of Arabia Petraea
.
Cotys ruled in Lesser Armenia from 38 to until at least 47. Cotys endeavoured himself to obtain this throne. Sometime after 48, Roman Emperor Claudius
requested Cotys to abdicate the throne and replace him with a former Armenian King, Mithridates of Armenia
. At first Cotys, successfully refused Claudius’ request with the support of Roman and local Armenian nobles, however at the end on Claudius’ command, Cotys forcefully abdicated his throne for Mithridates to replace him. After Cotys abdicated his throne and kingship, his fate afterwards is unknown.
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
prince and the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Client King of Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia , also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, refers to the Armenian populated regions, primarily to the West and North-West of the ancient Armenian Kingdom...
. Cotys was the second son and was among the children of Roman Client Rulers of Thrace Cotys VIII and Antonia Tryphaena
Antonia Tryphaena
Antonia Tryphaena also known as Tryphaena of Thrace or Tryphaena was a Princess of the Bosporan, Pontus, Cilicia, Cappadocia and a Roman Client Queen of Thrace....
. His paternal grandparents were loyal Roman Client Rulers Rhoemetalces I
Rhoemetalces I
Rhoemetalces I was king of the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace from 12 BC to 12, in succession to his nephew Rhescuporis I.Rhoemetalces I was a loyal ally to the first Roman Emperor Augustus. He was a direct descendant of the Thracian King Cotys I, and the middle son of the earlier Thracian king Cotys VI...
and Pythodoris I of Thrace, while his maternal grandparents Roman Client Rulers Polemon Pythodoros
Polemon I of Pontus
Polemon Pythodoros, also known as Polemon I or Polemon I of Pontus was the Roman Client King of Cilicia, Pontus, Colchis and the Bosporan Kingdom....
and Pythodorida of Pontus
Pythodorida of Pontus
Pythodorida or Pythodoris of Pontus was a Roman Client Queen of Pontus, Bosporan, Cilicia and Cappadocia.-Origins & Early Life:Pythodorida is also known as Pythodoris I and Pantos Pythodorida. According to an honorific inscription dedicated to her in Athens Greece in the late 1st century BC, her...
. Cotys was the namesake of his father and was of Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
, Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
and Roman descent. His maternal grandmother Pythodorida of Pontus was the first grandchild of Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
. Thus through his maternal grandmother, Cotys was related to various members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
.
Cotys was raised and educated in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
along with his distant relative Roman prince and future Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
. Cotys was raised in households of Roman Empress Livia
Livia
Livia Drusilla, , after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus and his adviser...
Drusilla and his maternal great, great aunt Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor , also known as Antonia the Younger or simply Antonia was the younger of two daughters of Roman politician Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. Tacitus Ann. 4.44.2 and 12.54.2 may have confused the two Antonia sisters...
. While Cotys was growing up he was a part of the remarkable court of Antonia Minor. Antonia Minor was a very influential woman and supervised her circle of various princes and princesses. Her circle assisted in the political preservation of the Roman Empire’s borders and affairs of the client states.
In 38 his late father’s first paternal cousin Rhoemetalces III
Rhoemetalces III
Rhoemetalces III was a King of the Thracians. He was the son of the Monarch Rhescuporis II. He in association with his cousin-wife Pythodoris II were client rulers of the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace under the Romans from 38 to 46, in succession to Pythodoris’ mother Tryphaena and her brother...
, became Roman Client King of Thrace and had married Cotys’ sister Pythodoris II
Pythodoris II
Pythodoris II or Pythodorida II was client ruler in association with her cousin Rhoemetalces III of the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace under the Romans from 38 to 46, in succession to her mother Antonia Tryphaena and brother Rhoemetalces II...
. Also in 38 the Roman Emperor Caligula with the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
, appointed Cotys as Roman Client King of Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia , also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, refers to the Armenian populated regions, primarily to the West and North-West of the ancient Armenian Kingdom...
. Caligula and the Roman Senate gave him a part of the Lesser Armenian Kingdom and some parts of Arabia to rule. These parts of Arabia later became the Roman province of Arabia Petraea
Arabia Petraea
Arabia Petraea, also called Provincia Arabia or simply Arabia, was a frontier province of the Roman Empire beginning in the 2nd century; it consisted of the former Nabataean kingdom in modern Jordan, southern modern Syria, the Sinai Peninsula and northwestern Saudi Arabia. Its capital was Petra...
.
Cotys ruled in Lesser Armenia from 38 to until at least 47. Cotys endeavoured himself to obtain this throne. Sometime after 48, Roman Emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
requested Cotys to abdicate the throne and replace him with a former Armenian King, Mithridates of Armenia
Mithridates of Armenia
Mithridates of Armenia was an Iberian prince and a king of Armenia under the protection of the Roman Empire.Mithridates was installed by his brother Pharasmanes I of Iberia who, encouraged by Tiberius, invaded Armenia and captured its capital Artaxata in 35...
. At first Cotys, successfully refused Claudius’ request with the support of Roman and local Armenian nobles, however at the end on Claudius’ command, Cotys forcefully abdicated his throne for Mithridates to replace him. After Cotys abdicated his throne and kingship, his fate afterwards is unknown.
Sources
- TacitusTacitusPublius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, Annals of Imperial Rome - French version of Wikipedia
- German version of Wikipedia
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0879.html
- http://books.google.com.au/books?id=S_iZdOzcQCoC&pg=PA192&lpg=PA192&dq=Strabo+and+Antonia+&source=web&ots=to-ReZ9Ehv&sig=nbs8aS8VpIPUEpAjlR3mhs_7lHs&hl=en#PPA25,M1
- http://books.google.com/books?id=nRKDGwn_CRkC&pg=PA922&lpg=PA922&dq=Antonia+Tryphaena+of+Cyzicus&source=web&ots=L7ki8fxV0a&sig=PkdRzfoBy6Mc269j0ADH_1uWjDU