King Manisarus
Encyclopedia
King Manisarus was a 2nd century king of the Corduene
, which was a small proto-Kurdish vassal state
during the Roman Empire
. He has also been described as "perhaps prince of the Praetavi, whose capital was Singara
". During his rule he took control over parts of Armenia
and Mesopotamia
, and Osroes I of Parthia
declared war on him. Manisarus petitioned the Roman Emperor Trajan
, offering him territory taken from supporters of Osroes in return for his support, an offer which was evidently accepted. Trajan also acquired the kingdom of Corduene at this time but only temporarily.
Corduene
Corduene was an ancient region located in northern Mesopotamia and modern day Kurdish inhabited south east Turkey. It was a province of the Greater Armenia. It was referred to by the Greeks as Karduchia and by both the Greeks and Romans as Corduene...
, which was a small proto-Kurdish vassal state
Vassal state
A vassal state is any state that is subordinate to another. The vassal in these cases is the ruler, rather than the state itself. Being a vassal most commonly implies providing military assistance to the dominant state when requested to do so; it sometimes implies paying tribute, but a state which...
during the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. He has also been described as "perhaps prince of the Praetavi, whose capital was Singara
Singara
Singara was a strongly fortified post at the northern extremity of Mesopotamia, which for a while, as appears from many coins still extant, was occupied by the Romans as an advanced colony against the Persians...
". During his rule he took control over parts of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, and Osroes I of Parthia
Osroes I of Parthia
Osroes I of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire c. 109–129. He succeeded his brother Pacorus II. For the whole of his reign he contended with the rival king Vologases III based in the east of Parthia....
declared war on him. Manisarus petitioned the Roman Emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
, offering him territory taken from supporters of Osroes in return for his support, an offer which was evidently accepted. Trajan also acquired the kingdom of Corduene at this time but only temporarily.
External links
- Corduene or Gordyene, Classical Dictionary of Biography, Mythology and Geography.
- Geography, StraboStraboStrabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, Book XVI, Chapter 1, Section 24. - History of Rome, The Establishment of the Military Monarchy, by Theodor Mommsen, page 24.