Sanatruces II of Parthia
Encyclopedia
Sanatruces II of Parthia, the son of Mithridates IV
, was a pretender to the throne of the Parthian Empire
during the disputed reign of his uncle Osroes I
.
When Osroes was deposed by the invading Roman Emperor
Trajan
in 116
in favor of the puppet ruler Parthamaspates
, Sanatruces and his father, Osroes' brother Mithridates, together claimed the diadem and continued the struggle against the Romans in Mesopotamia
. Trajan then marched southward to the Persian Gulf
, defeated them, and declared Mesopotamia a province of the Roman Empire
. After the Romans withdrew, Osroes drove out Parthamaspates and reclaimed the Parthian throne.
Mithridates IV eventually succeeded Osroes about 129
and reigned to about 140
, when he died in an attack on Roman Commagene. Sanatruces, whom he had appointed his successor, predeceased him, also falling in a battle with the Romans. Thus the pair's earlier "reign" during the abortive campaign of 116 proved Sanatruces' sole taste of kingship.
His father's longtime rival Vologases III
took over Mithridates' realm, but another son of Mithridates, Vologases IV
, eventually came to the throne after the death of Vologases III in 147.
Mithridates IV of Parthia
Mithridates IV of Parthia ruled the western Parthian Empire from 129 to 140. He was the brother of Osroes I of Parthia . He was the youngest son of the Parthian King Vonones II. During the invasion of Mesopotamia by the Roman emperor Trajan in 116 he and his son Sanatruces II took up the diadem...
, was a pretender to the throne of the Parthian Empire
Parthian Empire
The Parthian Empire , also known as the Arsacid Empire , was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Persia...
during the disputed reign of his uncle Osroes I
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....
.
When Osroes was deposed by the invading 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...
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...
in 116
116
Year 116 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lamia and Vetus...
in favor of the puppet ruler Parthamaspates
Parthamaspates of Parthia
Parthamaspates, Roman client king of Parthia and later of Osroene, was the son of the Parthian emperor Osroes I.After spending much of his life in Roman exile, he accompanied the Roman Emperor Trajan on the latter's campaign to conquer Parthia...
, Sanatruces and his father, Osroes' brother Mithridates, together claimed the diadem and continued the struggle against the Romans in 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...
. Trajan then marched southward to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, defeated them, and declared Mesopotamia a province of 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....
. After the Romans withdrew, Osroes drove out Parthamaspates and reclaimed the Parthian throne.
Mithridates IV eventually succeeded Osroes about 129
129
Year 129 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Celsus and Marcellus...
and reigned to about 140
140
Year 140 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hadrianus and Caesar...
, when he died in an attack on Roman Commagene. Sanatruces, whom he had appointed his successor, predeceased him, also falling in a battle with the Romans. Thus the pair's earlier "reign" during the abortive campaign of 116 proved Sanatruces' sole taste of kingship.
His father's longtime rival Vologases III
Vologases III of Parthia
Vologases III of Parthia claimed the throne of the Parthian Empire about 105, in the last days of Pacorus II of Parthia . He reigned over the eastern portion of the kingdom from 105 to 147...
took over Mithridates' realm, but another son of Mithridates, Vologases IV
Vologases IV of Parthia
Vologases IV of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire from 147 to 191. The son of Mithridates IV of Parthia , he united the two halves of the empire which had been split between his father and Vologases III of Parthia...
, eventually came to the throne after the death of Vologases III in 147.