Varazdat
Encyclopedia
Varazdat was an Armenian prince who succeeded his uncle King Pap
as King of Armenia in 374.
sent Varazdat, a nephew of Pap, a young man highly reputed for his mental and physical gifts, to occupy the Armenian throne. Varazdat began to rule under the regency of Musel Mamikonian
. The Persian King Shapur II
, having failed on the battlefield, now proposed to Valens in 375 that Armenia which he called the perpetual source of trouble, be evacuated or that Roman forces be withdrawn from the Western part of Caucasian Iberia
ruled by Sauromaces
. The Emperor rejected the proposal but sent two legates, the magister equitum Victor Magistrianus and Urbicius the dux of Mesopotamia to the Persian King to discuss the question. Shapur was told that his demands are unjust because the inhabitants of Armenia have been granted the right to live according to their decisions. Shapur was also told that unless Roman troops assigned to protect the Iberian King in the West were allowed to pass unhindered Shapur would be forced into war with Rome. Valens was confident of this threat because he was counting on filling the ranks of his army with auxiliaries from the Goths
that he permitted to settle in Thrace
. The two legates made a blunder upon their return by accepting two regions (Asthianene and Belabitene) under Roman rule without proper authorization. This gave Shapur a new bargaining chip to revive negotiations and in late 376 he sent Suren with an embassy offering Valens these two regions illegally accepted by the legates in exchange for Roman concessions. Suren was sent back with the message that Romans are unwilling to negotiate and would launch a tripartite invasion of Persia the following spring in 377. Shapur responded by seizing back Asthianene and Belabitene and harassed the Roman troops in Western Iberia. Fortunately for Shapur the Goths revolted in early 377 and Valens was forced to negotiate, eventually withdrawing Roman forces from Armenia in order to use them against the Goths. Valens himself died fighting the Goths in August of 378 during the Battle of Adrianople
.
who had served under Shapur in the most recent Kushan war. Manuel took up arms against Varazdat and forced him to flee from Armenia in 378, after four years of reign. Varazdat sought refuge in Rome. Together with Pap's wife Zarmandukht and his son Arshak III
, Manuel formed a new provisional government allied with Persia. Shapur garrisoned a 10,000 man army in Armenia under Suren, much like Valens in 377. Eventually Manuel revolted against Persia and defended Armenian sovereignty against both Rome and Persia throughout the 380's until his death.
(3.40). Since he reigned from 374-78, conjecture places his victory in the 360's.
Pap of Armenia
Pap was king of Armenia of the Arshakuni dynasty from 370 to 374. He was the son of King Arshak II and is notorious for poisoning the Catholicos of Armenia Nerses the Great.-Ascendancy:...
as King of Armenia in 374.
Appointment
Following the assassination of King Pap, ValensValens
Valens was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 364 to 378. He was given the eastern half of the empire by his brother Valentinian I after the latter's accession to the throne...
sent Varazdat, a nephew of Pap, a young man highly reputed for his mental and physical gifts, to occupy the Armenian throne. Varazdat began to rule under the regency of Musel Mamikonian
Musel Mamikonian
Musel Mamikonian, also spelled Mushegh was the Sparapet of Armenia under Pap and then, after Pap was killed, was the regent for his nephew Varazdat.While in the service of Pap, Musel was a key figure in defeating the invading Persian forces...
. The Persian King Shapur II
Shapur II
Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...
, having failed on the battlefield, now proposed to Valens in 375 that Armenia which he called the perpetual source of trouble, be evacuated or that Roman forces be withdrawn from the Western part of Caucasian Iberia
Caucasian Iberia
Iberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
ruled by Sauromaces
Sauromaces II of Iberia
Saurmag II |Latinized]] as Sauromaces), of the Chosroid Dynasty, was a king of Iberia from AD 361 to 363 and diarch from 370 to 378...
. The Emperor rejected the proposal but sent two legates, the magister equitum Victor Magistrianus and Urbicius the dux of Mesopotamia to the Persian King to discuss the question. Shapur was told that his demands are unjust because the inhabitants of Armenia have been granted the right to live according to their decisions. Shapur was also told that unless Roman troops assigned to protect the Iberian King in the West were allowed to pass unhindered Shapur would be forced into war with Rome. Valens was confident of this threat because he was counting on filling the ranks of his army with auxiliaries from the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
that he permitted to settle in Thrace
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...
. The two legates made a blunder upon their return by accepting two regions (Asthianene and Belabitene) under Roman rule without proper authorization. This gave Shapur a new bargaining chip to revive negotiations and in late 376 he sent Suren with an embassy offering Valens these two regions illegally accepted by the legates in exchange for Roman concessions. Suren was sent back with the message that Romans are unwilling to negotiate and would launch a tripartite invasion of Persia the following spring in 377. Shapur responded by seizing back Asthianene and Belabitene and harassed the Roman troops in Western Iberia. Fortunately for Shapur the Goths revolted in early 377 and Valens was forced to negotiate, eventually withdrawing Roman forces from Armenia in order to use them against the Goths. Valens himself died fighting the Goths in August of 378 during the Battle of Adrianople
Battle of Adrianople
The Battle of Adrianople , sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between a Roman army led by the Roman Emperor Valens and Gothic rebels led by Fritigern...
.
Decline
The situation in Armenia deteriorated even further. Some time after the withdrawal of the Roman forces, Varazdat killed the regent Musel Mamikonian. The vacant position of sparapet was quickly filled by Manuel MamikonianManuel Mamikonian
Manuel Mamikonian was the real leader of Armenia after the death of Varazdat.The Mamikonian family had long been the leading generals of Armenia, holding the title of Sparapet, basically a chief general....
who had served under Shapur in the most recent Kushan war. Manuel took up arms against Varazdat and forced him to flee from Armenia in 378, after four years of reign. Varazdat sought refuge in Rome. Together with Pap's wife Zarmandukht and his son Arshak III
Arshak III
Arshak III was the last king of the part of Armenia that was put under Roman domination by the Peace of Acilisene.Arshak III originally came to power as co-king with his brother Valarshak in 380 during Manuel Mamikonian's domination of Armenia...
, Manuel formed a new provisional government allied with Persia. Shapur garrisoned a 10,000 man army in Armenia under Suren, much like Valens in 377. Eventually Manuel revolted against Persia and defended Armenian sovereignty against both Rome and Persia throughout the 380's until his death.
Ancient Olympics
Varazdat is often regarded as one of the last competitors in the Ancient Olympic Games. Varazdat's victory in fisticuffs (pugilat) is recorded in Moses of Chorene's History of ArmeniaHistory of Armenia (Moses of Chorene)
The History of Armenia attributed to Moses Khorenatsi is an early account of Armenia, covering the mythological origins of the Armenian people as well as Armenia's interaction with Sassanid, Byzantine and Arsacid empires down to the 5th century....
(3.40). Since he reigned from 374-78, conjecture places his victory in the 360's.