Gagik I Artsruni Գագիկ Ա Արծրունի
King of Vaspurakan
Gagik I sculpture at theChurch of the Holy Cross (915–921), Аghtamar.
Reign	904–937/943
Investiture	908
Predecessor	Ashot-Sargis Artsruni
Successor	Derenik-Ashot
Born	879/880
Died	943
Consort	Grigoradukht (daughter of Grigor Abuhamza Artsruni) Mlke (granddaughter ofAshot I)[1]
Issue	Derenik-Ashot Abusahl-Hamazasp Khedenik[2]
Armenian	Գագիկ Ա Արծրունի
House	Artsruni (partly)

Gagik I Artsruni (Armenian:Գագիկ Ա Արծրունի; 879/880 – 943) was anArmenian noble of theArtsruni dynasty who ruled overVaspurakan in southern Armenia, first as prince of northwestern Vaspurakan (Gagik III, 904–908) and after that until his death as King of Vaspurakan, also claiming the title ofKing of Armenia.

Since the end of the 7th century,Armenia wasunder Arab dominion and headed by anostikan (governor) representing theUmayyad, and laterAbbasid caliphates,^[5] and was the scene of numerous battles against theByzantine Empire since the 9th century.^[6] To strengthen the Arab authority, theseostikans were implanted into various regions of Armenian emirs; the historical province ofVaspurakan was no exception to this.^[7] In opposition, theArmenian nobility createdishkhans (princes) to gradually extend their authority in the region.^[8][9]

Second son ofGrigor-Derenik Artsruni, the Prince of Vaspurakan, and Sophia Bagratuni, the daughter of KingAshot I of Armenia, Gagik was born in 879 or 880.^{[citation needed]} Upon the death of Grigor-Derenik in 887,Gagik Apumrvan Artsruni became regent of Vaspurakan (and laterishksan) and was given Grigor-Derenik's three children Gagik, Ashot-Sargis, and Gurgen.^[10] In response to Gagik Apumrvan Artsruni's defection in a military operation ordered bySmbat I, Gagik I Artsruni killed Gagik Apumrvan Artsruni and Ashot-Sargis was given the regency.^[11] In response to this, Smbat I promoted Gagik to the rank of general and Gurgen tomarzpan (governor).^[12]

Gagik succeeded his elder brother Ashot-Sargis asishkhan in 904^[13] and allowed Gourgen to rule over the southeastern possessions of the Artsruni family; both worked well together until the death of Gurgen in 923.^[14] After various rebel attacks,^[15] Gagik developed a talent for creating military and political strategies and worked towards decreasing the number of Muslim enclaves of Vaspurakan.^[16]

Gagik I sculpture at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Аghtamar.^[17]

Gagik was an ally of theSajid emir ofAzerbaijanYusuf ibn Abi'l-Saj, from whom he received recognition as king in 908, against the BagratidSmbat I.^[18] His state was recognized by theByzantine Empire, who awarded him the title of "prince of princes" traditionally borne by the pre-eminent Armenian ruler, and his legitimacy received a further boost when the Armeniancatholicos,John V the Historian, abandoned Muslim-ruledDvin for Vaspurakan in 924. However, Gagik later reversed his position and allied himself with Smbat's son and successor,Ashot II. He is also notable as the founder of theArmenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross.^[16]

• Gospels of Queen Mlké

• Adalian, Rouben Paul (2010).Historical Dictionary of Armenia.
• Khach'atryan, Hayk; Sekhpossian, Nouné; Merguerian, Barbara J. (2001).Queens of the Armenians: 150 biographies based on history and legend.
• Martin-Hisard, Bernadette (1982).Arab Domination and Armenian Freedoms (seventh-ninth century). Toulouse: Privat.ISBN 978-2-7089-6874-5.
• Toumanoff, Cyrille (1990).The dynasties of Christian antiquity to the Caucasus of xixth century. Rome.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Thierry, Jean-Michel (1982).Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom. Privat.ISBN 978-2-7089-6874-5.
• Jones, Lynn (2007).Between Islam and Byzantium: Aght'amar and the Visual Construction of Medieval Armenian Rulership. Ashgate Publishing.ISBN 978-0754638520.
• Grousset, René (1947).History of Armenia from its origins to 1071. Payot.ISBN 978-2-228-88912-4.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 161, 2154.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
• Jones, Lynn.The Church of the Holy Cross and the Iconography of Kingship. Vol. 33. Gesta.
• Garsoïan, Nina G. (1997)."The independent kingdoms of medieval Armenia". In Hovhannisian, Richard G. (ed.).The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times. Volume 1, The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 143–185.ISBN 0-312-10169-4.
• Ter-Ghewondyan, Aram (1976).The Arab Emirates in Bagratid Armenia. Translated by Nina G. Garsoïan. Lisbon: Livraria Bertrand.OCLC 490638192.

• Vacca, Alison (2017).Non-Muslim Provinces under Early Islam: Islamic Rule and Iranian Legitimacy in Armenia and Caucasian Albania. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 978-1107188518.

• 9th-century births
• 10th-century deaths
• 10th-century monarchs of Vaspurakan
• Artsruni dynasty
• Princes of Vaspurakan
• 10th-century Armenian people

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing Armenian-language text
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from June 2023
• Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images
• CS1 maint: location missing publisher
• CS1 errors: ISBN date