| Tigranes VI | |
|---|---|
 | |
| King of Armenia | |
| Reign | 58 – 61 |
| Coronation | 58,Rome,Roman Empire |
| Successor | Tiridates I |
| Born | Gaius Julius Tigranes before 25 |
| Died | after 68 |
| wife | Opgalli |
| Issue | Gaius Julius Alexander Julia |
| House | Herodian dynasty |
| Father | Alexander |
Tigranes VI, also known asTigran VI orby his Roman nameGaius Julius Tigranes[1] (Greek:Γαίος Ιούλιος Τιγράνης, before 25 – after 68) was aHerodian prince and served as a Roman client king ofArmenia in the 1st century.
He was the child born toAlexander by an unnamed wife.[2] His mother was a noblewoman that flourished in the reigns of the first twoRoman emperorsAugustus andTiberius. He was the namesake of his paternal uncleTigranes V,[3] who served as a previous king of Armenia during the reign of Augustus. His father's parents wereAlexander andGlaphyra.[4] Tigranes appears to be the only grandchild born to his paternal grandparents.
His paternal grandfatherAlexander was aJudean prince ofJewish,Nabataean andEdomite descent and was a son of King of Judea,Herod the Great and his wifeMariamne. His paternal grandmotherGlaphyra was aCappadocian princess ofGreek,Armenian andPersian descent. She was the daughter of KingArchelaus of Cappadocia[5] and her mother wasan unnamed princess from Armenia,[6] possibly a relation of theArtaxiad dynasty.
Tigranes’ name is a reflection of his Armenian andHellenic lineage. The nameTigranes was the most common royal name in the Artaxiad dynasty and was among the most ancient names of the Armenian kings.[7]Josephus states that his ancestral line had been kings of Armenia.[8] Like his father and paternal uncle, Tigranes was anapostate toJudaism. It is unlikely that Tigranes attempted to exert influence on Judean politics.
Little is known on Tigranes’ life prior to becoming King of Armenia. Tigranes was raised in Rome.[9] Tigranes married a noblewoman from centralAnatolia called Opgalli. Opgalli was aPhrygian woman, who may have been aHellenic Jew. His wife is only known through surviving numismatic evidence from his kingship. Her royal title is in GreekΒΑΣ ΟΠΓΑΛΛΥ which meansof Queen Opgalli.ΒΑΣ is the royal abbreviation or shortening for the Greek wordΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑ which meansQueen. Opgalli bore Tigranes at least two known children: a sonGaius Julius Alexander and a daughterJulia. Tigranes and his children were the last royal descendants of thekings of Cappadocia.
In the spring of 58 the Roman generalGnaeus Domitius Corbulo with his army, entered Armenia fromCappadocia and advanced towardsArtaxata, whilePharasmanes I of Iberia attacked from the north andAntiochus IV of Commagene attacked from the southwest.Tiridates I ran away from his capital which Corbulo set fire to. In the summer of that year, Corbulo advanced towardsTigranakert and arrived in the city that opened the gates, only one citadel resisted. The majority of the Armenians had abandoned resistance and accepted a prince given by Rome.
In 58, the Roman emperorNero crowned Tigranes asKing of Armenia inRome. Nero had given to Tigranes a guard of 1000 legionary soldiers, three auxiliary cohorts and two wings of horses were allotted to him in order to defend and protect Armenia. At the same time, his son Alexander married JuliaIotapa a Commagenean princess and the daughter of KingAntiochus IV of Commagene in Rome. Nero crowned Alexander and Iotapa as Roman client monarchs of Cetis, a small region inCilicia, which was previously ruled by Antiochus IV.
Tigranes invaded a neighbouring small vassal state of theParthians calledAdiabene and deposed theirKing Monobazes.Vologases I of Parthia considered this as an act of aggression from Rome. He attacked Armenia and besieged Tigranakert. Eventually, the Parthians signed a treaty with Corbulo to install Tiridates I as King of Armenia as long as he goes to Rome to be crowned by Nero. In 63 Tigranes had to renounce his crown.
Historical and numismatic evidence shows that Nero planned to restore Tigranes to the Armenian throne, however Nero's plan for Tigranes and Armenia disintegrated with the outbreak of theFirst Jewish–Roman War in 66.[10] His fate afterwards is not known. Coinage has survived from his reign.[11] His royal title is in GreekΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΤΙΓΡΑΝΟΥ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ which meansof great King Tigranes. The surviving coinage is a reflection of hisHellenic andArmenian descent and is evidence that he relinquished his Jewish connections.[12]
There are three princes by the name Phasael in the Herodian dynasty, all three mentioned by Josephus in "War" (BJ) and "Antiquities" (AJ):[13]
| Antipater the Idumaean procurator of Judea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1.Doris 2.Mariamne I 3.Mariamne II 4.Malthace | Herod I the Great king of Judea | 5.Cleopatra of Jerusalem 6.Pallas 7.Phaidra 8.Elpis | Phasael governor of Jerusalem | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1)Antipater heir of Judaea | (2)Alexander I prince of Judea | (2)Aristobulus IV prince of Judea | (3)Herod II Philip prince of Judea | (4)Herod Archelaus ethnarch of Judea, Idumea | (4)Herod Antipas tetrarch of Galilea & Perea | (5)Philip the Tetrarch of Iturea & Trachonitis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tigranes V of Armenia | Alexander II prince of Judea | Herod Agrippa I king of Judea | Herod V ruler of Chalcis | Aristobulus Minor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tigranes VI of Armenia | Herod Agrippa II king of Judea | Aristobulus ruler of Chalcis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gaius Julius Alexander ruler of Cilicia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gaius Julius Agrippa quaestor of Asia | Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus proconsul of Asia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lucius Julius Gainius Fabius Agrippa gymnasiarch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||