| Tiran | |
|---|---|
| King of Armenia | |
| Reign | 338/39–350 |
| Predecessor | Khosrov III |
| Successor | Arshak II |
| Died | c. 358 |
| Issue Detail | Artashes Arshak II Tiridates |
| Dynasty | Arsacid |
| Father | Khosrov III the Small |
| Religion | Armenian Apostolic |
Tiran[a] (diedc. 358)[2] was anArsacid king ofArmenia in the second quarter of the fourth century. The chronology of his reign is problematic, and scholars have proposed different dates for its beginning and end. According to one version, he succeeded his fatherKhosrov III in 338, placed on the throne by the Roman emperorConstantius II after a Persian invasion of Armenia. His reign appears to have marked the beginning of the antagonism between the Arsacid kings and theArmenian Church, possibly because of the Arsacid kings' promotion ofArianism, in following with contemporary Roman policy. Tiran ordered the assassination of the head of the Armenian Church, CatholicosHusik. He also came into conflict with the nobility because of his attempts to centralize power. During the course of theSasanian kingShapur II's campaigns against the Roman Empire in the 340s, Tiran was reportedly betrayed by one of his vassals, captured by the Persians, and blinded. He was later allowed to return to Armenia and abdicated in favor of his sonArshak II. According to the Armenian historianMovses Khorenatsi, Tiran was later strangled on Arshak's orders.
The nameTiran (Armenian:Տիրան) is of Iranian origin and derives from the name of theZoroastrian deityTir,[3] who shares a name with the Armenian god of scribal artsTir.[4]Robert H. Hewsen argues that there was no Armenian king named Tiran in the fourth century, and thattiran was actually a title of the earlier kingTiridates III.[5]Nina Garsoïan considers this version unlikely.[6] Tiran has incorrectly been referred to as Tigranes VII in some sources.[1]
Tiran was a child of KingKhosrov III Kotak.[6] According to the fifth-century Armenian historyBuzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ (traditionally attributed to Faustus of Byzantium), Tiran had a sister named Bambishn, who married Atanagines, son of CatholicosHusik, and boreNerses I, who later became catholicos himself. However, this poses certain chronological and genealogical difficulties, as Atanagines's father Husik is said to have married a daughter of Tiran, which would mean that Atanagines married his own great-aunt.[b] Additionally,Bambishn was a title borne by royal ladies in theSasanian period, so this is probably a title rather than her actual name.[8]
Tiran succeeded his father, KingKhosrov III. The chronology of Tiran's reign is problematic. According toNina Garsoïan, he was likely the king—not mentioned by name—returned to the Armenian throne by the Roman emperorConstantius II in 338 after a Persian invasion, as recorded in the emperorJulian's panegyric to Constantius.[6][c][d]Robert H. Hewsen argues that the beginning of the reign ofArshak II should be dated to 338 and that Tiran's reign should be eliminated altogether.[5] M. L. Chaumont accepts the 338 dating of Arshak's accession but places Tiran's reign before that, ending inc. 334/335 or not long after that.[1]
The antagonism between the Arsacid kings and theArmenian Church seems to have started during Tiran's reign.[6] TheBuzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ attributes this antagonism to Tiran's sinful behavior.[11] According toNina Garsoïan, it was more probably the result of the Arsacid kings' support ofArianism, in following with the policy of the Byzantine court at the time.[12]Suren Yeremian suggests that Tiran sought to free himself from the tutelage of the clergy and adopt a more lenient attitude towards his non-Christian subjects, thus winning over the anti-Roman and anti-Church section of the nobility.[13] According to theBuzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ, Tiran ordered the murder of CatholicosHusik, the head of the Armenian Church, after the catholicos denied him entry to a church inSophene on a feast day.[14] After this, the prominentchorbishopDaniel was also murdered on Tiran's orders,[15] and the leadership of the Armenian church passed, for a time, from theGregorids to the patriarchs of the line of Albianos, who were obedient to the king.[13] TheBuzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ also records Tiran's conflict with the Armenian nobility, incited by the eunuch official Hayr Mardpet. In particular, Tiran is said to have ordered the massacre of theRshtuni andArtsruni houses, provoking the outrage of theMamikonians.[16] In Yeremian's view, Tiran, with the help of Hayr Mardpet, centralized royal authority, punished the Armenian magnates with "separatist aspirations" and seized their holdings; this turned the nobility, especially its pro-Roman wing, against him.[13]
During Tiran's reign, theSasanian kingShapur II launchedseveral campaigns against Rome, during which Armenia was devastated by the Persians.[17] Both Khorenatsi and the olderBuzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ report that Tiran was captured and blinded by the Persians, after which he was succeeded by his son Arshak II. However, the two accounts differ on some details and are mixed with epic elements.[6] Per theBuzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ, Tiran was betrayed to the Persians by his chamberlain (senekapet) PisakSiuni.[18] According to Yeremian, at one point Tiran attempted to appease Shapur, which angered the Romans and the pro-Roman party in Armenia; after this, the Romans executed Tiran's son Trdat, who was being held as a hostage in Constantinople (as reported by Khorenatsi). Tiran's grandsonsGnel andTirit were also hostages in Constantinople and were under threat. At this point, writes Yeremian, Tiran changed his policy and reconciled with the pro-Roman party, provoking Shapur's wrath. During the Roman-Sasanian fighting in 344, Tiran was captured and blinded by the Persians. However, after theBattle of Singara and the death of the Persian prince Narseh, he was allowed to return to Armenia in 345 to be succeeded by his son Arshak II.[19][e] Garsoïan estimates the date of Tiran's capture and deposition as 350.[6][f]Hakob Manandian considers the story of Tiran's capture and blinding to be an invention of the Armenian epic tradition.[21] According to the fourth-century Roman historianAmmianus Marcellinus, Tiran's successor Arshak II was blinded by the Persians. It is possible that Tiran and Arshak were confused in the Armenian epic tradition, from which theBuzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ drew heavily.[6] Khorenatsi writes that Tiran spent the rest of his years in the village ofKuash on the slopes ofMount Aragats, until he was strangled on Arshak II's orders after he admonished his son for his treatment of Gnel, Arshak's nephew; theBuzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ gives no information about Tiran's death.[22]
Tiran was succeeded by his son Arshak II. According toMovses Khorenatsi, Tiran's eldest son was named Artashes and predeceased him. Artashes was the father ofTirit, later killed by Arshak. Khorenatsi also names a third son of Tiran named Trdat, who was the father ofGnel (also later killed by Arshak) and was executed while a hostage in Byzantium.[23]
King Tiran (incorrectly called Tigranes VII) seems to have had serious conflicts with the Christian clergy and is said to have put St. Gregory's successor, the catholicos Yusik, to death.
Hewsen even suggested recently that no such king existed in the fourth century and that he should be identified with the third-century Armenian ruler Trdat III (287–298) or removed from the succession, though this is unlikely.