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Siunia dynasty

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TheSiuniorSiwni dynasty[a](Old Armenian:Սիւնի) was an ancientArmenianprincely (nakharar) dynasty which ruled the province ofSiwnikʻ,with which the dynasty shared its name.[2]They were one of the most important and powerful princely houses in antique and early medieval Armenia.[2]

The Siwnis were said to be descendants ofSisak,one of the descendants ofHayk,the legendary patriarch of the Armenians.[3][4]According toRobert H. Hewsen,the Siwnis were of non-Armenian origin.[5]They were recognized as the hereditary rulers of Siwnikʻ with the division ofGreater Armeniainto provinces (ashkharhs) underArtaxias Iin the second century BCE,[4]although they may have been the local ruling dynasty even before that.[6]The Siwnis were the most powerful princely house in theKingdom of Armenia.[4]According to theZōranamak,a military register which listed the military obligations of each of the great noble houses, the Siwnis were supposed to raise a cavalry force of 19,400.[4]They were honored with numerous gifts and privileges by the Armenian kings for their services, including the privilege of occupying the first seat next to the king at the royal banquet table.[4]

Nothing is known about the activities of the Siwnis prior to the Christianization of Armenia in the early fourth century.[4]The Siwnis participated in the Christianization and a Siwni prince accompaniedGregory the IlluminatortoCaesareato be ordained Patriarch of Armenia.[4]The first Siwni prince whose name we know is Vaghinak Siwni, who was appointedbdeashkhofArzaneneby KingKhosrov III.[4]Vaghinak's brother Andok or Andovk became an important military commander in the late 330s.[4]In the mid-fourth century, KingTiranappointed Pʻisak Siwni commander of the eastern part of the Armenian troops, while Andovk was made overseer of Arzanene and the city ofTigranocerta.[4]After Vaghinak's death, Andovk became the head of the Siwni dynasty.[4]His influence and authority increased after KingArshak IImarried his daughterParandzem.[4]Andovk was a member of the pro-Roman faction of Armenian magnates.[4]He commanded the defense of Tigranocerta against the invading Sasanian kingShapur IIin the mid-360s.[4]After the occupation of Armenia by Shapur, Siwnikʻ was ravaged by the Persian troops and many members of the Siwni family were hunted down and killed.[4]

The Siwnis reestablished themselves in their traditional territory some ten years later, during the regency ofManuel Mamikonean(377–384).[4]Andovk's son Babik became the head of the dynasty at this time.[4]Babik married his daughter to KingArshak III,and his son Dara was appointedsparapet(general-in-chief).[4]After the partition of Armenia in 387, Dara went with Arshak III to Roman Armenia and was killed while fighting againstKhosrov IV,who ruled in the eastern part of Armenia under Sasanian suzerainty.[4]Babik's successors Vaghinak and Vasak are said to have assistedMesrop Mashtotsin establishing schools and spreading Christianity in Siwnikʻ.[4]After the fall of the last Arsacid king of Armenia in 428, the Siwnis played an important role inSasanian Armenia'spolitical life.[4]Vasak Siwniwas appointedmarzbanfirst of Iberia, then of Armenia in the 430s and 440s.[4]It was probably during this period that the Siwnis were entrusted with defended the passes of theCaucasus Mountainsagainst invaders from the north, further increasing their authority in the region.[4]Vasak Siwni was branded as a traitor by Armenian historians for his role in the rebellion of 450–451 led byVardan Mamikonean.[7]It is said that Vasak refused to join the rebellion, and that his supporters deserted at theBattle of Avarayr,where the Armenian rebels were crushed.[7]Vasak was removed asmarzbanand imprisoned in Iran after the rebellion.[7]

Vasak's successors, Varazvaghan and Gdehon, were proponents of better relations with the Sasanian court.[4]DuringVahan Mamikonean'srebellion (481–484), Gdehon was captured and executed by the rebels.[4]In 571, at the request of prince Vahan Siwni, Siwnikʻ was removed from Sasanian Armenia and made a part of the province ofAdurbadagan.[8]

A cadet branch of the dynasty came to rule theKingdom of Artsakhas of the 11th century.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Also called theSiunids,Sisakeans(Old Armenian:Սիսակեան) or the House of Siwnikʻ. The name of the province Siwnikʻ can be interpreted as the plural form of the name of the dynasty.[1]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^Toumanoff 1963,p. 130, n. 229.
  2. ^abToumanoff 1963,p. 132: "Finally, Siunia and Moxoene were ruled by their own, homonymous, dynasties. Of the remaining princes, many were in their day as important, but none perhaps as historically significant, as these; and of these, four dynasties stand out exceeding all the rest in historical importance: the Bagratids, the Mamikonids, the Artsrunis, and the Siunis".
  3. ^Minorsky 1953,p. 505.
  4. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyHarutʻyunyan 1984,pp. 473–474.
  5. ^Hewsen 1982,p. 32: "As for the Armenian origin of the House of Siwnik' asserted by Movsēs, this is highly dubious, and we have evidence of Siwnian separateness and ethnic particularism as late as the sixth century A.D.".
  6. ^Toumanoff 1963,p. 214: "The Princes of Siunia or, subsequently also, Sisakan (the Princes Siuni) were the immemorial dynasts of that half-Albanian province of Great Armenia and, consequently, regarded as of the House of Hayk".
  7. ^abcGarsoïan 1997,p. 100.
  8. ^Harutʻyunyan 1984.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Garsoïan, Nina(1997). "TheMarzpanate (428–652) ". InHovannisian, Richard G.(ed.).The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times.Vol. 1. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 95–115.ISBN0-312-10169-4.
  • Harutʻyunyan, B. (1984)."Syuniner".Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia(in Armenian). Vol. 10. Erevan. pp. 473–475.{{cite encyclopedia}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Hewsen, Robert H. (1982). "Ethno-History and the Armenian Influence upon the Caucasian Albanians". In Samuelian, Thomas J. (ed.).Classical Armenian Culture: Influences and Creativity.Chico, CA: Scholars Press. pp. 27–40.ISBN0-89130-565-3.
  • Minorsky, V.(1953)."Caucasica IV".Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.15(3): 504–29.doi:10.1017/S0041977X00111462.JSTOR608652.S2CID246637768– via JSTOR.
  • Toumanoff, Cyril(1963).Studies in Christian Caucasian History.Georgetown University Press.OCLC505712128.
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