The Siuni or Siwni dynasty ( Old Armenian : Սիւնի ) was an ancient Armenian princely ( nakharar ) dynasty which ruled the province of Siwnikʻ , with which the dynasty shared its name. They were one of the most important and powerful princely houses in antique and early medieval Armenia.
15-511: The Siwnis were said to be descendants of Sisak , one of the descendants of Hayk , the legendary patriarch of the Armenians. According to Robert H. Hewsen , the Siwnis were of non-Armenian origin. They were recognized as the hereditary rulers of Siwnikʻ with the division of Greater Armenia into provinces ( ashkharh s) under Artaxias I in the second century BCE, although they may have been
30-467: Is Vaghinak Siwni, who was appointed bdeashkh of Arzanene by King Khosrov III . Vaghinak's brother Andok or Andovk became an important military commander in the late 330s. In the mid-fourth century, King Tiran appointed Pʻisak Siwni commander of the eastern part of the Armenian troops, while Andovk was made overseer of Arzanene and the city of Tigranocerta . After Vaghinak's death, Andovk became
45-576: Is said that Vasak refused to join the rebellion, and that his supporters deserted at the Battle of Avarayr , where the Armenian rebels were crushed. Vasak was removed as marzban and imprisoned in Iran after the rebellion. Vasak's successors, Varazvaghan and Gdehon, were proponents of better relations with the Sasanian court. During Vahan Mamikonean's rebellion (481–484), Gdehon was captured and executed by
60-556: The Khachen . However, because the domain of Khachen during the reign of Prince Hasan Jalal included the entire territory of the modern Nagorno Karabakh Republic plus many contiguous lands to its west, south and north, his principality was often called the Kingdom of Artsakh. The royal house of Khachen was a cadet branch of the ancient Syunid dynasty and was named Khachen, after its main stronghold. Hasan-Jalal traced his descent to
75-608: The Armenian Aranshahik dynasty, a family that predated the establishment of the Parthian Arsacids in the region. Artsakh maintained its sovereign rulers, though in the early 13th century they accepted Georgian , then Mongol suzerainty . They lost the royal title after the assassination of Hasan-Jalal (1214–1261) by the Ilkhanid ruler Arghun, but continued to rule Syunik as a principality, which from
90-507: The Siwni family were hunted down and killed. The Siwnis reestablished themselves in their traditional territory some ten years later, during the regency of Manuel Mamikonean (377–384). Andovk's son Babik became the head of the dynasty at this time. Babik married his daughter to King Arshak III , and his son Dara was appointed sparapet (general-in-chief). After the partition of Armenia in 387, Dara went with Arshak III to Roman Armenia and
105-527: The areas from Lake Sevan to the Araxes River were inherited by Sisak. The region assumed Sisak's name ( Armenian : Սիսական ; Sisakan) after he died, and those who descended from his dynastic line were known in Armenian as Syunis (in Armenian, Սյունիներ; Syuniner) or Sisakyaner (Սիսակյաններ). After the Kingdom of Armenia introduced the system of administrative divisions known as nahangs (provinces) in
120-457: The head of the Siwni dynasty. His influence and authority increased after King Arshak II married his daughter Parandzem . Andovk was a member of the pro-Roman faction of Armenian magnates. He commanded the defense of Tigranocerta against the invading Sasanian king Shapur II in the mid-360s. After the occupation of Armenia by Shapur, Siwnikʻ was ravaged by the Persian troops and many members of
135-461: The local ruling dynasty even before that. The Siwnis were the most powerful princely house in the Kingdom of Armenia . According to the Zōranamak , 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. They were honored with numerous gifts and privileges by the Armenian kings for their services, including
150-535: The privilege of occupying the first seat next to the king at the royal banquet table. Nothing is known about the activities of the Siwnis prior to the Christianization of Armenia in the early fourth century. The Siwnis participated in the Christianization and a Siwni prince accompanied Gregory the Illuminator to Caesarea to be ordained Patriarch of Armenia. The first Siwni prince whose name we know
165-513: The rebels. In 571, at the request of prince Vahan Siwni, Siwnikʻ was removed from Sasanian Armenia and made a part of the province of Adurbadagan . A cadet branch of the dynasty came to rule the Kingdom of Artsakh as of the 11th century. In the west stretched the country called Siunia (in Armenian Siunik') whose rulers belonged to a special Armenian family of descendents of Sisak Sisak (eponym) Sisak ( Armenian : Սիսակ )
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#1732780417337180-678: The second century B.C., the Siunis were confirmed by King Vologases (Vagharshak) the Parthian as the lords of the province of Syunik . This Armenian history -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kingdom of Artsakh The Kingdom of Artsakh ( Armenian : Արցախի թագավորություն ) was a medieval dependent Armenian kingdom on the territory of Syunik and Artsakh provinces, Gardman canton of Utik province, Mazaz and Varazhnunik canton of Ayrarat province. Contemporary sources referred to it as
195-482: Was appointed marzban first of Iberia, then of Armenia in the 430s and 440s. It was probably during this period that the Siwnis were entrusted with defended the passes of the Caucasus Mountains against invaders from the north, further increasing their authority in the region. Vasak Siwni was branded as a traitor by Armenian historians for his role in the rebellion of 450–451 led by Vardan Mamikonean . It
210-527: Was killed while fighting against Khosrov IV , who ruled in the eastern part of Armenia under Sasanian suzerainty. Babik's successors Vaghinak and Vasak are said to have assisted Mesrop Mashtots in establishing schools and spreading Christianity in Siwnikʻ. After the fall of the last Arsacid king of Armenia in 428, the Siwnis played an important role in Sasanian Armenia's political life. Vasak Siwni
225-466: Was the legendary ancestor of the Armenian princely house of Syuni , also called Siunids , Syunid and Syuni . The Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi states that Sisak was the brother of Harmar who was known as Arma, son of Gegham and a descendant of the legendary patriarch of the Armenians, Hayk . Gegham had taken up residence near Lake Sevan and, following his death, the lands encompassing
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