(1) Faustus Buzandats`i,1 History of the Armenians, III, 8–9, and 20–1, pp. 16– 17 and 110–16 (tr. P.Considine, © 1989):
8. The planting of the forests; war with Persia; the line of the noble house of the Bznuni family is cut off.
When peace had been established for a time in the land of Armenia, Xosrov (Khosrov), king of Armenia, issued orders that gifts should be given to all the brave men who for the sake of Greater Armenia had served him and risked their lives in so many confrontations on the field of battle. To his commander Vac ‘e he gave the mines of J anjanak, Jrabas xik‘ and C‘luglux (Bull’s Head), together with all their territories, and to the other nobles too he gave great gifts.
The king ordered his commander to collect plenty of saplings from the country-side—to bring the wild oak of the forest and to plant it in the district of Ararat. And so they planted oak trees from the fortified royal castle, which they call Garni, as far as the plain Mecamawr up to the hill which is called by the name of Duin and stands on the North side of the great city of Artas at, and along the river below as far as the palace of Tikuni. He named it Tac ar Mairi [Forest Palace]. To the south of the reed beds here they created another forest by filling the plain with a plantation of oak trees. They named it Xosrovakert, and built the royal palace there. They did not join the two forests together; instead they surrounded them with separate enclosures so as to leave a broad highway between them. The trees established themselves and grew; and the king ordered that every kind of wild animal and game should be collected to stock the enclosures and turn them into parks for field sports, for his royal pleasure. The commander Vac ‘e immediately carried out the king’s instructions.
While Xosrov was seeing to the planting of the forests, information was suddenly brought to him in the district of Her and Zarawand that the Persian army was ready to march and wage war on him. Then King Xosrov gave orders to Databe , head of the Bznuni family, to raise a special task force from the country, and with its entire strength to take the field against the Immortal Band [Persian crack cavalry], to advance on them, engage them head on, and overwhelm the enemy. So Databe , with the massed Armenian forces, marched
against the Persian army. When he came up with it, he proposed a pact to the commander of the Persian army, offering to deliver into their hands the king of Armenia, his master. He urged the enemy to lay an ambush for his own army, and to put his own army to the sword. All at once, without warning, as by a bolt from the blue, 40,000 men of the Armenian army perished together; the rest of the army took to flight. The wicked Databe took over the Persian army and was all set to fall upon the king of Armenia. But the fugitives from the army soon reached the camp of the king of Armenia, with tidings of the catastrophic overthrow of his fortunes and their wicked betrayal by the outlaw Databe.
Then Xosrov the Armenian king, together with the chief priest Vert‘anes, cast himself prostrate before God and besought his aid with fervent prayers and flowing tears. And after this he hastened to gather to himself an army of about 30,000, with Va ‘e as commander. He marched against them with all his noblest and greatest princes, and they met on the shores of the Sea of Bznunik’ at the village of Ar est by the royal fishery on a stream. They saw the forces of the Persians and their numberless hosts; they were as the stars of the heavens and the sand on the shores of the sea, for they had come with numberless elephants and measureless forces. The Armenians put their trust in God and fell upon the camp; they smote, slew and massacred and left not a single one of them. They possessed themselves of much booty and of the elephants and of all the resources of their army. The commander Va ‘e and the valiant Vahan Amatuni took Databe prisoner and brought him before the great king Xosrov, and they stoned him with stones as a man who had betrayed his country, his comrades and his master’s army.
And he (Va ‘e ) found his family, wife and children, in a fortress of the prince (naxarar) of Rs tunik’ on an island called A tamar. And the commander Va ‘e took ship and came to the island and left not a single person on it, neither man nor woman. And so the ruling line of this province came to an end; and their house was forfeit to the king. Even after this the Persians did not cease to make war on King Xosrov. And he enacted a law that the greatest nobles and princes, provincial governors and overlords, who commanded 10,000 or even 1,000 men should stay with the king as part of his entourage, and that none of them should go and enlist in the King’s Own Army. For he was afraid that perhaps their attitude to him was somewhat equivocal, and that they might do what Databe had done and defect from him. But he still had confidence in old Va ‘e, the tried and trusted Commander of the forces of Greater Armenia, and in the valiant Vahan Amatuni; so he combined the troops of all the noble houses with the royal troops and gave the joint command into their hands. They were in constant readiness for deeds of valour in war in Persian territory, and they gave the enemy no opportunity to invade and lay waste the land of Armenia —or even to get within sight of it. And the king was untroubled and the country prospered and was at peace all the days of his life.
9. The Viceroy Bakur rebels against the king of Armenia; he is crushed by the Armenian army, and is replaced as Viceroy by Va inak Siwni.
At that time one of the servants of the king of Armenia, the great lord of A jnik’, who was called by the title of Viceroy (bdeas x), rebelled against the king. He was one of four men who occupied the highest seats of honour at the king’s court; but he threw in his lot with the king of Persia, and betrayed the royal house which trusted him. He brought in the Persian king’s troops to support him, broke away from the land of Armenia and his allegiance to it, and waged war on the king of Armenia with help from the Persian Empire. The war was waged with great bitterness. Then the king of Armenia sent his faithful servants J on, the regent (is xan) of Korduk’, Mar, the regent of Great Cop‘k‘, Nerseh, the regent of S ahe -Cop‘k‘, Va inak, the regent of Siwnik‘, Dat, the regent of Has teank’, Manak, the regent of Basean, together with a large army. They marched against the Persian army and vanquished it, and put all alike to the sword. They killed the viceroy, together with his brothers and sons, and bore the head of the viceroy Bakur to the king. But his little daughter they brought before the king, and since no-one else of the family had survived, he gave the girl in marriage to his beloved Va inak, king of Siwnik‘, together with the house of A jnik‘; and he made him viceroy and heir of that house. He prospered in his inheritance, and together with his country and with all his might, the viceroy Va inak remained loyal in the service of the king. But of the sons of the viceroy Bakur, one lad escaped and fled to the Armenian commander (zawravar) Va ‘e , and survived by being hidden in his house. Afterwards he became heir to his house, and at a later time returned and claimed his inheritance. His name was Xes a.
20. King Tiran is betrayed by his chamberlain P‘isak of Siwnik‘, deceived and taken prisoner by the Persian regent Varaz. The whole of Armenia is taken with him.2
Relations between the two kings, the kings of Armenia and Persia, were now friendly. In the land of Atrpatakan (i.e. Atropatene) dwelt a man of the highest rank called S apuh Varaz. Now while there was perfect peace between the two kings, Providence decreed that it should be interrupted, for the most trifling of causes, by a single worthless man, who was a very devil in depravity. His name was P’isak, and he was chamberlain to King Tiran; he came from Siwnik‘ He had been sent as a messenger to Varaz S apuh, whom the Persian king had left as Governor in the land Atrpatakan.
Now King Tiran had a horse which was greatly admired. It had a coat of dapple-grey, and was widely known as a magnificent, mettlesome animal, bigger, taller and broader than any other horse, and more handsome in appearance. It was in a class of its own; its equal was not to be found. When P’isak the king’s chamberlain went on his mission, he told Varaz about the horse, because he was already on friendly terms with him. He was given a letter by Varaz, which he took and gave to the king of Armenia. The king was not persuaded to part with the horse, and did not welcome the proposal. But since he suspected that this man Varaz would be making trouble between the two kings, he started a search for a horse of the same colour, the same markings and the same build (except for size; nothing so big could be found). When he had found a similar-looking dapple-grey, he sent it, with letters of authority and gifts, by the hand of the depraved P’isak, to the regent Varaz in Atrpatakan. Having given the matter some thought, this is what he decided to do: he told P‘isak to say: ‘This is the horse for which you asked; as a mark of friendship he does not begrudge him to you.’
But when P’isak came to Varaz he made it clear that actually the horse had been ‘begrudged’, and in fact he did all he could to provoke a quarrel. He was not at all disposed to mitigate his treachery; in fact he revelled in his malicious talk. ‘Tiran, king of Armenia’, he said, ‘feels such spite, envy and jealousy towards the king of Persia and the whole Persian army—such hostility, hatred and ill-will —such distrust and arrogance—that he has actually refused you a single beast. He has tricked you and made fun of you. He has substituted one horse for another, and it is the substitute which he has handed over to me to bring here. That is the one he has sent you. And this is not all. He has hopes of the Emperor and his army and he thinks to deprive the Sassanians of the Persian monarchy. You should hear him talk: “This dominion was ours and our forefathers”.’ I shall not rest until the honour of our forefathers is restored. I shall restore their former kingship to their son and to their posterity, to my line, to my house, to myself.’ With talk like this the impious P‘isak proved himself against his rightful overlord, and plotted the death of his own king.
When Varaz S apuh, Governor of Atrpatakan, heard all this rabid talk from the unbridled tongue of P‘isak, Varaz at once wrote a letter of complaint about the king of Armenia and sent it to Nerseh, king of Persia. To such an extent did he upset, incense and provoke the king of Persia against the king of Armenia, he so thoroughly angered and enraged him, that he promptly received orders from him to find any way, devise any means, set any trap, to hunt down and seize the king of Armenia. And so it came about that while there was peace between these two kings, the anger of the Lord was provoked and roused to vengeance and the impious Tiran called to account for the sacred blood of the deaths of two great and eminent priests.
Thereupon Varaz sent a messenger to the king of Armenia on the pretext of discussing peace and reconciliation with him. Pretending that he desired friendship, he asked for permission to come to him. When Tiran, king of Armenia, heard this, he readily, promptly and indeed joyfully ordered that he should be invited. Before Varaz arrived, the king took into his confidence his closest servants, his personal attendants. He said to them: ‘It is fitting for us to entertain the man who is coming to us, and to make him glad with hunting and banquets and every kind of pleasure. But the Persian people are so envious, jealous, ill-natured and treacherous, that it is not really fitting that he should see the great hunting grounds here in our own country. Instead of that, you are to prepare sparser hunting grounds to look like them—that will be quite enough for us to entertain him with. We will not hunt on the better stocked grounds and have a great show piece of a hunt with killing and slaughter. No, let us have quite a modest hunt, since these people are such a bad, disagreeable lot. Prepare the area at the foot of the great mountain of Masik‘ in the land of Apahunik‘’—the area of which the chief city is called A iorsk‘.
S apuh Varaz arrived with 3,000 men and met the king in the land of Apahunik‘, and received a warm welcome from him. What the king had said about the hunt quickly came to the ears of the Persian commander through the mouth of the crazed informer P‘isak, that false, lying, treacherous servant and murderer of his lord and destroyer of his country. For a few days they enjoyed themselves together. The Persian regent, with cunning diplomacy, skilfully disguised the hostility he felt in his heart, and prepared a feast to complete the deception. And this is how it all turned out:
At that time the commanders were not on hand but were stationed elsewhere, and so were the greatest princes and chief heads of noble houses, while the king’s troops were in their respective quarters or camps or at the the posts to which they had been posted. There was no-one left with the king, no troops, no cavalry; he was alone with a few servants, net-layers for the hunt, road-makers, and others of the common people who performed menial tasks, together with his queen and the young prince Ars ak. Although so few of his people happened to be with him at that time, and he saw that the Persian commander had arrived with a strong force of 3,000 men, fully armed and equipped, he was totally unsuspicious and felt quite safe, because he saw him arrive with apparently the most peaceful intentions, with fine gifts, precious offerings, and an extravagant show of respect.
Not many days had passed before the king was asked to a meal; they invited him to dinner. There was plenty of wine to drink, and the king and his companions got thoroughly drunk. A company of soldiers who were standing by surprised and seized every one of them as they were at table; they were unprepared, unsuspecting, expecting anything but this. King Tiran was surrounded by a ring of spearmen. They seized and bound him hand and foot with bonds of iron, and despoiled his camp of all they found in it: the treasures and possessions, the wife and children of the king, whom they found in the camp, they removed from the land of Apahunik‘.
When they arrived at a place called Dalarika‘, and when the Persian commander arrived and made his entry into this village of Dalarika‘, he brought King Tiran in with him in chains. And Varaz said: ‘Now, see about a charcoal fire in which we can heat the iron to burn out the eyes of the king of Armenia.’ And they brought in charcoal, with which they burnt out the eyes of Tiran. Then Tiran himself began to speak, and said: ‘Since my two eyes have been burnt out and I have lost my sight in this place, instead of the name Dalarika‘, from now on its name is to be Acu [charcoal]. Let it continue to be a warning sign in memory of me. It has come home to me now—now I realize that what has been exacted from me is in revenge for my wicked crimes: I brought darkness to the land of which I was king in place of the light of two learned Teachers (vardapet), and I thought to extinguish the light of the truth which they both faithfully preached. It is because of this that my eyes which beheld the light are now in darkness.’
Thereupon the Persian king’s regent immediately and in haste set off from the village of Acu and came by forced marches to the land of Persia, together with Tiran the king and all the prisoners. He then went on to Assyria, to his master, the king of Persia.
The full tragic story of these terrible events became known with all the sudden shock of an unexpected disaster. There was a gathering of the princes and regents, administrators, senior army officers and the chief men from all over the country: they came and met together in a great assembly. Although troops were also assembled and equipped, and were prepared and anxious to pursue Varaz, they were unable to catch up with him. However, they did reach and take an area of the land of Persia. They killed everyone in it indiscriminately, and burnt and plundered the land. They themselves returned and gathered in a certain place where they put on mourning and wept with grief for their rightful lord the king of Armenia. And so they showed their distress at the overthrow of their country and their own masterless condition, attended as it was by such dreadful affliction.
21. The Armenian princes meet in united assembly; they go to the Greek king and bring him to Armenia to support and help them; the Persian king comes with a great army and escapes with a single horse to flee back to Persia.
Then again the Armenian people gathered together in a great united assembly from all over the country—their princes, great men and elders, local and regional governors, nobles and army officers, judges, rulers and regents—and, as well as the commanders, some people from the lower peasant class. People began talking to each other and saying: ‘What is the point of this mourning of ours? The enemy are just taking advantage of it. But it won’t be long before the enemy are on the march and away from here. So come on, we must cheer each other up, and see to the defence of our country and ourselves, and avenge our rightful lord.’ Then the whole population of the country assembled together with one accord to form an alliance and find support for their cause.
It was then that they sent some of the great princes of the Armenian court with gifts to the king of the Greeks; they were to offer him their hand and become his obedient servants, while he gave them his support as an ally in exacting vengeance from their enemies. They sent Andovk, ruler of Siwnik’, and Ars avir Kamsarakan, ruler of Ars arunik’: they went to the land of Greece and entered the Imperial Palace of the kings. They handed over the letter and presented the gifts which they had brought, and delivered to the king their country’s plea for help. The king listened to their story, and showed himself perfectly prepared and even anxious to find out what had been happening. He allied himself with the land of Armenia in support—the more readily in that he remembered the treaty of alliance which had been struck with binding oaths and ratified by negotiation between the Emperor Kostandianos and King Trdat.
But before the messengers who had come from the land of Armenia to the Imperial Court had returned to their own country, Nerseh, king of Persia, himself left the Eastern territories and came to take, burn, plunder, lay waste and annex to himself the provinces of the land of Armenia. He mustered his whole army with all its own equipment and great train of camp followers, together with a herd of elephants, no end of provisions, his own documents of state, and all the womenfolk, together with the queen of queens, and then he came and crossed into Armenian territory. He filled every part of the land chock-full. Thereupon the noble born regiments of the Armenian princes took their families and became refugees, escaping to Greek soil, where they gave the Emperor the bad news that the satraps’ camp contained a great host of men.
When the king of the Greeks3 heard all this, he too mustered his army and marched off to the land of Armenia to confront the Persian king. He left his own camp near the town of Sata , personally selected two of the best, most levelheaded, men from the Armenian camp (they were actually Ars avir and Andovk, the very men mentioned above as the original messengers who had come to him), and together with them he, the Emperor, entered the Persian camp disguised as a village greengrocer. This camp was pitched in the district of Basean, at a place called Oxsa. And so they came and entered the camp of the Persian king; they spied out the lie of the land and took measure of the strength of their forces.4 Then they returned to their own camp and made ready. They made for the camp of the Persian king and when they reached it (it was still in the same position) they took it off-guard and unawares, relaxed and unsuspecting. They came by daylight, fell upon the king of Persia and put the whole camp to the sword, sparing not a single one of them. They despoiled the camp and drove into captivity the king’s wives and the princess and all that they possessed, their wives and treasures, their provisions and equipment. The king alone escaped by a hair’s breadth, a mounted courier ahead of him; he got clear, took to flight and just managed to reach his own country.
The Emperor appeared in the midst of the camp in all his pomp and glory and majesty. Every male who had come of age they killed, and all the rest they drove into captivity in the land of Greece. The Emperor made much of Andovk and Ars avir, conferred great honours and gifts on them and left them as lord-protectors of the country. He made them responsible for all the princes and their country, and he himself marched off and came to his own land, the land of Greece.
The king of Persia came as a fugitive to his own land. And when he reached it, he gathered together all who remained of his allegiance, and initiated a full-scale enquiry. He was determined to have a thorough investigation, and he gave fresh orders that the original causes of the dispute and the war should be investigated and clarified. In due course they came up with the answer, and the whole story was made clear to him: they concluded that it had all started with a trivial incident and for the worst of reasons—that the reason for all the trouble was that that demented man S apuh Varaz had been suspicious about a horse. Then the king gave orders that he should be deprived of his office and stripped of his official robes. He found him deserving of the supreme penalty: in accordance with Persian custom he ordered that he should be flayed and his skin stuffed with straw and exhibited as a laughing-stock in the public square.
He himself was sorry about what had happened, and he sent noble lords humbly to sue for peace, to arrange that the prisoners should be sent back again by the Emperor—and in particular to send suppliants with overtures of peace to ask the Emperor at least to return his wives from captivity and so spare him any further embarrassment, public criticism and loss of face. Then Vale s, king of the Greeks, wrote a letter to the king of the Persians. ‘First you’, he said, ‘must return the prisoners taken in the land of Armenia, and the king Tiran himself unharmed, and everything which was taken. When you have done this, I for my part will return what I took. If you do not return the booty taken from them, I will (not) return yours. And when the king of Persia received this order, he promptly carried it out. He brought the king Tiran out of the prison where he was held, courteously assured him that he would send him back to his own country and make him king, and that he would go back in honour. Then Tiran gave his reply: ‘It is inappropriate and futile of me—in fact it is quite impossible for me in my blindness —to reign as king. Make my son Ars ak king instead of me.
Thereupon he made Ars ak his son king over the country of Armenia. He then returned the wives of the king and all the others who had been captured, together with the treasures, offerings and possessions; he made full restitution of all that had been taken. Tiran himself the Persian king robed and arrayed in the finest array, and sent from his own country to the land of Armenia, and so faithfully carried out the orders of the Greek king. After accompanying them to Armenia, he sent messengers who had come to him from the Greek king back to the Greek king to report how well he had carried out his orders, so that the Greek king in turn should return the prisoners which he had taken from the Persian king. And so it came about that when the Greek king heard all about how the Persian king had carried out to the letter the orders he had given him, and had had the Armenian prisoners and King Tiran returned, he was satisfied. Thereupon the Greek king arranged the return of the prisoners captured from the Persian king. And the Greek king robed and adorned the wives of the Persian king with great honour, and returned all their prisoners with them from the land of Greece to the land of Persia, and had them escorted safely to the king.
(2) Agathangelos,5 History of the Armenians, (I), 18–37 and 46–7 and 123 (tr. R.W.Thomson, 1976 State University of New York, reproduced by agreement)
18. The period of the Parthian kingdom came to an end when sovereignty was taken away from Artavan son of Valarsh on his murder by Artashir son of Sasan. The latter was a prince from the province of Stahr who had come and united the forces of the Persians; they then abandoned and rejected and disdained the sovereignty of the Parthians and happily chose the sovereignty of Artashir son of Sasan. So after the sad news of his death reached Khosrov king of the Armenians —who was second in the kingdom of the Persians, for whoever was king of Armenia had second rank in the Persian kingdom—although he was quickly informed of the sad news, he had no time to complete preparations for war. Then he returned in great sadness at the course of events, for he had been unable to accomplish anything. And he returned to his own country greatly distressed.
19. But at the start of the next year Khosrov king of Armenia began to raise forces and assemble an army. He gathered the armies of the Albanians and the Georgians, opened the gates of the Alans and the stronghold of the Chor; he brought through the army of the Huns in order to attack Persian territory and invade Asorestan as far as the gates of Ctesiphon. He ravaged the whole country, ruining the populous cities and prosperous towns. He left all the inhabited land devastated and plundered. He attempted to eradicate, destroy completely, extirpate, and overthrow the Persian kingdom and aimed at abolishing its civilization. At the same time he made an oath to seek vengeance with great rancor for their (the Parthians’) loss of sovereignty; ruthlessly he attempted to exact thorough vengeance [cf. I Macc. 9.42]. He was greatly puffed up [cf. II Macc. 9.4], trusting in the number of his forces and hoping in the valor of his army. There quickly arrived in support great numbers of strong and brave cavalry detachments, Albanians, Lp‘ink‘, Chilpk‘, Kaspk‘ and others from those regions, in order to seek vengeance from the blood of Artavan.
20. For because of his family relationship to that dynasty he was very grieved that they (the Persians) had submitted and accepted the rule of the Stahrian and had united with him. And although Khosrov sent an embassy so that his relatives would support him and with his own kingdom oppose (the Persians), and that there would also come to his aid (contingents) from the regions of the Kushans, brave and valiant armies both from that area and their own land, yet his relatives, the chiefs and princes and leaders of the Parthians paid no heed. For they had attached themselves in obedience and subjection to the rule of Artashir, rather than to the rule of their relative and brother.
21. Nonetheless Khosrov took the vast numbers of his army, plus whatever lancers had arrived to support him in the war. And when the Persian king saw the great size of this force bearing down upon him with enormous strength, he advanced against them in battle array. However, he was unable to resist them, and fled before them. In pursuit they cut down the whole army of the Persians, scattering corpses over the plains and roads, and inflicting cruel and unbearable suffering. After this great slaughter the Armenian king joyfully and victoriously returned with much booty to the land of Armenia, to the province of Ayrarat and the city of Valarshapat, with great rejoicing, with good renown, and with much plunder.
22. Then he commanded that ambassadors be sent throughout the land, that edicts be composed and vows be made to the seven altars of the temples of the cult of the images of the idols. He honored the sites of the ancestral worship of his Arsacid family with white oxen and white rams, white horses and white mules, gold and silver ornaments, fringed and tasseled silks, gold crowns and silver altars, beautiful vases with precious gems, gold and silver, shining raiment and lovely decoration. Similarly he took a fifth of all the enormous booty he had collected and gave splendid gifts to the priests. And to the soldiers who had followed him he gave gifts before dismissing them.
23. Then at the beginning of the next year he gathered a great army [cf. I Macc. 4.27–8], summoning the same troops; and with even more than these, because the forces of the Tachiks had come to his support, he spread his invasion over the regions of Asorestan. They plundered the whole land and victoriously returned to their own countries. And for ten years they made continual incursions in this manner, plundering all the lands which were under the suzerainty and authority of the Persians.
24. But when the Persian king saw all these misfortunes which had befallen him, he was oppressed, afflicted, tormented, and plunged into hesitation and doubt [cf. I Macc.3.29–31]. He summoned all the kings and governors and princes and generals and leaders and nobles of his kingdom and they held council. He begged them all to seek and find a solution, promising all sorts of rewards. ‘If only someone be found,’ he said, ‘who will be able to exact vengeance,’ he promised to elevate him to second rank in his kingdom, if only someone would undertake to avenge him. ‘Only I and my throne will be above him, be he of very humble or of honorable origin.’ He promised to grant him all sorts of honors and gifts and rewards.
25. Now there was in the council a leading chieftain of the Parthian kingdom, called Anak. He rose, and coming forward promised to exact vengeance from his own king as if from an enemy.
26. He (the king) began to address him and said: ‘If only you settle this account loyally, I shall return to you (your) native Parthian (land), your own Pahlav, and I shall honor you with a crown and make you famous and honored in my kingdom and call you second to me.’
27. The Parthian replied and said: ‘Do you succor the rest of my family, while my brother and I today take our leave from you.’
28. Then the Parthian made his preparations and arrangements, and with his brother, his household, their wives and children, and all his retinue, took his departure; he journeyed, spying out the roads, and came to Armenia on the pretext of emigrating, as if he had revolted against the Persian king. He came before king Khosrov in the province of Uti, at the city of Khalkhal, in the winter quarters of the Armenian king.
29. When the Armenian king saw him, he gladly went to meet him and welcomed him with great joy—especially when he began to speak deceitfully and fraudulently with him and to show the sincerity of his coming: ‘I came to you,’ he said, ‘in order that we might be able to make common cause in seeking vengeance.’
30. Now when the king saw this man arriving with all his household, he sincerely believed in him. Then he honored him in royal fashion and established him in the second rank of his kingdom. And for the whole duration of that winter they passed the days of chilling winds and ice in cheerfulness.
31. But when the warmer days of the southerly winds arrived to open the gates of spring, the king departed from those regions. They descended to the province of Ayrarat, to the city of Valarshapat. And while they happily relaxed there the king decided to gather an army and invade Persian territory [cf. I Macc. 4.35].
32. When the Parthian heard of this he remembered the oath of his compact with the Persian king. He also remembered the promises of rewards, and had a yearning for his own country which was called Pahlav. So he decided on an evil plan. He and his brother took the king aside, as if for recreation and to consult with him [cf. II Macc. 4.46]. They had half-drawn their steel swords, and suddenly raised their weapons and struck the king dead to the ground. As soon as the news of this event was divulged, the lamentation of the crowd waxed strong; meanwhile they had mounted their horses and had fled.
33. But when the princes of the Armenian army learned of this they split into groups and made pursuit. Some hastened by land to reach the head of the bridge at the gate of the city of Artashat. For the river Araxes had risen and was flowing full to both banks [cf. Jos. 3.15] with swollen masses of icy water from melting snow at the time of its flooding. The others passed over the bridge of the city of Valarshapat which is called the bridge of Metsamawr and hastened to precede them to the head of the bridge of Valarshapat. In a narrow passage of the road they arrested them and from the bridge of Tap’er they cast them into the river. They themselves then returned with cries of woe and lamentation, and the whole land gathered to mourn the king.
34. Before the warm spirit had left his breast and he had breathed his last [cf. II Macc. 7.14], (the king) ordered the extermination of their family. Then they began to massacre and slaughter them. From among the children they left not even those too young to know their right hand from their left [cf. Jonah 4.11]. Likewise they exterminated the female side of the family by the sword. Only two infant sons of the Parthian did someone save and rescue through their nurses, who took them and fled, the one to Persian territory and the other to Greek territory.
35. And it happened that when the Persian king heard of all this he greatly rejoiced, and he made that day a great and joyous festival and carried out many vows to the fire-temples. He assembled an army and hastened to make incursions throughout the regions of Armenia. He brought into captivity men and beasts, old men and infants, youths and children alike.
36. But there escaped from the raid one of the sons of Khosrov king of Armenia, an infant called Trdat; his tutors took him and fled to the emperor’s court in Greek territory. Then the Persian king came and imposed his own name on Armenia, and set the Greek army to flight, pursuing it to the borders of Greece. He had ditches dug to fix the frontier, and called the place ‘the gate of ditches’ instead of the earlier title ‘the Pit.’
46. Then the emperor greatly honoured Trdat and bestowed handsome gifts on him. He crowned his head with a diadem, and decorated him with the purple and the imperial insignia. And he entrusted to him a great army for his support, and sent him to his own land of Armenia.
47. So after his victorious show of strength, Trdat, king of Greater Armenia, returned from Greek territory. The king hastened to Armenia; when he arrived he found there a great army of Persians, because they had subdued the country for themselves. Many he slaughtered and many he threw back in flight to Persia. And he brought under his own sway his ancestral kingdom and ruled over its borders [cf. I Macc. 2.46].
123. King Trdat spent the whole period of his reign devastating the land of the Persian kingdom and the land of Asorestan. He plundered and caused terrible distress. Therefore this saying was adopted among the proverbial sayings: ‘Like the haughty Trdat, who in his pride devastated the dykes of rivers and in his arrogance dried up the currents of seas.’ For truly he was haughty in dress and endowed with great strength and vigor; he had solid bones and an enormous body, he was incredibly brave and warlike, tall and broad of stature. He spent his whole life in war and gained triumphs in combat. He acquired a great renown for bravery and extended throughout the whole world the glorious splendor of his victories. He threw his enemies into disarray and revenged his ancestors. He devastated many of the regions of Syria and took a great amount of booty from them. He put to the sword the armies of the Persians and acquired enormous booty. He became commander of the cavalry of the Greek army, and handed over to them the camps (of the enemy). He expelled the armies of the Huns by force and subjected the regions of Persia.
(3) Moses Khorenats'i,6 History of the Armenians (II), 71–83 and (III), 4–8 and 10–15 (tr. R.W.Thomson, © 1978 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College, reproduced by agreement)
(II) The intermediate Period
71. The first invasion of Khosrov into Assyria in which he intended to aid Artavan
After Artashir, son of Sasan, had killed Artavan and gained the throne, two branches of the Pahlav family called Aspahapet and Suren Pahlav were jealous at the rule of the branch of their own kin, that is, of Artashe s, and willingly accepted the rule of Artashir, son of Sasan. But the house of Kare n Pahlav, remaining friendly toward their brother and kin, opposed in war Artashir, son of Sasan. As soon as Khosrov, king of Armenia, heard of the troubles he set out to aid Artavan, if possible to arrive in time to rescue at least Artavan. When he entered Assyria, he heard the sad news of Artavan’s death and of the alliance of all the Persian troops and nobles—both of his own family the Parthians and of the Pahlavik‘, except for the branch of Kare n. To the latter he sent messengers and then returned to our country in great sadness and regret. And immediately he made haste to inform Philip, the Roman emperor, seeking help from him.
72. Khosrov receives aid from Philip and attacks Artashir in war
Because there were troubles in Philip’s empire, he was unable to spare any Roman forces to give military assistance to Khosrov. But he helped him by means of a letter ordering that he be given assistance from every region. When they received this command they came to his support from Egypt and the desert, from as far away as the shores of the Pontic Sea. Having acquired such a multitude [of troops] he marched against Artashir, and giving battle put him to flight; he took from him Assyria and the other lands where he had a royal residence.
Again he sent through messengers to his own kin the Parthian and the Pahlav families, and to all the forces of the land of the Kushans, that they should come to him and exact vengeance from Artashir; and [he said] that he would make the most worthy among them king so that the throne would not pass from them. But the aforementioned branches named Aspahapet and Surenean did not agree, so Khosrov returned to our land, not so much happy at his victory as upset at the falling away of his kin. Then there came to him some of his own messengers who had gone to the more illustrious nation far inland as far as Bahl. They brought him word that ‘your kinsman Vehsachan with his branch of the Kare n Pahlav has not given obeisance to Artashir, but is coming to you in answer to your summons.’
73. The renewed attack of Khosrov against Artashir without Roman help Although Khosrov was greatly delighted at the news of the coming of his kinsmen, yet his joy was short-lived; for the sad news quickly arrived that Artashir himself with his united forces had caught up with them and slaughtered all the branch of the Karenean Pahlav, killing all the males from young men to sucklings, save for one youth whom a friend of his house, Burz by name, had taken in flight to the land of the Kushans and brought to some of his powerful relatives. Artashir made great efforts to seize the child but was unable [to obtain him] from his kin who had rallied together, even when he swore against his will that there would be no danger for the child. For this reason the Persians have composed myriad fables about him, to the effect that animals served the child. The latter was Perozamat, the ancestor of our great family of Kamsarakan, of whom we shall speak in his place.
But now we [shall tell] of what happened after the slaughter of the family of the Karenean Pahlav, vengeance for which the Armenian king Khosrov was not slow in seeking. Although Philip had died and the Roman empire was in confusion—many men seeking power from each other in a brief period: the emperors Decius and Gallus and Valerian, who did not aid him—nonetheless Khosrov with his army and other friends who had rallied to him and with the nations of the north was victorious over Artashir and pursued him as far as India.
76. Artashir’s attack against us, and his victory over the Emperor Tacitus This same man (i.e. Firmilian) says that after the murder of Khosrov the Armenian princes united and brought to their own assistance the Greek army, which was in Phrygia, to oppose the Persians and save the country. And straightway they informed the Emperor Valerian. But because the Goths, crossing the River Danube, had taken many provinces captive and had plundered the Cyclades Islands, for that reason Valerian was not in time to protect our land. Nor did he live much longer; Claudius gained the throne from him, and after him Aurelian, following each other in quick succession. Within a few months there reigned the brothers Quintus and Tacitus and Florian. Therefore Artashir freely invaded us and, putting the Greek army to flight, took captive the major part of the country and turned it into a wilderness. Fleeing from him, the Armenian nobles, with the Arsacid family, took refuge in Greece. Among them was Artavazd Mandakuni, who took Trdat, son of Khosrov, and brought him to the imperial court. Therefore Tacitus was obliged to come to oppose Artashir in the regions of Pontus, and he sent his brother Florian with another army to Cilicia. But Artashir overtook Tacitus and put him to flight. The latter was killed by his own [troops] in Chaniuk‘ in Pontus, that is, Khaltik’; likewise his brother Florian [was killed] eighty-eight days later in Tarsus.
77. Concerning the peace between the Persians and the Greeks, and Artashir’s accomplishments in Armenia during the years of anarchy
Probus became emperor of the Greeks, and, making peace with Artashir, he divided our land and dug ditches to mark the frontiers. Artashir subjected the nobility, brought back those who had emigrated, and destroyed their fortified places—except for a certain noble called Awtay from the family of the Amatunik‘, who was related by marriage to that of the Slkunik‘ and was the foster father of Khosrovidukht, the daughter of Khosrov. He had ensconced himself in the fortress of Ani, as if hidden in a tranquil lair.
Artashir organized Armenia in a splendid fashion and re-established its former order. Likewise the Arsacids, who had been deprived of the crown and of their residence in Ayrarat, he re-established in the same place with their former revenues and emoluments. He increased the cults of the temples and ordered the fire of Ormizd, which was on the altar at Bagavan, to be kept perpetually burning. But the statues that Valarshak had set up as the images of his ancestors with those of the sun and moon at Armavir, and which had been transferred from Armavir to Bagaran and then brought to Artashat, these Artashir broke up. He subjected the land to tribute by an edict and completely consolidated his own authority.
Furthermore he renewed the frontiers established by Artashe s by setting stones in the ground, and he changed their names to his own, ‘Artashirakan.’ He governed our land like one of his own territories with Persian governors for twenty-six years and after him, for one year until the reign of Trdat, his son Shapuh— which means ‘child of the king.’
78. The slaughter of the Mandakuni family by Artashir
Artashir had heard that one of the Armenian princes had fled with one of Khosrov’s sons and had saved him by bringing him to the imperial court. Having investigated who that might be, he had discovered that it was Artavazd of the Mandakuni family. He ordered that entire family to be exterminated. When the Armenians had fled from Artashir, these too had fled with the families of the other princes. And when Artashir had subjected the rest, they returned and were all put to the sword. But a certain Tachat, who was from the family of Ashots‘ and descended from Gushar Haykazn, abducted a beautiful maiden from among Artavazd’s sisters; and having rescued her by fleeing to the city of Caesarea, he married her because of her wonderful beauty.
79. Concerning the prowess of Trdat during the years of anarchy in Armenia
He speaks of the prowess of Trdat: first of all, in his youth he delighted in horse riding; he was an expert horseman, dexterous in the use of arms, and a willing pupil of other military exercises. And then according to the oracle of the Peloponnesian temple of Hephaistos, in the boxing match he outdid Clitostratos of Rhodes who used to win by a neck grip, and also Cerasos of Argos; for the latter pulled out the hoof of an ox, whereas he [Trdat] with one hand held two wild bulls by the horn, twisted, and threw them with a crash. And wishing to drive a chariot in the races of the hippodrome, he was thrown by the skill of his opponent and fell to the ground. But he seized the chariot and stopped it, at which all were amazed. And in the war of Probus against the Goths there was a great famine. Finding no stores, the soldiers revolted and killed him; similarly they rose up against all the nobles. But Trdat alone resisted them, preventing anyone from entering the palace of Licinius, with whom Trdat was living.
Carus then reigned with his sons, Carinus and Numerian. Gathering an army, he gave battle to the Persian king, and after gaining the victory he returned to Rome. Therefore Artashir, bringing many nations to his support and having the desert [peoples] of Tachikastan on his side, gave battle a second time to the Roman army on both sides of the Euphrates. In the battle Carus was killed at R inon. Similarly Carinus, who had marched into the desert against Kor nak in the company of Trdat, was slaughtered with his army; those who survived turned in flight. At this point Trdat’s horse was wounded so he did not gallop away with the fugitives. But he picked up his arms and the horse’s accoutrements and swam across the wide and deep Euphrates to his own army, where Licinius was. In those days Numerian was killed in Thrace, and Diocletian succeeded to the throne. But Agathangelos informs you of Trdat’s various deeds in his time.
82. The prowess of Trdat during his reign before his conversion
Because there is no true history without chronology, therefore we made a detailed investigation and found that Trdat gained the throne in the third year of Diocletian and that he came here with a large army. When he arrived at Caesarea, most of the princes went to meet him. And arriving in this country he found that Awtay had raised his sister Khosrovidukht and had guarded the treasures in his fortress with great constancy. He was a just and persevering man, reliable and very wise; for although he did not know the truth about God, yet he realized the falsity of the idols. Similarly his protégée Khosrovidukht was a modest maiden, like a nun, and did not at all have an open mouth like other women.
Trdat made Awtay commander-in-chief of Armenia and honored him in gratitude, and even more his own foster brother, Artavazd Mandakuni, because he had been the cause of his escape and of his attaining the glory of his fathers. Therefore he entrusted him with the command of the Armenian army. For the same reason he appointed Tachat, his brother-in-law, prince over the province of Ashots‘. It was the latter who in future was to warn his father-in-law Artavazd and he to warn the king first that Gregory was Anak’s son, and later about the sons of Gregory, as he had learned [about them] when living in the city of Caesarea.
The valiant Trdat quickly engaged in many battles, first in Armenia and then in Persia, gaining the victory himself in person. On one occasion, surpassing that Elianan in the Old Testament [cf. 2 Kings 23; Chron. 11:11], he raised his spear over an equally large number of wounded. And on another occasion, the powerful Persians felt the strength of the giant and the force of his arms. They had inflicted many wounds on his horse and killed it with their arrows; struck down, it threw the king to the ground. But he rose up and attacked on foot, in turn overthrowing many of the enemy. Seizing the horse of one of them, he boldly mounted. On the second occasion furthermore, willingly being on foot, with his sword he scattered the ranks of elephants. Such were his heroic deeds while he remained in Persia and Assyria, even making an attack beyond Ctesiphon.
83. Concerning Trdat’s marriage to Ashkhe n and Constantine’s to Maximina, and how he was converted
When Trdat arrived in our land he sent General Smbat, the father of Bagarat, to bring the maiden Ashkhe n, the daughter of Ashkhadar, to be his wife. This maiden was no less tall than the king. He ordered her to be inscribed as an Arsacid, to be vested with purple, and to be crowned in order to become the king’s bride. From her was born a son Khosrov, who did not attain the stature of his parents.
In those same days occurred also the marriage of Maximina, the daughter of Diocletian, in Nicomedia; her husband was the Emperor Constantine, son of Constantius, the Roman emperor, who had not been born from Maximian’s daughter but from a prostitute, Helen. This Constantine at [the time of] his marriage became friendly with our King Trdat. And when Constantius died not many years later, Diocletian sent his son and his own son-in-law Constantine as his successor.
87. The defeat of Shapuh and his unwilling submission to Constantine the Great, Trdat’s capture of Ecbatana and the arrival of his relatives, and the discovery of the saving wood at that time
But Trdat, although he had gained the victory, nonetheless because his army had been mauled and many princes had fallen, hesitated to challenge Shapuh alone before being joined by the mass of the Roman army, which had attacked Assyria, put Shapuh to flight, and plundered the whole land. Then Trdat, with all his men and the troops under them, invaded the northern regions of the Persian empire in a year-long expedition.
(III) The Conclusion
4. The withdrawal of the bdeashkh Bakur from alliance with the Armenians, and the princes’ plan to make Khosrov king
As we find it said in the divine histories, the Hebrew nation, after the Judges and in the time of anarchy and unrest, had no king and each man acted according to his own pleasure [cf. Judges 21:24]. One could also see the same thing in our own country. For on the death of the blessed Trdat, the great prince Bakur, who was entitled the bdeashkh of Alddznik‘, seeing Sanatruk reigning in P‘aytakaran, conceived the same plan for himself. Although he did not wish to reign because he was not an Arsacid, nonetheless he wished to be independent. Abandoning his alliance with the Armenians, he assisted Ormizd, king of Persia. When the Armenian princes became aware of this and reflected on it, they gathered together in the presence of Vrt‘ane s the Great and sent two of the honourable lords—Mar, lord of Tsop‘k‘, and Gag, lord of Hashteank‘—to the capital city to the Emperor Constantius, son of Constantine, with presents and a letter, which ran as follows:
5. A copy of the Armenians’ letter
‘Archbishop Vrt’ane s and the bishops under him and all the princes of Greater Armenia, to our lord the emperor Caesar Constantius, greetings.
‘Remember the sworn covenant of your father Constantine with our King Trdat and do not give this country over to the godless Persians, but help us with an army to make Khosrov, Trdat’s son, king. For God has made you lord not only of Europe but also of all the Mediterranean, and the awe of your power has reached the ends of the earth. And we desire that you rule over an ever-greater empire. Be well.’
Agreeing to this, Constantius sent Antiochus, his palace prefect, with a strong army, and purple robes, and a crown, and a letter, which ran as follows:
The Letter of Constantius
‘The emperor Augustus Caesar Constantius, to Vrt‘ane s the Great and all your fellow countrymen, greetings.
‘I have sent an army to your support with the command to make Khosrov, son of your King Trdat, king over you, in order that having established good order you may serve us loyally. Be well.’
6. The arrival of Antiochus and his actions
When Antiochus arrived, he made Khosrov king and appointed to the same command over the army the four generals whom Trdat had established in his own lifetime, after the death of his tutor Artavazd Mandakuni who had been the single supreme commander and general of all Armenia. The first was Bagarat the aspet, as general of the western force; the second was Mihran, prince of Georgia and bdeashkh of Gugark‘, as general of the northern army; the third was Vahan, prince of the Amatunik‘, as general of the eastern force; the fourth was Manachihr, prince of the R shtunik, as general of the southern army. And he divided the troops and gave each one [his portion]. He sent Manachihr with the southern army and that of Cilicia to the regions of Assyria and Mesopotamia; and Vahan, prince of the Amatunik‘, with the eastern force and the army of Galatia he sent to the regions of Azerbaijan to keep them secure from the Persian king.
He himself, leaving behind King Khosrov,—for he was small of person and weak boned and did not approximate to the stature of a warrior—took with him Mihran and Bagarat with their armies, and in unison with all the Greek [forces] marched against Sanatruk. But the latter, having filled the city of P’aytakaran with Persian troops, fled with the princes of the Al uank to King Shapuh for refuge. When Antiochus saw that they had not submitted to peaceful obedience, he ordered the lands of the rebels to be subjected to pillage. He himself collected the tribute and returned to the emperor.
7. The crime of Manachihr against Jacob the Great, and his death
When Manachihr arrived in the regions of Assyria with the Armenian southern force and the Cilician army, he offered battle to Bakur the bdeashkh and slew him, putting to flight his army and the Persians who had come to his aid. He captured Bakur’s son Heshay and sent him in iron bonds to Khosrov. He unmercifully condemned to the sword all the provinces of his state, not only the warriors but also the common peasants. He took many captives from the regions of Nisibis, including eight deacons of the great Bishop Jacob. After this Jacob came and urged Manachihr to free the common captives as being in no way culpable. But Manachihr did not agree, adducing the king in excuse.
When Jacob addressed himself to the king, Manachihr was even more vexed and at the instigation of the inhabitants of the province he ordered the eight deacons, who were in bonds, to be thrown into the sea. When Jacob the Great heard of this he returned to his own see full of anger, like Moses leaving the presence of Pharaoh [cf. Exod. 11:9]. Climbing a certain mountain from which the whole province was visible, he cursed Manachihr and his province. And God’s judgment was not slow to overtake him. Like Herod, Manachihr died of various sufferings; the fertility of the irrigated province turned into a salt march [cf. Ps. 106:34], the sky overhead became bronze according to Scripture [cf. Deut. 28:23], and the sea, contrary [to its nature], covered the fields. When Vrt‘ane s the Great and King Khosrov heard of this, in anger they ordered the captives to be freed and that the same man [Jacob] should be implored with penitence that the wrath of the Lord might be averted. After the depature of Jacob from this world, through his intercession Manachihr’s son and heir obtained healing for the province by sincere repentance, copious tears, and lamentation.
8. Concerning the reign of Khosrov the Small, the transfer of the court, and the planting of the forest
In the second year of Ormizd, king of Persia, and the eighth year of reign of the Emperor Constantius, with the latter’s help Khosrov became king. Not only did he give no evidence of prowess like his father’s, but he did not even make any opposition to the regions that had rebelled, after the single occasion when they had been taken by the Greek armies. Leaving the Persian king to his wishes, he made peace with him, considering it sufficient to rule over the territories that he retained and having absolutely no desire for noble projects. Although he was small in body, yet he was not so small as Alexander of Macedon who was only three cubits high, though this did not impair the vigor of his spirit. But Khosrov was unconcerned for valor and good repute; he occupied himself with pleasure and hunting birds and other game. It was for this reason that he planted the forest beside the Azat River, which is called by his name to this day.
He also transferred the court to a spot above the forest and built a shady palace. The place is called Duin in Persian; in translation it means ‘hill.’ Because at that time the sun was in Ares, and there were blowing hot, fetid, and pestilential winds, which those who dwelt at Artashat could not endure, they willingly agreed to the change.
10. The death of Khosrov and the war of the Armenians with the Persians
After this, when Khosrov realized that Shapuh, the Persian king, was assisting his enemies, he broke the peace he had with him and withheld from him the special tribute, giving it [instead] to the emperor. And bringing up the Greek army he opposed the Persian king. But he lived not much longer before dying, having reigned for nine years. He was taken and buried in Ani beside his fathers. Vrt‘ane s gathered all the Armenian princes with the army and the generals and entrusted the land of Armenia to Arshavir Kamsarakan, as the pre-eminent and most honorable man after the king. Then he took Tiran, Khosrov’s son, and went to the emperor [to ask] that he might make him king of Armenia in his father’s stead. But the Persian king Shapuh, when he heard of Khosrov’s death and that his son Tiran had gone to the emperor, gathered a great army under his brother Nerseh, as if he intended to make him king of Armenia. And he sent them to our country since he considered it to be leaderless. But they were opposed by the valiant Arshavir Kamsarakan with all the Armenian forces, who gave battles on the plain called Mr ul. And although many of the greatest nobles fell in the war, nonetheless the Armenian army, gaining the victory, put the Persian army to flight and guarded the land until Tiran’s arrival.
11. Concerning the reign of Tiran, and the departure from this world of Vrt‘ane s the Great, and the succession of Saint Yusik to the [patriarchal] throne
In the seventeenth year of his reign Augustus Constantius, son of Constantine, made Tiran, Khosrov’s son, king and sent him to Armenia with Vrt‘ane s the Great. After his arrival he peacefully gained control of our land, making a treaty with the Persians and not war. Paying tribute to the Greeks and a special tribute to the Persians, he lived in tranquility like his father and evinced no deed of bravery or valor. Nor did he follow his father’s virtue, but in secret he abandoned all piety, although he was unable to serve vice openly because of Vrt‘ane s the Great. After Vrt‘ane s the Great had completed fifteen years of his episcopate, he departed from this world in the third year of Tiran. And at the latter’s orders he was taken and buried in the village of T’ordan, as if he had seen with a prophetic eye that after a long time his father’s relics would also be laid to rest in that spot. To the [patriarchal] throne succeeded Yusik his son in the fourth year of Tiran; he was a true follower of the virtues of his fathers.
12. The war of Shapuh against Constantius
But Shapuh, son of Ormizd, established greater friendship toward our King Tiran, even supporting and assisting him: he saved him from an attack of the northern nations who, having united, penetrated the pass of Chor and encamped on the borders of Albania for four years. Shapuh also subdued many barbarian nations into alliance, and then he attacked the Mediterranean lands and Palestine. But Constantius, after making Julian Caesar, took up arms against the Persians. And when they gave battle, both sides were defeated, for many fell from both sides. But neither turned their back to the other, so they came to terms and made peace for a few years. When Constantius returned from Persia, after a long illness he died in the city of Mospuestia in Cilicia, having reigned for twenty-three years. In his days appeared the luminous cross in the time of the blessed Cyril.
13. How Tiran7 met Julian and gave hostages
At that time the impious Julian became emperor of the Greeks. He denied God, worshipped idols, raised persecutions and trouble against the church, and tried in many ways to extinguish the Christian faith. However, he did not induce belief by force but attempted by deceitful means to have the cult of Christ abolished and demons worshipped. When justice armed him against the Persians, he crossed Cilicia and reached Mesopotamia. The Persian army defending that area cut the cords of the bridge of boats across the Euphrates and barred the crossing. Then our King Tiran came down to meet Julian, attacked the Persian army, and dispersed it. Offering his services, he brought the impious Julian across with a host of cavalry, and he was very greatly honoured by him.
He [Tiran] requested that he [Julian] not take him with him to Persia on the grounds that he was unable to ride. Julian agreed but asked for troops and hostages. Tiran, to spare his second son Arshak, gave him his third son Trdat with his wife and sons, and also his grandson Tirit, son of the dead Artashes, his eldest son. These Julian accepted, and he immediately sent them to Byzantium. Tiran he dispatched to his own country, and he gave him his own image painted on tablets on which were also [the images] of various demons with him. He ordered it to be set up in church, at the eastern end, saying that whoever were tributary to the Roman empire acted thus. Tiran agreed and brought it back, unaware that by deceit the images of the demons would be worshipped.
14. The martyrdom of Saint Yusik and Daniel
Now when Tiran reached the province of Tsop‘k‘, he wished to set up the image in his own royal church. But Saint Yusik snatched it from the king’s hands, and throwing it to the ground, trampled on it and broke it to pieces, warning the king about the deceitfulness of the matter. Tiran paid no heed because he feared Julian and thought that he would be put to death for trampling on the emperors image. And even more inflamed at the vexation he suffered from Saint Yusik by his continual reprimands at his transgressions, he ordered him to be beaten for a long time with thongs of ox hide, until he gave up the ghost under the whipping.
After his death Tiran was cursed by the old priest Daniel, who had been a disciple and servant of Saint Gregory’s. So Tiran ordered him to be strangled. His disciples took him and buried him in his hermitage called ‘the garden of ash trees.’ The body of Saint Yusik they placed beside his father in the village of T’ordan. He had been in the episcopate for six years.
15. How Zawray took the Armenian army, seceded from Julian, and was slaughtered with his family
News of the murder of Saint Yusik and the murmuring of all the nobles reached the prince of the R shtunik‘, Zawray, who was the general of the Armenian southern force in place of Manachihr and who had followed Julian with his army at Tiran’s command. When he heard these reports, he said to his troops: ‘Let us not heed the orders of the man who casts a stumbling block in the way of the worship of Christ and murders his saints. Let us not accompany this impious king.’ Having persuaded his troops, he returned and fortified himself in Tmorik‘ until he could see what the other nobles would do. But Julian’s couriers preceded his arrival, bringing to
Tiran a letter, which ran as follows:
Julian’s letter to Tiran
‘The emperor Julian, offspring of Inak’, son of Aramazd and destined for immortality, to Tiran our governor, greetings.
‘The army that you sent to us has been taken off by its general and has deserted. We would have been able with our innumerable forces to send after them and halt them, but we allowed them to go for two reasons. First, lest the Persians say of us that it was by force and not of their free will that he led the army. And second, to test your sincerity. Now, if he has not done this at your wish, massacre him and his family so that no successor is left for him. Otherwise I swear by Ares, who granted us the throne, and by Athena, who gave us the victory, that on our return with our invincible might we shall destroy you and your country.’
When Tiran saw this he was very frightened, and he sent his mardpet, who was called Hayr, and with an oath summoned Zawray to his presence. But when his army saw that all the nobles remained silent, according to the usual lack of perseverance of our nation, they dispersed each one to his house. Zawray, being left alone, unwillingly went to the king. And the king seized him, took also their fortress of Alt‘amar, and massacred them all. Only one child, the son of his brother Mehendak, escaped and was saved by his tutors. The king put in his place Salamut’, the lord of Antsit.