Ashot Bagratuni (Armenian: Աշոտ Բ Բագրատունի, date of birth unknown – c. 689) was an Armenian ishkhan (prince) and the ruler of Armenia from 685 to 689. He succeeded Grigor Mamikonian. Ashot appointed his nephew Smbat as sparapet (commander-in-chief) of the Armenian forces, made peace with the Arabs, and undertook extensive construction activities. During his reign, the country’s socio-economic and cultural life flourished. Beginning in 685/686, as Armenia came under Byzantine attacks, he was compelled to devote attention to the defense of the country.
Having been severely wounded in battle, Ashot Bagratuni was taken to his native fortress-city of Dariunq, where he died and was buried in the ancestral burial place. Ashot Bagratuni built the Holy Savior (Amenaprkich) Church in Dariunq and composed the sharakan beginning with the words “Zors əst patkeri” (“Whom according to the image”). He was one of the first laymen whose hymn was accepted by the Church. In a number of old and new collections of sharakans, this hymn is mistakenly attributed to Grigor Magistros. He inherited the title of Prince of Sper and Tayk from his brother, Varaz-Tirots III Bagratuni. Ashot was succeeded by his nephew Smbat. He had one son, also named Smbat, who was killed by the Arabs in 705 during the massacre of Nakhchavan.
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History
The Bagratunis were an Armenian nakharar (noble) dynasty. According to Movses Khorenatsi, the Bagratunis descended from a Jew named Shambat. One of his descendants, Shambat Bagrat, was appointed by Valarshak, the traditional king of Armenia, as the royal crown-bearer and aspet. He was also appointed governor of the western part of Armenia, and the dynasty was named after him as Bagratuni. Following the abolition of the Arsacid monarchy, the Bagratunis acquired the district of Kogovit in the province of Ayrarat. At the end of the 5th century, Sahak Bagratuni became the marzpan of Armenia. During the 7th–8th centuries, the Bagratunis competed with the Mamikonians for political supremacy. In the 7th century, Ashot Bagratuni (685–689), the ishkhan (prince) of Armenia, was a prominent member of the dynasty. During this period, the Bagratunis exercised considerable influence in the Vostan Hayots district of the Ayrarat province, which they controlled by the middle of the 9th century. In the 8th century, the office of ishkhan of Armenia was held predominantly by members of the Bagratuni dynasty. They gradually displaced the Mamikonians from the political arena. At the end of the 8th century, the Bagratunis also established themselves in the province of Tayk and the district of Kgharjk, while at the end of the 9th century they established the royal house of the Georgian Bagratids in Georgia. Among its prominent representatives were David the Builder (1089–1125), George III (1156–1184), and Queen Tamar (1184–1213). At the end of the 9th century, they established a royal dynasty in Georgia. The territories of the Bagratunis expanded considerably at the beginning of the 9th century, when Ashot Msaker (the Carnivore) Bagratuni acquired Taron, Shirak, Arsharunik, Ashotsk, Tashir, Mokk, Sasun, and Shamshat. During this period, Bagaran was the dynastic center of the Bagratunis. From the 9th century onward, the Bagratunis became the most influential dynasty and ruled the country hereditarily, first as ishkhans of Armenia, then as ishkhanats ishkhan (Prince of Princes), and finally, from 885 onward, as kings of Armenia. The Bagratunis held the court office of royal crown-bearer and aspet, and they were therefore often referred to, according to their official position, as Aspetuni. The hereditary domain of the Bagratunis was the district of Sper in the province of Upper Armenia. Following the abolition of the Arsacid monarchy in 428, their hereditary possessions also included the district of Kogovit in the province of Ayrarat, with the fortress of Dariunq. At the end of the 5th century, Sahak Bagratuni became the marzpan of Armenia.
Period of rule
The struggle between Caliph Ali (656–661) and Muawiya, the governor of Syria, slowed the pace of the Arab conquests; however, after Muawiya became caliph, the Arabs entered into serious conflicts with Byzantium. By 670, they had already reached the vicinity of Constantinople. After Muawiya’s death, although internal divisions began within the Umayyad state, Abd al-Malik ultimately consolidated the caliphate. Around 670, Ashot II was already known as the prince of Sper and Tayk. At that time, the position of the Bagratunis was gradually strengthening, while the influence of the Mamikonians was weakening. In 685, an important change took place: Grigor Mamikonian, the ishkhan of Armenia, was killed while fighting against the Khazars, and the rule of Armenia passed to Ashot II Bagratuni. Thus, he became one of the country’s leading nakharars, bearing the title “Ishkhan of Armenia.” During the years of Ashot II’s rule, Armenia once again found itself at the center of the Byzantine-Arab conflict. In 685, Emperor Justinian II launched a campaign into Armenia, while at the same time Arab forces were attempting to restore their influence. Ashot II was forced to operate between the two great powers while preserving the position of the Armenian nobility. In 689, a new Byzantine-Arab confrontation took place in Armenia. Ashot II took part in this struggle and, according to Byzantine sources, died from wounds he had received. After his death, the office of Ishkhan of Armenia passed to other nakharars. The historical significance of Ashot II Bagratuni lies in the fact that he became one of the Bagratuni representatives who, already in the 7th century, elevated the political position of their dynasty. The political stability of Armenia was also facilitated by the fact that, during the period in question, the Arab-Byzantine wars took place mostly outside Armenia, and the country was not subjected to devastation. For several years, Muawiya’s direct attacks on Constantinople by land and sea brought no results to the caliphate, while in 677 a large part of the Arab fleet was destroyed by a storm, and the caliph was even forced to pay the Byzantines a large annual sum as war indemnity. The treaty concluded on this matter was to remain in force for thirty years.
In 680, Muawiya died. His death and the defeat of the Umayyads by Byzantium brought anti-Umayyad forces into action, and they fought bloody battles for the throne for several years. Taking advantage of the complicated situation that had arisen within the caliphate, the Armenians rebelled in 683, threw off the Arab yoke, and refused to fulfill their tax and other obligations toward the caliphate. As a result of this rebellion, Armenia achieved complete independence by 689.