Ashot III Bagratuni.

About Ashot III Bagratuni

Ashot III Bagratuni also known as Ashot the Blind, was the Prince of Armenia from 732 to 748. He was appointed to this position by Marwan, the governor of Arminiya. He pursued a policy of rapprochement with the Umayyad Caliphate. He was the grandson of Varaz-Tirots Bagratuni and the son of Vasak Bagratuni. He had two sons, Smbat and Vasak. Smbat continued his father’s branch of the dynasty and inherited the greater part of his paternal estates. Vasak received Tayk as his share; he later married the daughter of the Georgian prince Guaram III and founded the genealogical branch of the Bagratid dynasty that became known as the Bagrationi. Thus, Tayk became an independent political entity under the leadership of the Armenian-Georgian Bagratids. The Armenian prince died in Dariunq. Beginning with his son Smbat, who held the title of sparapet, the Armenian Bagratids ruled Armenia hereditarily.