Ashot III Bagratuni also known as Ashot the Blind ( hy, Աշոտ Կուրացյալ) (c. 690 – 762) was a member of the Bagratuni family who was

presiding prince of Armenia Arminiya, also known as the Ostikanate of Arminiya ( hy, Արմինիա ոստիկանություն, ''Arminia vostikanut'yun'') or the Emirate of Armenia ( ar, إمارة أرمينيا, ''imārat Arminiya''), was a political and geographic de ...

as '' ishkhan'' from 732 to 748. He was the nephew of

Smbat VI Bagratuni Smbat VI Bagratuni (ca. 670 – 726) was a member of the Bagratuni family who was presiding prince of Armenia from 691 to 711. During his reign, he frequently shifted alliances between the Byzantines, who gave him the title of ''kouropalates'', ...

. He won the favour of the

Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...

by defeating one of the

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

s who had revolted against

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

and attacked

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

. His ascension signaled the coming to power of the Bagratids. He was blinded by the rival

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

of the

Mamikonian Mamikonian or Mamikonean ( Classical hy, Մամիկոնեան; reformed orthography: Մամիկոնյան; Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Mamigonian'') was an aristocratic dynasty which dominated Armenian politics between the 4th and 8th c ...

clan. The new power of Armenia had reached such a level that the country, at short notice, could summon an army of 90,000 men, ready to be sent out to battle. He had two sons,

Smbat VII Bagratuni Smbat VII Bagratuni ( hy, Սմբատ Է Բագրատունի; died 25 April 775) was an Armenian noble of the Bagratuni (Bagratid) family. He and his brother Vasak were the sons of Ashot III Bagratuni. He served as presiding prince of Armenia in ...

and

Vasak Bagratuni Vasak may refer to: *Vasak Siwni (died 452), Armenian prince, lord of the principality of Syunik *Karel Vasak Karel Vasak or Karel Vašák (26 June 1929 – 1 May 2015) was a Czech- French international official and university professor. Vasak wa ...

External links

Ashot III Bagratuni's Descent
690s births 762 deaths 8th-century kings of Armenia Bagratuni dynasty 8th-century rulers in Asia Blind royalty and nobility Governors of the Umayyad Caliphate 8th-century Armenian people Princes of Armenia {{Armenia-royal-stub