Mithridates () was a son of King

Mithridates VI of Pontus Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...

and his sister-wife Laodice. He was made by his father ruler of

Colchis In Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia (country), Georgia. Its population, the Colchians a ...

on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

, but then removed and put to death on suspicion of disloyalty.

First Mithridatic War

Mithridates was the eldest son of Mithridates VI Eupator,

king of Pontus This is a list of kings of Pontus, an ancient Hellenistic kingdom of Persian origin in Asia Minor. Kings of Pontus * Mithridates I Ktistes 281–266 BC * Ariobarzanes 266 – c. 250 BC * Mithridates II c. 250 – c. 220 BC * Mithridates III c. ...

, and Laodice, whom the king had executed for unfaithfulness. Mithridates "the younger" served his father loyally in the first war with the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

and suffered defeat at the hands of the Roman commander

Gaius Flavius Fimbria Gaius Flavius Fimbria (c. 115 – 85 BC) was a Roman general. Born to a recently distinguished senatorial family, he became one of the most violent and bloodthirsty partisans of the consul Cornelius Cinna and his ally, Gaius Marius, in the civ ...

at the Rhyndacus in

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

in 85 BC. The younger Mithridates fled to join his father at

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greece, ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a ...

, but both were then chased by Fimbria to Pitane, from where the two Mithridates managed to escape by sea.

Ruler of Colchis

After the war, Mithridates VI had to deal with disturbances among his remote subjects, including those in Colchis, a country on the eastern Black Sea coast. For the Pontic monarchy, Colchis was a key possession, which supplied both manpower and raw materials. The Colchians, dissatisfied with the previous administration of their country, requested that the king send his eldest son and heir, Mithridates, as their ruler. When Eupator conceded, the Colchians returned to their allegiance. The appointment of Mithridates the Younger as ruler of Colchis probably was of the same nature as the simultaneous installment of another son,

Machares Machares ( el, ο Μαχάρης; in Persian: ''warrior''; died 65 BC) was a Pontian prince and son of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and Queen Laodice. He was made by his father ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom after Mithridates, for the second time, ...

, as viceroy of

Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern T ...

. Mithridates of Colchis may have issued his own coinage, such as a horde of at least 119 bronze coins found at

Vani Vani ( ka, ვანი) is a town in Imereti region of a western Georgia, at the Sulori river (a tributary of the Rioni river), 41 km southwest from the regional capital Kutaisi. The town with the population of 3,744 (2014) is an administra ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The younger Mithridates's reign in Colchis was received with such a demonstration of favor from his new subjects as to excite the jealousy of his father. According to the Roman historian

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Hadr ...

, the king of Pontus suspected that the developments in Colchis were brought about by his son "through his own ambition to be king."
App. Mith. 9.64
. Eupator recalled his son, placed him in confinement, bound in golden fetters, and later had him killed. A trusted official from Amaseia, Moaphernes, a great-uncle of the geographer

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, was sent to administer Colchis.

References

{{reflist 1st-century BC rulers in Asia 1st-century BC Iranian people Ancient Persian people Iranian people of Greek descent Mithridatic Wars Kings of Colchis Mithridatic dynasty Executed monarchs