Sahl Smbatean Eṙanshahik Movses Kaghankatvatsi. ''History of Aghuank''. Critical text and introduction by Varag Arakelyan. Matenadaran" Institute of Ancient Manuscripts after Mesrop Mashtots. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1983, 2.17, 3.19-22. (, in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

sources: ''Sahl ibn Sunbat'' or ''Sahl ibn Sunbat al-Armaniyy'';

Masudi Al-Mas'udi ( ar, أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن عَلِيّ ٱبْن ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱلْمَسْعُودِيّ, '; –956) was an Arab historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the "Herodotus ...

,
Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems. vol VIII
' birthdate unknown – c. 855) was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

prince of Arran and ShakiV. Minorsky. ''Caucasica IV''. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 15, No. 3. (1953), pp. 504-529. who played a considerable role in the history of the eastern

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

during the 9th century and was the ancestor of the House of

Khachen The Principality of Khachen ( hy, Խաչենի իշխանություն, Khacheni ishkhanutyun) was a medieval Armenian principality on the territory of historical Artsakh (present-day Nagorno-Karabakh). The provinces of Artsakh and Utik were ...

established in 821.

Robert H. Hewsen Robert H. Hewsen (May 20, 1934 – November 17, 2018) was an American historian and professor of history at Rowan University. He was an expert on the ancient history of the South Caucasus. Hewsen is the author of ''Armenia: A Historical Atlas'' (2 ...

, ''Armenia: A Historical Atlas''.

The University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including ''The Chicago Manual of Style'', ...

, 2001, pp. 119, 163.

Name

Armenian ''Smbatean'' or Arabic ''ibn Sunbat'' was Sahl's paternal name – ''Smbat'' is derived from the

Pahlavi Pahlavi may refer to: Iranian royalty *Seven Parthian clans, ruling Parthian families during the Sasanian Empire *Pahlavi dynasty, the ruling house of Imperial State of Persia/Iran from 1925 until 1979 **Reza Shah, Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944 ...

proper name ''Sunbādh'' "Sinbad". ar, Sahl "Mask" is the Arabic form of his name, ''Sahak''.

Michael the Syrian Michael the Syrian ( ar, ميخائيل السرياني, Mīkhaʾēl el Sūryani:),( syc, ܡܺܝܟ݂ܳܐܝܶܠ ܣܽܘܪܝܳܝܳܐ, Mīkhoʾēl Sūryoyo), died 1199 AD, also known as Michael the Great ( syr, ܡܺܝܟ݂ܳܐܝܶܠ ܪܰܒ݁ܳܐ, ...

. ''Chronology''. Jerusalem, 1879, p. 365.

Origins

Movses Kaghankatvatsi wrote that Sahl Smbatyan was a descendant of the ancient Armenian House of

Aranshahik Aranshahik was the first ruling dynasty of Caucasian Albania from an unknown date until the late sixth century AD. According to Movses Khorenatsi, the dyansty of Aranshahik was established by the Armenian king Vagharshak. # Prince Arran # Prince ...

(itself a branch of the Syunid dynasty). V.A.Shnirelman,
Albanian Myth
'

Cyrille Toumanoff Cyril Leo Toumanoff (russian: Кирилл Львович Туманов; 13 October 1913 – 4 February 1997) was a Russian-born Georgian historian and genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armenia, ...

, ''Studies in Christian Caucasian History''. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1963, pp. 257-258. This dynasty had a blood feud with the

Mihranid The Mihranids were an Iranian family which ruled several regions of Caucasus from 330 to 821. They claimed to be of Sasanian Persian descent but were of Parthian origin. History The dynasty was founded when a certain Mihran, a distant relative o ...

dynasty,.

Arakel Babakhanian Arakel Grigori Babakhanian ( hy, Առաքել Գրիգորի Բաբախանյան; – 14 November 1932), commonly known by his pen name Leo ( hy, Լեո), was an Armenian historian, writer, critic and professor of Yerevan State University. ...

(Leo). ''Ժողովածու'' (''Collected Works''). vol. ii. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Sovetakan Grogh, 1967, pp. 143-145, 326-328, 419. According to tradition, in the beginning of the 7th century the Mihranids had invited 60 men of the Aranshahiks to a banquet and had killed them all, with the exception of Zarmihr Aranshahik, who had married a Mihranid princess. Hence the Mihranid family had become princes of Gardman and presiding princes of all

Caucasian Albania Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...

. Sahl Smbatean was a descendant of Zarmihr Aranshahik. Hence the House of Khachen is regarded as a cadet branch of the House of Aranshahik. Although some historians make a difference between ''Sahl of Shaki'' and ''Sahak of Syunik''. According to the historian

, Sahl was a Syunid prince, who seized Gegharkunik from Syunid family domains and established a princedom for himself. When Sahl came to power, the Mihranid family's power was already weakening. In 822 the last heir of this family, princess Spram Mihranian, married Sahl's son Atrnerseh I in the fortress of Khachen. Subsequently, the new princedom expanded to the east and included Artsakh and Gardman.

Reign

In Armenian sources, Sahl Smbatean and his brothers are remembered for their successful battles against enemy invaders in the mountains of Artsakh. The earliest known clash between Sahl and the Arab army took place in 822, when the latter invaded the canton of Amaras. The Arab rule in the region was substantially weakened due to the revolt of Babak Khorramdin in

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan ( fa, آذربایجان, ''Āzarbāijān'' ; az-Arab, آذربایجان, ''Āzerbāyjān'' ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq, Turkey, the Nakhchivan ...

(822-837). Babak married the daughter of Vasak, Prince of Syunik, and fought with him against the Islamic conquest of Persia. However, after the death of Vasak (in 822), Babak tried to dominate Syunik and Artsakh, and in 826-831 committed atrocities against the revolted Armenians of Balk, Gegharkunik and Lachin (the three cantons of Syunik). In that account, Babak was described as "the murderous, world-ravaging, bloodthirsty beast" by the Armenian historiographer Movses Kaghankatvatsi. The Armenians continued the struggle against Babak in the cantons of Artsakh. In 837-838

Afshin Afshin ( fa, افشین / ''Afšīn'') is a common Persian given name, which is a modern Persian word derived from Avestan. Afshin was used by the Sogdians. Historically, it was the princely title of the rulers of Osrushana at the time of the Mu ...

, the prominent general of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim, was sent to Armenia to fight against Babak. Vardan Areveltsi, ''A Universal History''. Yerevan, 2001, pp. 118-119. After a crushing defeat, Babak took refuge in the mountains controlled by Sahl Smbatean, who, however, captured him and surrendered to Afshin. Sahl received 1,000,000 silver

dirham The dirham, dirhem or dirhm ( ar, درهم) is a silver unit of currency historically and currently used by several Arab and Arab influenced states. The term has also been used as a related unit of mass. Unit of mass The dirham was a un ...

's in reward from Afshin. According to Movses Kaghankatvatsi, the Caliphate assigned him sovereignty over Armenia, Georgia and Albania.

Exile

In 854, according to

Tovma Artsruni Tovma Artsruni ( hy, Թովմա Արծրունի; also known in English-language historiography as Thomas Artsruni; precise birth date and date of death unknown) was a ninth-century to tenth-century Armenian historian and author of the ''History o ...

, Sahl Smbatean and many other princes of Armenia (including

Atrnerseh Atrnerseh () (d. 870's) was an Armenian ruler of the Principality of Khachen. He was the son and successor of Sahl Smbatean. According to the 10th century Armenian historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi, Atrnerseh's family was descended from the Arrans ...

of Khachen and Esayi Abu-Muse of Ktish) were captured by

Bugha al-Kabir Bugha al-Kabir (), also known as Bugha al-Turki (), was a 9th-century Khazar general who served the Abbasid Caliphate. He was of Khazar origin, and was acquired along with his sons as a military slave (''ghulam'') by al-Mu'tasim in 819/820.Gordo ...

, the Turkish commander of the Abbasid Caliph

Al-Mutawakkil Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿtaṣim bi-ʾllāh ( ar, جعفر بن محمد المعتصم بالله; March 822 – 11 December 861), better known by his regnal name Al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (, "He who relies on God") was t ...

, and exiled to

Samarra Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...

.Emeri "van" Donzel. ''Islamic Desk Reference'', BRILL, 1994, , p. 110 Atrnerseh would soon return to Sodk; the fate of Sahl Smbatean is unknown, although he died sometime after 855.

References

{{reflist, 2 House of Aranshahik 9th-century Armenian people Monarchs of Hereti

Name

Origins

Reign

Exile

See also

References