Theodore Rshtuni, also spelled Theodoros Ṛštuni (, ; AD 590–655 or 656), equated with Pasagnathes (Πασαγνάθης), the "''

patrikios The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned aft ...

'' of the Armenians" from the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor,Pasagnathes 1
at, ''

Prosopography Prosopography is an investigation of the common characteristics of a group of people, whose individual biographies may be largely untraceable. Research subjects are analysed by means of a collective study of their lives, in multiple career-line an ...

of the Byzantine Empire 641-867'' (PBE I) online edition,

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. Accessed 2021-09-16. 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 ...

nakharar ''Nakharar'' ( hy, նախարար ''naxarar'', from Parthian ''naxvadār'' "holder of the primacy""նախարար" in H. Ačaṙean (1926–35), ''Hayerēn Armatakan Baṙaran'' (Yerevan: Yerevan State University), 2nd ed., 1971–79) was a here ...

'', famous for resisting the first Arab invasions of Armenia. After the previous '' ishkhan'' (prince)

David Saharuni David Saharuni ( hy, Դաւիթ Սահառունի, ''Dawit' Saharuni'') was '' sparapet'', ''curopalates'', '' ishkhan'', and presiding prince of Byzantine-controlled Armenia from 635 to 638. David was a nakharar from the princely noble House of ...

was overthrown by other ''nakharars'' in 638 or 640, Theodore Rshtuni became the leading prince of Byzantine Armenia under the same title as his predecessor, "Prince of Armenia" (''išxan hayoc‘''). Contains commented references to all primary sources which mention Theodore Rshtuni.

Arab invasions

The chronology of the Arab Muslim invasion of Armenia is not clear, Arab and Armenian sources making contradictory statements, with some clarity possible only in regard to the start of the aggression in the 640s, and Theodore Rshtuni's submission in 653. Prior to the Arab invasions, Rshtuni had been appointed the ''

sparapet ' ( hy, սպարապետ) was a military title and office in ancient and medieval Armenia. Under the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia, the ' was the supreme commander of the kingdom's armed forces. During the Arsacid period and for some time afterwards ...

'' (commander-in-chief) of the Armenian forces in the Armenian Marzpanate and was appointed as the ''

marzban Marzbān, or Marzpān (Middle Persian transliteration: mrzwpn, derived from ''marz'' "border, boundary" and the suffix ''-pān'' "guardian"; Modern Persian: ''Marzbān'') were a class of margraves, warden of the marches, and by extension milita ...

'' of Armenia in 634. Vardanyan, Vrezh M. ''«Թեոդորոս Ռշտունի»'' (Theodoros Rshtuni).

Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia The ''Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia'' ( hy, Հայկական սովետական հանրագիտարան, ''Haykakan sovetakan hanragitaran''; ASE) publishing house was established in 1967 as a department of the Institute of History of the Arme ...

. vol. iv. Yerevan, Armenian SSR:

Armenian Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետության գիտությունների ազգային ակադեմիա, ՀՀ ԳԱԱ, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri az ...

, 1978, p. 172. He defended, alongside the Byzantine general Procopius, against the first, unsuccessful Arab attack into Armenia in 640. A maneuver that went wrong allowed the Arabs to pillage the capital of Dvin and take 35,000 inhabitants into slavery. However, in 641, Byzantine Emperor

Constans II Constans II ( grc-gre, Κώνστας, Kōnstas; 7 November 630 – 15 July 668), nicknamed "the Bearded" ( la, Pogonatus; grc-gre, ὁ Πωγωνᾶτος, ho Pōgōnãtos), was the Eastern Roman emperor from 641 to 668. Constans was the last ...

followed the advice of Armenian

Catholicos Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...

Nerses III, made Theodore commander in chief of the Armenian troops and gave him the title of a ''patrikios''. He gained a victory over the Arabs, for which he was recognized as ruler of Armenia by Constans in 643, but failed to coordinate with a second army under Procopius, who suffered a severe defeat for which the Byzantines put the blame on Theodore. It was the Arabs of

Atropatene Atropatene ( peo, Ātṛpātakāna; grc, Ἀτροπατηνή), also known as Media Atropatene, was an ancient Iranian kingdom established in by the Persian satrap Atropates. The kingdom, centered in present-day northern Iran, was ruled by A ...

, which became known as Azerbaijan, who attacked in 642-3 and 650. Constans paid special attention to his family's imperiled homeland of Armenia, and he favored Byzantine generals of Armenian extraction to halt Arab advances. Faced with the impending loss of the province, he marched in, spent the winter of 652–3 at Dvin, and returned to Constantinople the next year after leaving an army in place. The three-year peace with the Arabs broke down in 653, followed by the final Arab conquest of 654. Constans attempted to impose

Chalcedonian Chalcedonian Christianity is the branch of Christianity that accepts and upholds theological and ecclesiological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Christ ...

doctrines, such as

Monotheletism Monothelitism, or monotheletism (from el, μονοθελητισμός, monothelētismós, doctrine of one will), is a theological doctrine in Christianity, that holds Christ as having only one will. The doctrine is thus contrary to dyothelit ...

, on the Armenians, which offended both their clergy and ruling elites. When the Muslims managed to defeat the remaining Byzantine troops in 653, Theodore Rshtuni participated in pushing out the Byzantines and he again recognized Muslim overlordship on very convenient conditions. Theodore's truce with then-governor of Syria and future

caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

Muawiyah Mu‘āwīyya or Muawiyah or Muaawiya () is a male Arabic given name of disputed meaning. It was the name of the first Umayyad caliph. Notable bearers of this name include: * Mu'awiya I (602–680), first Umayyad Caliph (r. 661–680) * Muawiya ...

, left Armenia with a relatively high level of autonomy, and Arabs concentrated their efforts against the remaining pockets of resistance in the

Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...

. Another chronology proposes 651 as the year Rshtuni accepted the first truce with the Arabs, and that by 652 he accepted Muawiyah's suzerainty and was appointed ruler of Armenia. The

of 1978 states that in response to Theodore Rshtuni's treason, Constans personally marshaled his forces and led them to Armenia despite a growing plot against him in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, ironically by the Armenian commander of the army of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

. Constans secured Armenia and deposed Theodoros, who took refuge on the island of Akhtamar. Byzantine commander Maurianus was given the task to defend the Armenian frontier. In 654 Maurianus was driven out of Armenia into the

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 historica ...

and Theodoros was restored. Deciding that Theodoros was untrustworthy, the Arabs sent him to

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 = , ...

, where he died in captivity the following year. Alternative years are 655 for the Muslim campaign during which Theodore Rshtuni was taken to Syria, and 656 for his death. He was replaced as prince by his son-in-law, Hamazasp

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 ...

. His body was brought to his home district of Rshtunik, where he was buried in the tomb of his forefathers.

Legacy

According to

Manuk Abeghian Manuk Abeghian ( hy, Մանուկ Աբեղյան, , alternatively Manouk Abeghian, or Manuk Abeghyan, March 15, 1865 – September 26, 1944) was a scholar of Armenian literature and folklore. He is best remembered as the main designer of the Arme ...

and a number of other scholars, the popularity of Rshtuni in Armenia manifested itself in the character of K'eṛi T'oros in the

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

of ''

David of Sasun David of Sassoun ( hy, Սասունցի Դավիթ ''Sasuntsi Davit also spelled David of Sasun'') is the main hero of Armenia's national epic ''Daredevils of Sassoun'', who drove Arab invaders out of Armenia. Background The ''Daredevils of ...

''. The Armenian writer Tserents also wrote a historical novel called ''Theodoros Rshtuni''.

Arab invasions

Legacy

Notes

Further reading