Tiberius 14-37 AD
Description
As Augustus’ successor, Tiberius inherited the complex task of managing Armenia’s throne amid Roman-Parthian rivalry. Early in his reign, a major success was already in place: in AD 18, the general Germanicus (acting for Tiberius) had traveled to Armenia and installed Zeno of Pontus as King Artaxias III at the request of the Armenian nobles. This secured a pro-Roman king and a decade of stability.
Trouble flared after Artaxias III’s death in AD 34, when the Parthian king Artabanus III seized the chance to assert influence. Artabanus violated the tacit agreement with Rome by unilaterally placing his son, Arsaces, on the Armenian throne. This direct Parthian intervention threatened Rome’s eastern prestige and could not go unanswered, since by longstanding practice the Roman emperor confirmed Armenia’s kings.
Tiberius responded with a blend of covert action and force. He empowered Lucius Vitellius, the governor of Syria, to orchestrate a counter-coup. Vitellius persuaded Mithridates of Iberia—a young prince from Armenia’s royal bloodline and brother of Iberia’s King Pharasmanes—to claim the Armenian throne with Roman backing. In AD 35–36, a proxy war erupted: Mithridates, aided by his Iberian allies, invaded Armenia and captured its capital, Artaxata, while native factions opposed to Parthian influence rallied to him.
When Artabanus sent Parthian troops to support Arsaces, the Iberians cleverly enlisted fierce Sarmatian nomads to pin down Parthia’s forces. Meanwhile, Vitellius stationed four Roman legions on the Euphrates frontier and even sponsored a rival claimant to Parthia’s throne, pressuring Artabanus from both east and west. Facing the prospect of war on multiple fronts, Artabanus capitulated: he abandoned Arsaces and recognized the Roman nominee.
By AD 36, Mithridates of Iberia was securely installed as Armenia’s king, restoring Roman primacy without a pitched battle between Rome and Parthia. Tiberius’ deft use of local allies, backed by Roman military might, thus thwarted Parthian ambitions. Armenia remained a Roman-aligned kingdom into the next decade—a foreign policy victory achieved through diplomacy and limited war rather than full imperial conquest.
Trouble flared after Artaxias III’s death in AD 34, when the Parthian king Artabanus III seized the chance to assert influence. Artabanus violated the tacit agreement with Rome by unilaterally placing his son, Arsaces, on the Armenian throne. This direct Parthian intervention threatened Rome’s eastern prestige and could not go unanswered, since by longstanding practice the Roman emperor confirmed Armenia’s kings.
Tiberius responded with a blend of covert action and force. He empowered Lucius Vitellius, the governor of Syria, to orchestrate a counter-coup. Vitellius persuaded Mithridates of Iberia—a young prince from Armenia’s royal bloodline and brother of Iberia’s King Pharasmanes—to claim the Armenian throne with Roman backing. In AD 35–36, a proxy war erupted: Mithridates, aided by his Iberian allies, invaded Armenia and captured its capital, Artaxata, while native factions opposed to Parthian influence rallied to him.
When Artabanus sent Parthian troops to support Arsaces, the Iberians cleverly enlisted fierce Sarmatian nomads to pin down Parthia’s forces. Meanwhile, Vitellius stationed four Roman legions on the Euphrates frontier and even sponsored a rival claimant to Parthia’s throne, pressuring Artabanus from both east and west. Facing the prospect of war on multiple fronts, Artabanus capitulated: he abandoned Arsaces and recognized the Roman nominee.
By AD 36, Mithridates of Iberia was securely installed as Armenia’s king, restoring Roman primacy without a pitched battle between Rome and Parthia. Tiberius’ deft use of local allies, backed by Roman military might, thus thwarted Parthian ambitions. Armenia remained a Roman-aligned kingdom into the next decade—a foreign policy victory achieved through diplomacy and limited war rather than full imperial conquest.
Collection Tree
- ANCIENT
- Roman Empire
- Tiberius 14-37 AD
- Roman Empire