Artaxias II 34, 30-20 BC
Description
Artaxias II was the eldest son of Artavasdes II and became the rallying figure for Armenian independence after his father’s capture. In 34 BC, when Mark Antony hauled Artavasdes off to captivity, the Armenian nobles rejected Roman domination and proclaimed Artaxias II as king. Artaxias II swiftly acted to expel the remaining Roman forces: he attacked Antony’s troops and collaborators, inflicting defeats that forced the Romans to abandon Armenia. Though Antony installed a short-lived puppet (perhaps even naming his own son as a nominal ruler in Alexandria’s “Donations”), in reality Artaxias II, with Parthian support, seized the Armenian throne.
For a few years, Roman sources fall silent as Armenia under Artaxias rebuilt itself. In 30 BC, after Antony’s downfall, Artaxias II was firmly in power, now backed by King Phraates IV of Parthia. He ruled for another decade, determined to avenge his father’s humiliation by keeping Rome at bay. Artaxias executed pro-Roman elements (including, reportedly, his own pro-Roman siblings) and nurtured the Armenian-Parthian alliance. The balance shifted in 20 BC, when Rome under Augustus saw an opening to assert influence. Leveraging discontent among some Armenian nobles, the Romans supported a coup to remove Artaxias. According to Roman histories, Artaxias II was betrayed and slain by his relatives in 20 BC, after an Armenian delegation secretly requested Roman intervention. This assassination reveals the internal divisions within Armenia’s elite regarding foreign policy: some nobles preferred rapprochement with Rome over Artaxias’s staunch Parthian alignment.
Artaxias II’s tenacious rule is viewed in Armenian memory as a last stand for Artaxiad independence against Rome’s expanding empire. He recovered his father’s remains (which had been discarded after Cleopatra’s execution of Artavasdes) and reportedly gave Artavasdes II a proper royal burial. Although Artaxias II’s reign ended violently, it forced Rome to negotiate: rather than annex Armenia outright, Augustus sought a client solution. Thus, the fall of Artaxias II paved the way for a more Rome-friendly dynasty, but only after Armenia had asserted, under Artaxias, that it would not lightly submit.
For a few years, Roman sources fall silent as Armenia under Artaxias rebuilt itself. In 30 BC, after Antony’s downfall, Artaxias II was firmly in power, now backed by King Phraates IV of Parthia. He ruled for another decade, determined to avenge his father’s humiliation by keeping Rome at bay. Artaxias executed pro-Roman elements (including, reportedly, his own pro-Roman siblings) and nurtured the Armenian-Parthian alliance. The balance shifted in 20 BC, when Rome under Augustus saw an opening to assert influence. Leveraging discontent among some Armenian nobles, the Romans supported a coup to remove Artaxias. According to Roman histories, Artaxias II was betrayed and slain by his relatives in 20 BC, after an Armenian delegation secretly requested Roman intervention. This assassination reveals the internal divisions within Armenia’s elite regarding foreign policy: some nobles preferred rapprochement with Rome over Artaxias’s staunch Parthian alignment.
Artaxias II’s tenacious rule is viewed in Armenian memory as a last stand for Artaxiad independence against Rome’s expanding empire. He recovered his father’s remains (which had been discarded after Cleopatra’s execution of Artavasdes) and reportedly gave Artavasdes II a proper royal burial. Although Artaxias II’s reign ended violently, it forced Rome to negotiate: rather than annex Armenia outright, Augustus sought a client solution. Thus, the fall of Artaxias II paved the way for a more Rome-friendly dynasty, but only after Armenia had asserted, under Artaxias, that it would not lightly submit.
Collection Tree
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- Armenia Major
- Artaxias II 34, 30-20 BC
- Armenia Major