Khosrov II ( hy, Խոսրով Բ, known in Roman sources as Chosroes, died 258) was an Armenian king from

Arsacid dynasty The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conque ...

. Khosrov II was the son of Tiridates II,

King of Armenia This is a list of the monarchs of Armenia, for more information on ancient Armenia and Armenians, please see History of Armenia. For information on the medieval Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia, please see the separate page Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. ...

, and followed his father on the Armenian throne. He was the namesake of his paternal grandfather Khosrov I,Hovannisian, ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century'', p. 71. and the Parthian monarchs

Osroes I Osroes I (also spelled Chosroes I or Khosrow I; xpr, 𐭇𐭅𐭎𐭓𐭅 ''Husrōw'') was a Parthian contender, who ruled the western portion of the Parthian Empire from 109 to 129, with a one-year interruption. For the whole of his reign he co ...

and Osroes II, who were also known as Khosrau. In Armenian sources, Khosrov is often confused with his grandfather. Little is known on his life prior to becoming king. From 226 until 238, Tiridates was in military conflict with

Ardashir I Ardashir I (Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭥𐭲𐭧𐭱𐭲𐭥, Modern Persian: , '), also known as Ardashir the Unifier (180–242 AD), was the founder of the Sasanian Empire. He was also Ardashir V of the Kings of Persis, until he founded the new ...

, the founder and first king of 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 ...

.Chahin, ''The Kingdom of Armenia: A History'', p. 217. Ardashir wanted to expand his empire by conquering Armenia. Khosrov's father had stubbornly resisted Ardashir. After twelve years of fighting, Tiridates was defeated by Ardashir, who nonetheless withdrew his army, and left Armenia. Khosrov participated in his father's military campaigns against Ardashir, who was alarmed by their victories.Hovannisian, ''The Armenian People'', p. 72. Tiridates II died in 252, and Khosrov II succeeded his father as King of Armenia. When Khosrov became king, his capital was

Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is c ...

.Ghazarian, ''The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia During the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians With the Latins, 1080–1393'', p. 173. He had two children: a daughter,

Khosrovidukht Khosrovidukht ( hy, Խոսրովիդուխտ, ; ) was an Armenian hymnographer and poet who lived during the early 8th century. After her slightly earlier contemporary Sahakdukht, she is the first known woman of Armenian literature and music ...

, and a son, Tiridates. In 258, Khosrov was murdered by

Anak the Parthian Anak the Parthian, also known as Anak Pahlavi (flourished 3rd century, died 258), was a Parthian noble who lived during the time of Arsacid Armenia. Biography Anak was an Armenian Parthian nobleman, who was a prince said to be related to th ...

. Like Khosrov, Anak was related to the

Arsacids The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conqueri ...

. Ardashir and his son,

Shapur I Shapur I (also spelled Shabuhr I; pal, 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩, Šābuhr ) was the second Sasanian King of Kings of Iran. The dating of his reign is disputed, but it is generally agreed that he ruled from 240 to 270, with his father Ardas ...

, incited Anak to murder Khosrov, promising to return Anak's domain as a reward. Anak went to

(now just outside of

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

), where he won Khosrov's trust, and treacherously murdered the king, along with his wife. The outraged Armenian nobles slew Anak and his entire family, except for his infant son, Gregory, who was taken to

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

by his caretakers, Sopia and Yevtagh, who escaped the slaughter of Anak's family. And eventually became patron

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

and first official head of the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

, through converting

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

from

paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

to Christianity in 301. Ardashir took possession of

, which became a part of his empire. However, troops loyal to Khosrov had taken his son, Tiridates, to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

for protection. Tiridates was raised in Rome, while his sister, Khosrovidukht was raised at

Caesarea Mazaca Caesarea ( /ˌsɛzəˈriːə, ˌsɛsəˈriːə, ˌsiːzəˈriːə/; el, Καισάρεια, Kaisareia) also known historically as Mazaca ( el, Μάζακα) was an ancient city in what is now Kayseri, Turkey. In Hellenistic and Roman times, the ...

. Khosrovidukht's foster father was Awtay, a nobleman from the family of the Amatunik; Awtay's wife was a noblewoman of the family of the Slkunik.Dodgeon, ''The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars AD 226-363'', p.270 In 298, Tiridates was restored to the Armenian throne by the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

, ruling until about 330. Tiridates may have instructed

Agathangelos Agathangelos (in xcl, Ագաթանգեղոս Agatʿangełos, in Greek "bearer of good news" or angel, 5th century AD ) is the pseudonym of the author of a life of the first apostle of Armenia, Gregory the Illuminator, who died about 332. ...

to write a biography on the life and kingship of Khosrov II.

References

Sources

* * * * {{Arsacid dynasty of Armenia 3rd-century kings of Armenia Roman client kings of Armenia People executed by the Sasanian Empire 268 deaths 3rd-century murdered monarchs Arsacid kings of Armenia