David Saharuni (, ''Davit' Saharuni'') was ''
sparapet
' () 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, the office was held ...
'', ''
curopalates
''Kouropalatēs'', Latinized as ''curopalates'' or ''curopalata'' (, from " he one incharge of the palace"). and anglicized as curopalate, was a Byzantine court title, one of the highest from the time of Emperor Justinian I to the Komnenian peri ...
'', ''
ishkhan'', and presiding prince of
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
-controlled Armenia from 635 to 638. In an unprecedented move, his remit also included
Byzantine-controlled Syria, which was likely driven by the efforts of the emperor
Heraclius
Heraclius (; 11 February 641) was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas.
Heraclius's reign was ...
to attract
Armenian military
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia (, abbreviated ՀՀ ԶՈՒ, ''HH ZU''), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army (), is the national military of Armenia. It consists of personnel branches under the General Staff of the Armenian Arme ...
support against the
advancing Muslim armies.
Biography
David was a
nakharar
''Nakharar'' ( ''naxarar'', from Parthian ''naxvadār'' "holder of the primacy") was a hereditary title of the highest order given to houses of the ancient and medieval Armenian nobility.
''Nakharar'' system
Medieval Armenia was divided into l ...
from the princely noble House of
Saharuni. When the
marzpan
Marzbān, or Marzpān (Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭫𐭱𐭰𐭠𐭭𐭯 transliteration: mrzwpn, derived from Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭫𐭱 ''marz'' "border, boundary" and the Middle Persian suffix: 𐭡𐭭𐭯 ''-pān'' "guardian"; Modern Persian: ...
of
Persarmania Varaztirots II Bagratuni
Varaztirots II Bagratuni (; c. 590 – 645) was an Armenian ''nakharar'' from the Bagratuni family, the son of Smbat IV Bagratuni. He was ''marzpan'' of Armenia c. 628, fled to the Byzantine Empire soon thereafter and was exiled for several yea ...
was in the Byzantine imperial court in
Osroene
Osroene or Osrhoene (; ) was an ancient kingdom and region in Upper Mesopotamia. The ''Kingdom of Osroene'', also known as the "Kingdom of Edessa" ( / "Kingdom of Urhay"), according to the name of its capital city (now Urfa, Şanlıurfa, Turkey), ...
, he entered into a plot against emperor Heraclius organized by his illegitimate son
John Athalarichos
John Athalarichos (; ), also spelled as Atalarichos, Kaegi 2003, p. 120. Athalaric,. and At'alarik, was an illegitimate son of the 7th century Byzantine Emperor Heraclius. In 637 or 634, depending on the source, he was alleged to have taken part ...
. David was also part of this plot. The attempt ultimately failed and Varaztirots was deported to an island near the coast of North Africa. David Saharuni was attacked by the general and ruler of Byzantine Armenia,
Mzhezh Gnuni but managed to evade capture and killed Mzhezh Gnuni, with the help of Gnuni's own troops,
many of whom were Armenians sympathetic to Saharuni.
David quickly obtained support from the local feudal lords, as a result, Heraclius was forced to nominate David as ''curopalates'' around 635.
[J. R. Martindale (editor). ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire 2 volume set: Volume 3, 527-641 (Vol 3)''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992, p. 389.] The historian
John Katholikos adds that the Armenian nobles also gave him the title of ''
Ishkhan'' of Armenia. He also founded the
Cathedral of Mren
The Cathedral of Mren is a 7th-century Armenian church in an abandoned medieval town site called Mren. It is located in the Kars region of Turkey, near the border with Armenia, about 1.5 km west of the Akhurian River.
Architecture
The Cathe ...
in order to commemorate the return of the
True Cross
According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the real instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified.
It is related by numerous historical accounts and Christian mythology, legends ...
to Jerusalem. In 639, David undertook a counteroffensive against the Muslim invasion of Syria, but was beaten and retreated to Armenia. According to
Dionysius of Tell Mahre, David was killed with many of his men, but Sebeos wrote that he was expelled by the nobility, though he does not mention that the defeat was the reason. After him,
Theodoros Rshtuni
Theodore or Theodoros Rshtuni (, ; AD 590–655 or 656), equated with Pasagnathes (), the "''patrikios'' of the Armenians" from the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor, took his place as ruler of Armenia. The most detailed source covering the events of these years is historian
Sebeos
Sebeos () was the reputed author of a 7th-century Armenian history. As this authorship attribution is widely accepted to be false (pseudepigraphical), the author is frequently referred to as Pseudo-Sebeos. Though his name is not known, he was likel ...
in his ''History of Heraclius''.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Primary source: Sebeos' History of Heraclius, Chapter 29. Translated from Old Armenian by Robert Bedrosian
Sparapets
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
7th-century monarchs in Asia
Byzantine governors
7th-century Armenian people
David
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
Kouropalatai
{{Armenia-noble-stub