The Gntuni family was an ancient
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 around the ...
noble family who can be traced back to late antiquity.
Background
According to Khorenatsi, the Gntuni family were believed to be of
Canaanite origin and were the master of the wardrobe in
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
. They were
aspet
''Aspet'' (; , ''Aspetes'' in contemporary Greek) was a hereditary military title of the Armenian nobility, usually found within the Bagratuni family. Toumanoff, Cyril (1963), ''Studies in Christian Caucasian History III'', pp. 202, 324-26. Geor ...
s of
Nig and were centered in the city of
Kasala. The earliest mentioned prince of the family was Hrodomithr, who was awarded the city by King
Tiridates II.
From 914 to 921, they ruled the town of
Samshvilde
Samshvilde ( ka, სამშვილდე, ) is a ruined fortified city and archaeological site in Georgia, in the country's south, near the homonymous modern-day village in the Tetritsqaro Municipality, Kvemo Kartli region. The ruins of the ...
as vassals of the
Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia
Bagratid Armenia was an independent Armenian state established by Ashot I of the Bagratuni dynasty in the early 880s following nearly two centuries of foreign domination of Greater Armenia under Arab Umayyad and Abbasid rule. With each of t ...
.
References
Armenian noble families
{{Armenia-noble-stub