Rhadamistus (died 58) was a royal prince of the Pharnavazid dynasty of the

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

who reigned over the Kingdom of Armenia from 51 to 53 and 54 to 55. He was considered a

usurper A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it a ...

and

tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...

, who was overthrown in a rebellion supported by the

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

Life

Rhadamistus was the eldest son of King

Pharasmanes I of Iberia Pharasmanes I the Great ( ka, ფარსმან I დიდი; died 58) was a king (''Mepe (title), mepe'') of Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity), Iberia. He plays a prominent role in the historian Tacitus' account of policy and campaigns in the e ...

. His mother, whose name is not preserved, was an

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 ...

princess of the

Artaxiad dynasty The Artaxiad dynasty (also Artashesian) ruled the Kingdom of Armenia from 189 BC until their overthrow by the Romans in 12 AD. It was founded by Artaxias I, who claimed kinship with the previous ruling dynasty of Armenia, the Orontids. Their ...

, daughter of Tigranes IV and his sister-wife

Erato In Greek mythology, Erato (; ) is one of the Greek Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully sugge ...

. Rhadamistus was known for his ambition, valor, extraordinary strength and size of body, and good looks. Although the

Kingdom of Iberia In Greco-Roman geography, Iberia (Ancient Greek: ''Iberia''; ; Parthian: ; Middle Persian: ) was an exonym for the Georgian kingdom of Kartli or Iveria ( or ), known after its core province. The kingdom existed during Classical Antiquity and ...

was too small to satisfy him on its own, he was nonetheless openly impatient to inherit it from his aging father. Pharasmanes, fearing an attempt to usurp the throne, diverted Rhadamistus by convincing him to conquer the Kingdom of Armenia, then ruled by Pharasmanes' brother Mithridates. To conduct reconnaissance, Rhadamistus pretended that he was at feud with his father and stepmother and went to the court of Mithridates, who received him like a son and with an excessive kindness. Rhadamistus completed his inspection, declared that he had reconciled with his father, and returned to Iberia to set war plans in motion. Meanwhile Pharasmanes had invented a pretext for war: when he was fighting with the king of the

Caucasian Albanians Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus, mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...

and appealing to the Romans for help, his brother had opposed him, and the conflict was to be called revenge for that opposition. Pharasmanes gave his son a large Iberian army, who by a sudden invasion forced Mithridates to take shelter in the fortress of Gorneas, which had a strong Roman garrison under the command of Caelius Pollio. Rhadamistus opened negotiations with his uncle, claiming to be kindly disposed towards him because of their ties of blood and because of his marriage to Mithridates' daughter Zenobia. Adding that the Iberians were not against peace, he urged Mithridates to show respect to the seniority of Pharasmanes and agree to a treaty. Pharasmanes by secret messages had told Rhadamistus to hurry on the siege by all possible means. Later, Pollio, swayed by Rhadamistus' bribery, threatened that the Roman garrison might abandon the fortress. Under this compulsion, Mithridates agreed to surrender to his nephew. Still treating his uncle with feigned respect, Rhadamistus promised that he would do him no harm either by the sword or by poison. He drew him into a neighboring woods, ostensibly to conduct a ritual sealing their alliance, then arrested him and bound him in chains. Mindful of his promise not to use a sword or poison, Rhadamistus had Mithridates smothered to death instead. Later he also killed the sons of Mithridates, for having shed tears over their father's death, and Mithridates' wife, who was Rhadamistus' own sister. Rhadamistus became King of Armenia in 51. The Romans made a symbolic demand that Pharasmanes withdraw from Armenian territory and remove his son, but officially they had chosen not to aid their Armenian allies; one councilor declared that "any crime in a foreign country was to be welcomed with joy". Despite this, the Roman governor of

Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

, Paelignus, invaded Armenia and ravaged the country. Gaius Ummidius Durmius Quadratus, governor of Syria, sent a force to restore order, but was recalled so as not to provoke a war with

Parthia Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...

. Consequently, King Vologases I, having recently ascended the Parthian throne, saw an opportunity to detach Armenia from the dominion of Rome and add it to his own, thus advancing his reputation and providing a principality for his brother Tiridates. He sent his large army into Armenia in 51, driving out the Iberians in 53. Rhadamistus regained control after an outbreak of plague forced the Parthians to withdraw. He now viewed the Armenians' loyalty as permanently suspect, and began punishing cities that had surrendered to the Parthians, eventually provoking a revolt which replaced him with the Parthian prince Tiridates I in 55. Rhadamistus escaped back to Iberia. His wife Zenobia accompanied him for the first part of the journey, but she was pregnant and unable to bear a long ride on horseback. Rather than impede the escape, or be left behind and captured, she told her husband to kill her. Impressed by Zenobia's bravery, Rhadamistus consented, stabbing her and dropping her in the river Araxes. She survived her wounds and was rescued by peasants, who sent her to

Artaxata Artashat (), Greek language, Hellenized as Artaxata () and Artaxiasata (), was a major city and commercial center of ancient Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity), Armenia that served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity), Kingdom of Ar ...

. Upon his return to his father's domains in 58, Rhadamistus was executed for treason, ending Pharasmanes' fears of usurpation and demonstrating Iberian loyalty to Rome, and in particular to Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

. Pharasmanes died later in the same year and was succeeded by his second son Mihrdat, brother of Rhadamistus.Javakhishvili, p. 161, § 6

In art

Paintings

*"Radamisto uccide Zenobia" by Luigi Sabatelli (1803). *"Rhadamistes and Zenobia" by

Jean-Joseph Taillasson Jean-Joseph Taillasson (; 6 July 1745 – 11 November 1809) was a French history painter, portraitist, draftsman, and art critic. Biography Taillasson was born at Blaye, near Bordeaux. His poem ''Le Danger des règles dans les Arts'' was noted wi ...

. *" Shepherds Find Zenobia on the Banks of the Araxes" by

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French Academic art, academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classicism, classical subjects, with a ...

(1850) *"Radamisto in atto di spingere Zenobia ferita nel fiume Arasse" by Francesco Alberi. *"Queen Zenobia Thrown Into the Araxes River" by François-Nicolas Chifflart. *"Rhadamiste poignarde sa femme Zénobie" by Etienne Meslier.

Operas

*"L’Amour tyrannique" by Georges de Scudéry (1638). *" Zenobia e Radamisto" by Giovanni Legrenzi (1665). *"Radamisto" by

Tomaso Albinoni Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (8 June 1671 – 17 January 1751) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. His output includes operas, concertos, sonatas for one to six instruments, sinfonias, and solo cantatas. While famous in his day as an opera co ...

(1698). *"L'amor tirannico, o Zenobia" by Domenico Lalli (1710). *"Rhadamiste et Zénobie" by Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon (1711). *" Radamisto" by

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

(1720). *"Radamisto" by Nicola Francesco Haym.

Plays

*Unfinished play "Rodamist i Zenobiya" by

Alexander Griboyedov Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (; 15 January 179511 February 1829) was a Russian diplomat, playwright, poet, and composer. His one notable work is the 1823 verse comedy '' Woe from Wit''. He was Russia's ambassador to Qajar Persia, where he and ...

Gallery

File:Sabatelli - Rhadamistus killing Zenobia 1803.jpg, ''Rhadamistus killing Zenobia'' by
Luigi Sabatelli File:Rhadamistes and Zenobia by TAILLASSON, Jean-Joseph 1806.jpg, ''Rhadamistes and Zenobia'' by

File:Queen Zenobia Thrown Into the Araxes River by François-Nicolas Chifflart.jpg, Rhadamistus in ''Queen Zenobia Thrown Into the Araxes River'' by
François Chifflart File:Metastasio - Zenobia - Herissant Vol.06 - Paris 1780.png, Rhadamistus from the opera of Pietro Metastasio

References

Sources

* *

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

, ''

Annals Annals (, from , "year") are a concise history, historical record in which events are arranged chronology, chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction betw ...

'', Book XII-XIII * Javakhishvili, Ivane (2012), History of the Georgian Nation, Vol. 1 * Crévier, Jean-Baptiste Louis (1814) L'Histoire des empereurs des Romains * Bunson, Matthew (2009) '' Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire'' * Toumanoff, Cyril (1969), Chronology of the early Kings of Iberia, Vol. 25 * Suny, Grigor Ronald (1994), The Making of the Georgian Nation: 2nd edition,

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...

, * Rawlinson, George (2012) The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World * Cantù, Cesare (1847) Historia universal *Tomlins, Frederick (1844) A Universal History of the Nations of Antiquity {{authority control 1st-century kings of Armenia Pharnavazid dynasty Georgian princes Roman client kings of Armenia Familicides Regicides Murderers of children 58 deaths Year of birth unknown Executed regicides 1st-century executions Executed people from Georgia (country) Heirs apparent who never acceded Executed monarchs