Rhadamistus

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Rhadamistus
Rhadamistus by Francesco Alberi
King of Armenia
1st Reign51–53
PredecessorMithridates
SuccessorTiridates I
2nd Reign54–55
PredecessorTiridates I
SuccessorTiridates I
BornKingdom of Iberia
Died58
Kingdom of Iberia
SpouseZenobia
Issueunknown son
DynastyPharnavazid dynasty
FatherPharasmanes I of Iberia
Motherdaughter of Tigranes IV

Rhadamistus (Georgian: რადამისტი, radamist'i) (died 58) was a royal prince of the Pharnavazid dynasty[1] of the Kingdom of Iberia who reigned over the Kingdom of Armenia from 51 to 53 and 54 to 55. He was considered a usurper and tyrant, who was overthrown in a rebellion supported by the Parthian Empire.[2][3]

Life[edit]

Rhadamistus was the eldest son of King Pharasmanes I of Iberia.[4][5][6] His mother was an unknown Armenian princess of the Artaxiad dynasty, who was the daughter of the Artaxiad Armenian monarchs Tigranes IV and his sister-wife Erato. Rhadamistus was known for his ambition, valor, extraordinary strength and size of body, and good looks. Although the Kingdom of Iberia 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 make war upon his uncle, King Mithridates of Armenia.[7] 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.[8] 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 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 was strongly garrisoned by the Romans under the command of Caelius Pollio, a camp-prefect, Casperius and a centurion.[9][10] 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.[11]

Later, Pollio, swayed by Rhadamistus' bribery, threatened that the Roman garrison might surrender the fortress. Under this compulsion, Mithridates agreed to surrender to his nephew.[12][13] Rhadamistus embraced his uncle, feigning respect and calling him father-in-law and his parent. He promised that he would do him no harm or violence either by the sword or by poison.[14] He drew him into a neighboring woods, promising to seal their alliance with the usual Iberian ritual: the two parties to the ceremony would unite their right hands, bind together the thumbs in a tight knot and give each thumb a slight puncture, then take turns sucking the blood.[15]

The attendants at the ceremony suddenly tackled Mithridates and bound him in chains. Mindful of his promise not to use a sword or poison, Rhadamistus had his uncle smothered to death instead.[16] Later he also killed the sons of Mithridates, for having shed tears over their father's death,[17][18] and Mithridates' wife, who was Rhadamistus' own sister.[19]

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".[20][21][22] Despite this, the Roman governor of Cappadocia, 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. 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,[23] eventually driving out the Iberians in 53.[24] Rhadamistus regained control after an outbreak of plague forced the Parthians to withdraw.[25][26] He now viewed the Armenians' loyalty as permanently suspect,[27][28] 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.[29]

Rhadamistus escaped along with his pregnant wife, Zenobia. Unable to bear a long ride on horse, she told her husband to kill her, preferring an honorable death to being captured. Rhadamistus consented, stabbing Zenobia and dropping her in the river Araxes.[30] She survived her wounds and was rescued by peasants, who sent her to Artaxata.[31][32] Rhadamistus returned to Iberia and was executed for treason in 58,[33] ending Pharasmanes' fears of usurpation and demonstrating Iberian loyalty to Rome,[34][35] and in particular to Emperor Nero.[36][37] Pharasmanes died later in the same year and was succeeded by his second son Mihrdat, brother of Rhadamistus.[38][39]

In art[edit]

Opera Radamisto by George Frideric Handel, 1720.

Paintings[edit]

Operas[edit]

Plays[edit]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Toumanoff, p. 11
  2. ^ Crévier, p. 286
  3. ^ Tomlins, p. 735
  4. ^ Crévier, p. 280
  5. ^ Toumanoff, p. 12
  6. ^ Javakhishvili, p. 159
  7. ^ Crévier, pp. 280-281
  8. ^ Tacitus, XII, 44
  9. ^ Tacitus, XII, 45
  10. ^ Crévier, p. 282
  11. ^ Javakhishvili, p. 160
  12. ^ Bunson, p. 372
  13. ^ Tacitus, XII, 46
  14. ^ Tomlins, p. 568
  15. ^ Crévier, p. 283
  16. ^ Crévier, p. 284
  17. ^ Cantù, p. 405
  18. ^ Tacitus, XII, 47
  19. ^ Rawlinson, XVI, p. 1
  20. ^ Crévier, p. 285
  21. ^ Javakhishvili, p. 161
  22. ^ Tacitus, XII, 48
  23. ^ Bunson, p. 544
  24. ^ Rawlinson, p. 272
  25. ^ Tacitus, XII, 50
  26. ^ Rawlinson, XVI, p. 2
  27. ^ Crévier, pp. 286-287
  28. ^ Tomlins, p. 569
  29. ^ Suny, p. 14
  30. ^ Crévier, p. 287
  31. ^ Cantù, p. 406
  32. ^ Tacitus, XII, 51
  33. ^ Toumanoff, p. 14
  34. ^ Javakhishvili, p. 161, § 5
  35. ^ Tacitus, XIII, 37
  36. ^ Crévier, p. 288
  37. ^ Bunson, p. 465
  38. ^ Toumanoff, p. 101
  39. ^ Javakhishvili, p. 161, § 6

Sources[edit]

  • Tacitus, Annals, 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, ISBN 0-253-20915-3
  • 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
Rhadamistus
Born: NA Died: 58 AD
Preceded by
none
 Crown Prince of Kartli
? – 51 AD 		Succeeded by
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Armenia
51 – 53
54 – 55
(2nd reign) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
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