Artavasdes I of Armenia

Artavasdes I (also spelled Artawazd/Artavazd, Արտաւազդ) was the Artaxiad king of Armenia from 159 BC to 115 BC. He was the son and successor of Artaxias I. Artavasdes' name is the Latinized version of an Old Iranian name Ṛtavazdā, identical to the Avestan Ašavazdah, presumably meaning "powerful/persevering through truth". In 120 BC, the Parthian king Mithridates II (124-91) defeated Artavasdes I and made him acknowledge Parthian suzerainty. Artavasdes was forced to give the Parthians Tigranes as a hostage, who was either his son or nephew. According to Professor Cyril Toumanoff, Artavasdes I can be identified with the Armenian king who, according to the medieval Georgian annals, interfered in Iberia at the request of local nobility and installed his son, Artaxias, on the throne of Iberia, thereby inaugurating the Iberian Artaxiad dynasty. Artavasdes I was the oldest son of five of Artaxias I and Satenik, he was described by Khorenatsi as brave, but jealous, cruel, selfish, and power hungry. When he matured, his father, Artaxias, made him responsible for governing the eastern regions and was assigned as Sparapet. Artavasdes would find out about an affair between Argam Muratsean and Satenik, upon finding out he would convince King Artaxias that Argam was plotting against him and planned to take over the kingdom. Artaxias would grant Artavasdes Argam's second rank role. They later went to a banquet held by Argam and, on the pretext of a suspicion of a plot, Artavasdes began to quarrel with Argam. Amongst the confusion, King Artaxias returned to Artaxata and sent back Mazhan with an army to slaughter many of the Muratseans, burn down Argam's palace, and to bring Mandu, one of Argam's concubines. Two years later, Artaxias ordered Argam to five up his possessions, with the exception of his concubine. Unsatisfied, Artavasdes also seized Naxuana and all the fortresses and villages south of the Araxes. He appropriated Argam's palace and renamed it to Artavazd's Palace (Armenian: Արտավազդի Ապարանք, today's Bənəniyar).