The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 7: The Sassanian or New Persian Empire: The History, Geography, And Antiquities Of Chaldaea, Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Parthia, And Sassanian or New Persian Empire; With Maps and Illustrations.Rawlinson, George
History
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 7: The Sassanian or New Persian Empire: The History, Geography, And Antiquities Of Chaldaea, Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Parthia, And Sassanian or New Persian Empire; With Maps and Illustrations.
of the empire, named Anak, a man who had Arsacid blood in his veins, and
belonged to that one of the three branches of the old royal stock
which had long been settled at Bactria (Balkh), and that he was induced
thereby to come forward and undertake the assassination of Chosroes, who
was his near relative and would not be likely to suspect him of an ill
intent. Artaxerxes warmly encouraged him in his design, and in a little
time it was successfully carried out. Anak, with his wife, his children,
his brother, and a train of attendants, pretended to take refuge in
Armenia from the threatened vengeance of his sovereign, who caused his
troops to pursue him, as a rebel and deserter, to the very borders of
Armenia. Unsuspicious of any evil design, Ohosroes received the exiles
with favor, discussed with them his plans for the subjugation of Persia,
and, having sheltered them during the whole of the autumn and winter,
proposed to them in the spring that they should accompany him and
take part in the year’s campaign. Anak, forced by this proposal to
precipitate his designs, contrived a meeting between himself, his
brother, and Chosroes, without attendants, on the pretext of discussing
plans of attack, and, having thus got the Armenian monarch at a
disadvantage, drew sword upon him, together with his brother, and
easily put him to death. The crime which he had undertaken was thus
accomplished; but he did not live to receive the reward promised him
for it. Armenia rose in arms on learning the foul deed wrought upon its
king; the bridges and the few practicable outlets by which the capital
could be quitted were occupied by armed men; and the murderers, driven
to desperation, lost their lives in an attempt to make their escape by
swimming the river Araxes. Thus Artaxerxes obtained his object without
having to pay the price that he had agreed upon; his dreaded rival was
removed; Armenia lay at his mercy; and he had not to weaken his power at
home by sharing it with an Arsacid partner.
The Persian monarch allowed the Armenians no time to recover from the
blow which he had treacherously dealt them. His armies at once entered
their territory and carried everything before them. Chosroes seems to
have had no son of sufficient age to succeed him, and the defence of the
country fell upon the satraps, or governors of the several provinces.
These chiefs implored the aid of the Roman emperor, and received a
contingent; but neither were their own exertions nor was the valor of
their allies of any avail. Artaxerxes easily defeated the confederate
army, and forced the satraps to take refuge in Roman territory. Armenia
submitted to his arms, and became an integral portion of his empire.
It probably did not greatly trouble him that Artavasdes, one of the
satraps, succeeded in carrying off one of the sons of Chosroes, a
boy named Tiridates, whom he conveyed to Rome, and placed under the
protection of the reigning emperor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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