Amir Hasan II

Last updated
Amir Hasan II (letters AMR HS "AMR HS") hunting on horseback in Mongol attire, Church of the White Virgin (completed 1321). History Museum of Armenia, Yerevan. Armenian Prince Amir Hasan II (Proshyan family ), 1321 CE, Church of the White Virgin, Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg
Amir Hasan II (letters ԱՄՐ ՀՍ "AMR HS") hunting on horseback in Mongol attire, Church of the White Virgin (completed 1321). History Museum of Armenia, Yerevan.
Relief depicting Eachi and Amir Hassan II of the Proshian dynasty ("a portrait identified by scholars as the father and son together"), c. 1321. Astvatsatsin Spitakavor Monastery, Vayots Dzor, Hermitage Museum, inv. No. AR-619. Hermitage hall 063 - 04.jpg
Relief depicting Eachi and Amir Hassan II of the Proshian dynasty ("a portrait identified by scholars as the father and son together"), c. 1321. Astvatsatsin Spitakavor Monastery, Vayots Dzor, Hermitage Museum, inv. No. AR-619.

Amir Hasan II (ruled 1317-1351) [6] was a ruler of the Armenian Proshyan dynasty. He was the son of Eachi Proshian (1268/73-1318), himself a grandson of Prosh Khaghbakian, 13th century founder of the Proshyan dynasty. He was active in the region of Vayots Dzor and northern Siwnik.

Amir Hasan II is especially known for completing in 1321 the Spitakavor Monastery, which had been started by his father in 1318. [7] [8] [9] Amir Hasan II is depicted in two reliefs from Spitakavor, one showing him sitting with his father. [10]

Another relief represents him on horseback in princely attire with a bow, with the letters ԱՄՐ ՀՍ (AMR HS), indicating Prince Amir Hasan. The relief is dated to 1320–1322, date the church was completed. [4] [11] In these depictions, the Proshyans wear close-fitting clothing with an ornate belt and tall hats, and have round cheeks and almond-shaped eyes in a style characteristic of Mongol-era Armenia. [12] Riding a horse, Prince Amir Hasan wears a close-fitting tunic and a three-pointed hat with two ribbons, characteristic of 14th century Mongol nobility, and his facial features are similar to those of the Mongols. [1] Prince Eacchi Proshian on his reliquary, dated circa 1300, is shown wearing a Mongol-style royal dress (cloud collar). [13]

Nominally under the rule of the Kingdom of Georgia, the Proshians has effectively submitted to the Mongols since 1236 in exchange for keeping their lands and paying high taxes to the conqueror, [14] and in 1256 were effectively incorporated into the Mongol Ilkhanate together with the rest of historical Armenia. [15]

A colophon from a manuscript redacted in 1321 in the Monastery of Glajor mentions Amir Hasan II and harsh Mongol rule: [16]

This was copied in the year 770 of our Haykazean Era [a.d. 1321], in bitter and evil times, when the nation of archers [azgn netolac‘] held under tyrannical sway all of Armenia and Georgia, during the reign of King Gorgen (Giorgi V) of the Georgians [Vrac‘], and of our heir-apparent King Lewon (Leon IV of Cilicia) of Armenia Major [Hayoc' Mecac']; and during the pontificate of the Lord Kostandin [Constantin III of Cesarea], [17] and the overseership of the Lord Yovhanes and the Lord Step'anos in our province of Siwnik'; and during the generalship and principality of Burt'el and Amir Hasan in our cantons...

— Gospel by scribe Kiwrion, Monastery of Glajor [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geghard</span> Medieval monastery in Armenia

Geghard is a medieval monastery in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with enhanced protection status.

<i>Nakharar</i> Hereditary title of the Armenian nobility

Nakharar was a hereditary title of the highest order given to houses of the ancient and medieval Armenian nobility.

Momik was an Armenian architect, sculptor and a master artist of Armenian illuminated manuscripts. As a sculptor, Momik is also known for his fine carving of khachkars, found primarily at the monastery complex at Noravank. He held an eminent position at the Gladzor School of Illuminated Manuscripts in Syunik, established at Vayots Dzor under the patronage of the Orbelian family's historian, Stepanos Orbelian. Of the manuscripts authored by Momik, only several survive: one is found at the repository of the Mekhitarist Order in Vienna and three others are found at the Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orbelian dynasty</span> Armenian-Georgian noble family

The Orbelian lords of the province of Syunik were a noble family of Armenia, with a long history of political influence documented in inscriptions throughout the provinces of Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and recorded by the family historian Bishop Stepanos in his 1297 History of Syunik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kecharis Monastery</span>

Kecharis Monastery, is a medieval Armenian monastic complex dating back to the 11th to 13th centuries, located 60 km from Yerevan, in the ski resort town of Tsaghkadzor in Armenia. Nestled in the Pambak mountains, Kecharis was founded by a Pahlavuni prince in the 11th century, and construction continued until the middle of the 13th century with its acquisition by the Proshian family. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Kecharis was a major religious center of Armenia and a place of higher education. Today, the monastery has been fully restored and is clearly visible from the ski slopes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasan-Jalalyan</span> Armenian dynasty which ruled Khachen from 1214

Hasan-Jalalyan was a medieval Armenian dynasty that ruled over parts of the South Caucasus. From the early thirteenth century, the family held sway in Khachen in what are now the regions of lower Karabakh, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Syunik in modern Armenia. The family was founded by Hasan-Jalal Dawla, an Armenian feudal prince from Khachen. The Hasan-Jalalyans maintained their autonomy over the course of several centuries of nominal foreign domination by the Seljuk Turks, Persians and Mongols. They, along with the other Armenian princes and meliks of Khachen, saw themselves as holding the last bastion of Armenian independence in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavit</span> Vestibular feature of Mediaeval Armenian monastic architecture

A gavit or zhamatun is a congressional room or mausoleum added to the entrance of a church, and therefore often contiguous to its west side, in a Medieval Armenian monastery. It served as narthex, mausoleum and assembly room, somewhat like the narthex or lite of a Byzantine church. As an architectural element, the gavit was distinct from the church, and built afterwards. Its first known instance is at the Horomos Monastery, dated to 1038, when it was already called "žamatun". The term "gavit" started to replace the term zhamatum' from 1181, when it first appears in an inscription at the Sanahin Monastery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zakarid Armenia</span> Medieval principality

Zakarid Armenia alternatively known as the Zakarid Period, describes a historical period in the Middle Ages during which the Armenian vassals of the Kingdom of Georgia were ruled by the Zakarid-Mkhargrzeli dynasty. The city of Ani was the capital of the princedom. The Zakarids were vassals to the Bagrationi dynasty in Georgia, but frequently acted independently and at times titled themselves as kings. In 1236, they fell under the rule of the Mongol Empire as a vassal state with local autonomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spitakavor Monastery</span>

Spitakavor Monastery, is a 14th-century Armenian monastic complex, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of Vernashen village, near the town of Yeghegnadzor of Vayots Dzor Province, Armenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanahat Monastery</span>

Tanahat Monastery, is an 8th-century monastery 7 km south-east of Vernashen village in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia. It was built between the 8th and 13th centuries. The monastery was also called the Red Monastery because it was built of red stone. Tanahat monastery was built on the site of a pagan temple, which was dedicated to the Armenian goddess Anahit. A Christian temple was founded here in the 5th century. The early medieval cemetery is scattered next to the monastery. Tanahat Monastery functioned until the late Middle Ages and is now in good condition. According to the historian Stepanos Archbishop Orbelyan, in 735 the body of Stepanos Syunetsi was buried in Tanade monastery and a small chapel was built over the grave.

Avag Zakarian was an Armenian noble of the Zakarid line, and a Court official of the Kingdom of Georgia, as atabeg and amirspasalar of Georgia from 1227 to 1250.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zakare III Zakarian</span> Georgian noble of Armenian descent

Zakare III Zakarian or Zakaria III Mkhargrdzeli was a 13th century Armenian noble and a Court official of the Kingdom of Georgia, holding the position of amirspasalar (Commander-in-Chief) for the Georgian army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosh Khaghbakian</span> Proshyan dynasty

Prince Prosh Khaghbakian, also Pros Xalbakean or Hasan Brosh (1223-1283), was an Armenian Prince, vassal of the Zakarian princes of Armenia, and founder of the Proshyan dynasty, a family of Armenian nobility. He was a lord of the Khaghabakian or Pŕoshian House in Urkghunk‘, Boloraberd, Eghegiats‘ Dzor and Hrashk‘aberd. He was the Supreme Commander (Sparapet) of the Zakarian army from 1223 to 1284, succeeding to his father Vasak. He was one of the main Greater Armenian lords to execute the alliance between his suzerain the Georgian King David Ulu and the Mongol Prince Hulagu, during the Mongol conquest of Middle-East (1258-1260). He apparently gained many benefits from his cooperation with the Mongols, including rising to such prominence that he could establish his own dynastic line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahnshah Zakarian</span>

Shahnshah Zakarian was a member of the Armenian Zakarid dynasty, and a Court official of the Kingdom of Georgia, holding the office of amirspasalar (Commander-in-Chief) of the Georgian army. He was the son of Zakare II Zakarian, and the father of Zakare III Zakarian, who participated to the Siege of Baghdad in 1258.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khutlubuga</span>

Khutlubuga, also Khutlu Buga or Qutlugh Buqa, was an Armenian prince of the House of the Artsrunids, and a court official of the Kingdom of Eastern Georgia in the second half of the 13th century, the son of Atabeg-Amirspasalar Sadun Mankaberdeli. He himself became Amirspasalar (Commander-in-Chief) of the Georgian army, and for a short time towards the end of his life Atabeg. He also received the title of Paron from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Khutlubuga and his father Sadun were attached the name of Artsruni in Armenian texts, and Mankaberdeli in Georgian ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proshyan dynasty</span> Armenian-Georgian noble family

The Proshyan dynasty, also Khaghbakians or Xaghbakian-Proshians, was a family of the Armenian nobility, named after its founder Prince Prosh Khaghbakian. The dynasty was a vassal of Zakarid Armenia during the 13th–14th century CE, established as nakharar feudal lords as a reward for their military successes. Zakarid Armenia was itself vassal of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1201, effectively falling under Mongol control after 1236, while Georgian rule only remained nominal. The Proshyans were princes of Bjni, Garni, Geghard and Noravank. The family prospered as an ally of the Mongols, following the Mongol invasions of Armenia and Georgia, as did the Zakarians and Orbelians. Despite heavy Mongol taxes, they benefited from trade routes to China under the control of the Mongols, and built many magnificent churches and monasteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadun Artsruni</span>

Sadun Artsruni, also Sadun of Mankaberd of the House of the Artsrunids, was an Armenian prince, Prince of Haghbat and Mankaberd. He was a court official and became Atabeg and Amirspasalar of the Kingdom of Eastern Georgia, and later chamberlain of Avag's daughter Khoshak. He was concurrently "Prime Minister" of the Mongol Il-Khan Abaqa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grigor Khaghbakian</span>

Grigor Khaghbakian was a Prince of the Armenian Khaghbakian family in the province of Zakarid Armenia, Kingdom of Georgia. Together with his wife Zaz, he built the Surp Stepanos church at Aghjots Vank in 1217.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Georgia (1256–1329)</span>

The Kingdom of Georgia from 1256 to 1329, sometimes called the Kingdom of Eastern Georgia was the official prolongation of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1256 to 1329, but limited in its rule to the geographical areas of central and eastern Georgia, while the western part of the country temporarily seceded to form the Kingdom of Western Georgia under its own line of kings. The secession followed a transitional period when the rule of the Kingdom of Georgia was jointly assumed by the cousins David VI and David VII from 1246 to 1256. The entity split into two parts when David VI, revolting from the Mongol hegemony, seceded in the western half of the kingdom and formed the Kingdom of Western Georgia in 1256. David VII was relegated to the rule of Eastern Georgia. During his reign, Eastern Georgia went into further decline under the Mongol overlordship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Mayyāfāriqīn</span>

The Siege of Mayyāfāriqīn in 1259–1260 was a Mongol siege against the last Ayyubid ruler Al-Kamil Muhammad in his city of Mayyāfāriqīn. The Siege of Mayyāfāriqīn closely followed the 1258 Siege of Baghdad and marked the beginning of the Mongol campaigns in Syria.

References

  1. 1 2 Nersessian, Vrej (2001). Treasures from the Ark: 1700 Years of Armenian Christian Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 106. ISBN   978-0892366392. The portrait of the founder as huntsman is an iconographic type common to Islamic art. Amir Hasan's costume, a long tunic drawn in at the waist by a belt decorated with stones, along with a three-pointed cap with two ribbons, is the same as that of the Mongol princes of the fourteenth century. The face itself, with heavy jowls and slightly slanting eves, also recalls that of the Mongols.
  2. ↑ Armenia: Art, Religion, and Trade in the Middle Ages - MetPublications - The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2018. pp. 104–105.
  3. ↑ Armenia: Art, Religion, and Trade in the Middle Ages - MetPublications - The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2018. p. 104.
  4. 1 2 Armenia: Art, Religion, and Trade in the Middle Ages - MetPublications - The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2018. pp. 104–105.
  5. ↑ "Hermitage hall 63".
  6. ↑ Sirinian, Anna (2010). "I MONGOLI NEI COLOFONI Summary DEI MANOSCRITTI ARMENI" (PDF). Bazmavep Revue d'Études Arméniennes: 518, note 104.
  7. ↑ Spitakavor Church. Find Armenia. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Spitakavor Church". Great Yerevan. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Armenien: 3000 Jahre Kultur zwischen Ost und West. Trescher Verlag. 2008. p. 395. ISBN   978-3-89794-126-7.
  10. ↑ Armenia: Art, Religion, and Trade in the Middle Ages - MetPublications - The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2018. pp. 106–107. Following the custom of the time, a representation of the commissioner, Each'i Proshian, is engraved at the bottom center of the frame. His hands are upraised in the ancient Christian orant prayer pose, and his clothing recalls Mongolian royal dress.
  11. ↑ "Bas-relief presenting a hunting scene – HMA".
  12. ↑ Armenia: Art, Religion, and Trade in the Middle Ages - MetPublications - The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2018. p. 104. Shown mounted and turning back to shoot his arrow at a deer, he wears a tall hat and a wrapped, close-fitting garment, cinched by an ornate belt. This costume, together with Amir's round cheeks and almond-shaped eyes, finds close parallels in other princely portraits from Mongol-era Armenia, and in particular that of his father on the reliquary of the "Holy Cross of Vegetarians" (Khotakerats').
  13. ↑ Armenia: Art, Religion, and Trade in the Middle Ages - MetPublications - The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2018. pp. 106–107. Following the custom of the time, a representation of the commissioner, Each'i Proshian, is engraved at the bottom center of the frame. His hands are upraised in the ancient Christian orant prayer pose, and his clothing recalls Mongolian royal dress.
  14. ↑ Dashdondog, Bayarsaikhan (2010). The Mongols and the Armenians (1220–1335). Brill’s Inner Asian Library. p. 74. Awag's submission had a domino effect on the other lords. The Armenian princes, such as Shahnshah (d. 1261), the son of Zak'aré, Vahram Gagets'i (fl. 1240-1250) and his son Aghbugha, and Hasan Jalal, the prince of Khachen, all followed his example in 1236. On seeing that the other lords retained their lands, the Armenian princes of the Orbelian, Proshian, Dop'ian, Vach'utian and Jalalian houses aimed to cooperate with Mongol administrators in order to retain their principalities, which had been under the suzerainty of the Zak'arids during the previous century. It was understood that they could regain their own land from the Mongol commanders. (...) p.96: The strategy of the Greater Armenian lords towards the Mongol presence was cooperative rather than confrontational. In fact, the assistance given by Awag Zak'arian to Chormaghan and Guyuk Khan; Hasan Jalal to Sartakh and to Mongke Khan; Smbat Orbelian to Mongke Khan and Hulegu; and Prosh Zak'arian and Sadun Artsruni to Hulegu and Abaqa Khan illustrate effective Mongol-Armenian partnerships.
  15. ↑ Stopka, Krzysztof; Bałuk-Ulewiczowa, Teresa (2017). Armenia Christiana: Armenian religious identity and the Churches of Constantinople and Rome (4th-15th century) (PDF) (First ed.). Kraków: Jagiellonian University Press. ISBN   978-83-233-4190-1. In 1256 a fifth Mongol ulus was created, with the ilkhan Hulagu, the Great Khan's brother, as its governor. His task was to develop the Mongol Empire in the Near East. The historical territories of Armenia became part of the Ilkhanate of Persia. In these circumstances political complications accrued to the already diffi cult relations with Rome. At this time Western attitudes to the Mongols were hostile. Meanwhile, on his return from Karakorum (1255), Hethum I persuaded Bohemond VI, Prince of Antioch, to side with the pro-Mongol party. (...) In 1258 Armenian troops from Greater Armenia took part in Hulagu's successful siege of Baghdad.
  16. 1 2 Sanjian, Avedis K. (1969). Colophons of Armenian Manuscripts,1301-1480 (in Xhosa). Oxford University Press. p. 64.
  17. ↑ Dadoyan, Seta B. (1 November 2012). The Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World: Armenian Realpolitik in the Islamic World and Diverging Paradigmscase of Cilicia Eleventh to Fourteenth C. Transaction Publishers. p. 188. ISBN   978-1-4128-4782-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.