Smbat of Syunik

Smbat of Syunik (1133-1207) was an extraordinarily successful warlord of the Armenian principality of Syunik. Ruling first as Prince of Syunik and latterly as King of Kings, Smbat was a thorn in the side of Roman Emperors and Seljuk Sultans alike, and greatly increased the power and prestige of Armenia. The last ten years of his reign ushered in a brief golden age for Armenia before Jurchen conquest.

Smbat succeeded his father, Prince Roupen, at the age of one when Roupen's overlord, the Emperor Manuel Komnenos accused the prince of fermenting rebellion of Armenian populations within imperial territory. Roupen was deposed and sent into exile in Cyprus. Smbat's early years are very obscure, with some sources claiming he was brought up by his aunt Philippa's Roman husband John Doukas, and others claiming he remained in Armenia under the care of his mother, Zabel. Whatever the case, he was certainly present in Syunik by 1145, when he was held hostage by a number of rebellious Nakharars seeking a firmer policy of resistance to foreign intervention. To conciliate opinion, Smbat broke off his betrothal to a Roman heiress and instead took an Armenian wife, Alinakh.

In 1151, Smbat's government began to harass Islamic communities within Syunik, which led to a hostile response from the Seljuk Sultan Mahmud. An invasion despatched from Baghdad in 1153 was heavily defeated, however, with Smbat displaying conspicuous personal courage on the battlefield. A peace treaty was soon put together, with the Sultan offering the prince of Syunik subsidies to begin attacks on Roman territory. More Armenian success followed, with the heavy defeat of a Roman army despatched by Jordan of Aversa at the Battle of Chozanon in the spring of 1155. A peace treaty was thereafter agreed, which saw Syunik receiving tribute from both Baghdad and Constantinople. This enviable state of affairs allowed Smbat to begin a programme of church and fortress building, aimed at beatifying his capital at Ghapan. Steps were also take to encourage the development of a trade lane from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, with the relaxation of restrictions on Muslims and Jews. The Great Mosque of Ghapan, completed in 1164, became the largest Islamic building in any Christian state.

In 1165, ten years of peace came to an end with a major Roman invasion of Syunik that saw Smbat only narrowly escape with his life. What exactly the invasion force hoped to achieve is unclear, though there is some evidence that the Emperor John II hoped to place Alexios Doukas, Smbat's half Roman cousin, upon the throne. After winning two victories, however, the Roman commander George Komnenos, son of the Emperor John, was killed besieging the fortress of Goris, and the overstretched Roman army was allowed to retreat unmolested.