Rhadamistus
| Rhadamistus | |
|---|---|
 Rhadamistus killing Zenobia, by Luigi Sabatelli | |
| King of Armenia | |
| Reign | 51-55 |
| House | Pharnabazid Dynasty |
| Father | Pharasmanes I of Iberia |
| Religion | Georgian paganism |
Rhadamistus (Georgian: რადამისტი) (fl. 1st century) was an Iberian/Georgian prince who reigned in Armenia from 51 to 53 and 54 to 55. Considered to be an usurper and tyrant, he was overthrown in a rebellion supported by the Parthian Empire.
Life
Rhadamistus was one of the sons of King Pharasmanes I of Iberia and his wife, an unnamed Armenian Princess of the Artaxiad Dynasty being the daughter of the Artaxiad Armenian Monarchs Tigranes IV and his sister-wife Erato. He was known for his ambition, good looks and valor. Pharasmanes I fearing usurpation by his son, convinced Rhadamistus to make war upon his uncle, King Mithridates of Armenia, the brother of Pharasmanes I and father of Rhadamistus' wife, Zenobia. The Iberians invaded with a large army and forced Mithridates into the fortress of Gorneas (Garni), which was garrisoned by the Romans under the command of Caelius Pollio, a prefect, and Casperius, a centurion. Pollio, swayed by Rhadamistus' bribery, induced the Roman soldiers to threaten capitulation of the garrison. Under this compulsion, Mithridates agreed to surrender to his nephew. Rhadamistus executed Mithridates and his sons despite a promise of non-violence, and became King of Armenia in 51.
Rome decided not to aid their Armenian allies, only nominally demanding that Pharasmanes I withdraw from Armenia. The Roman governor of Cappadocia, Paelignus, invaded Armenia anyway, ravaging the country. Syrian governor Gaius Ummidius Durmius Quadratus sent a force to restore order, but he was recalled so as not to provoke a war with Parthia, whose King Vologases I took the opportunity to send his army into Armenia, driving out the Iberians (53). A winter epidemic forced the Parthians to withdraw from Armenia, allowing Rhadamistus to return. He punished as traitors those Armenian cities that had surrendered to the Parthians. They soon revolted and replaced him with the Parthian prince Tiridates I (55). Rhadamistus had to escape along with his pregnant wife, Zenobia, of whom Tacitus relates a romantic story. Unable to bear a long ride on horse, she convinced her husband to kill her so she would not fall into the hands of their pursuers. Though stabbed and left at the banks of the Araxes, she survived and was found by some shepherds. They carried Zenobia to the court of Tiridates I, who received her kindly and treated her as royalty. Rhadamistus himself returned to Iberia. However, he was soon put to death by his father for having plotted against the royal power.
In Art
- George Frideric Handel scored the opera Radamisto (1720) to Nicola Francesco Haym's libretto, based on Domenico Lalli’s story.
- Two operas titled Zenobia were scored to Pietro Metastasio's libretto, one by Giovanni Bononcini in 1737, and another by Johann Adolph Hasse in 1761.
- The discovery of the injured and unconscious Zenobia on the riverbank is the subject of classical paintings by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry and Nicolas Poussin.