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And that was exactly what happened. The imprisonment and then the murder of Artavazd III, the invasion and plundering of Armenia by the armies of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra, marked the turning point in the relations between Armenian and Rome. Until that point Armenia had always, during conflicts between Rome and its Persian enemy, chosen Rome as its ally.

After this treatment, despite promises from the Emperor Augustus and his successors, the majority of the Armenian princes (a group which we can call the "national party") came to lean more towards the Persians, since it was with the Persians they saw a guarantee and security for an independent Armenia.

Artashes II



It was not long after Alexander, the son of Marcus Antonius, had been placed on the throne, that he was thrown out of the country as a result of a national revolt and was replaced by one of the sons of Artavazd III's sons by the name of Artashes (Artaxias) II. Shortly after, the country was invaded by Marcus Antonius once again and Artashes II took shelter at the court of the Persian king, who still was at war with the Romans. Alexander was reinstated on the throne and would, under the protection of the Roman army, rule from 34 to 31 B.C.

But Marcus Antonius was forced, during his last battle against Octavianus, to recall his army from Armenia. Artashes II, with the help of the army of the Persian king, returned to Armenia, reclaimed the throne and ruled from 30 to 20 B.C. Artashes II proved able to hold on to the traditions of his forefathers and received the title "Philhelléne" (Greek-friendly). When he received the news that Cleopatra, as a last act of revenge, had beheaded his father who was still imprisoned, he ordered that every Roman in Armenia should be executed. This was very regrettable, since it made an act of reconciliation with the future Roman emperor, Augustus, impossible. Had he not done this, then Artashes would have been the perfect friend for the fiercest rival to Mark Anthony and Cleopatra.

When Marcus Antonius lured Artavazd into the trap and imprisoned him, Octavianus condemned his rival's action and proclaimed that Marcus Antonius by the deceitful imprisonment of the Armenian king, had brought shame on the Roman senate and its people. 23

Augustus and his Policy Towards Armenia

When Octavianus, after defeating Marcus Antonius in 27 B.C., was named the first emperor of Rome, Emperor Augustus, everyone thought that his first action would be to defeat the Persians and reclaim Armenia. But this did not happen. Instead he freed the Armenian prince Tigran, brother of Artashes II, who was still in prison after Cleopatra h had executed his father and brought him to Rome. Augustus had become aware of one of the Roman cornerstones in politics, i.e. the importance having an "appointed" ruler. Tigran was allowed to live in Rome and was educated for his responsibility as ruler. This became something of a trademark with Augustus, since his home was transformed into an education centre for future rulers who were appointed to different regions of the empire. In this way In this way Rome could extend its representation in the countries which formed part of its empire.