Page:The History of Armenia - Avdall - Volume 1.djvu/269

 226^ • HISTORY OF ARMENIA.

minority, joint kings of Armenia. He, howeTer, detained their mother Zarmandught, who was a native of the imperial city, at Constantinople ; • and then sent the two young kings, with wise guardians, and a large army, to take possession of their kingdom. A. D. 386. Arsaces the Third, and Valarsaces the* Second^ the sons of Pap, began their reign over Armenia* under the auspices of the emperor Theodosius the Great. Arsaces fixed his residence in Duin,. Valarsaces in the city of Eriza, in the province of Ekeliaz. The former married the daughter of Babik, chief of the Seunies ; the latter of Isaac, the Bagratian noble. Valarsaces died shortly after his marriage, and before the expiration of a* year after his assumption of the regal power. Just at this period Shahak the pontiff also died^, having presided over the church for two years, or according to other information, four years. Zaven, of the family of Albianus, succeeded Shahak as pontiff, and died a year, or accord- ing to other accounts, four years, afterwards. Aspurakes, a relation of the last pontiff, then assumed that dignity, and died in the thirds or as some state, in the fifth year of his pontifi- cate. About this time, Theodosius being deeply employed in the affieiirs of the western part of his empire, appointed his eldest son Arcadius his colleague, and gave him the government of

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