Javanshir
| Javanshir | |
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| King of Caucasian Albania | |
A copy of the bronze sculpture of Javanshir at the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan. The original work is kept at the Hermitage.
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| Reign | 637—680 |
| Coronation | 637 |
| Predecessor | Varaz Grigor |
| Successor | Varaz Tiridates I |
| Born | September 28, 616 |
| Died | January 1, 680 (aged 63) |
| Burial | Gardman castle |
| Issue | Varaz Tiridates I |
| Dynasty | Mihranids |
| Father | Varaz Grigor |
| Mother | Goridouxt |
| Religion | Christianity |
Javanshir (Armenian: Ջիվանշիր, Jivanshir; Middle Persian: Jūvānšīr; meaning "young lion"), was the prince of Caucasian Albania from 637 to 680, hailing from the region of Gardman. His life and deeds were the subject of legends that were recorded in Armenian medieval texts. He was from the Parthian Mihranid family, an offshoot of the House of Mihran, one of the seven Parthian clans of the Sasanian Empire.
Javanshir was the second son of Varaz Grigor, a prince of Gardman who belonged to the Mihranid family, and an Iberian princess named Goridouxt. In 637 Varaz Grigor was baptised and declared Christianity as the official religion of Caucasian Albania, thus making his son, Javanshir, convert too. However, Varaz was deposed by the Sasanian king who didn't acknowledge his conversion to Christianity. Thus Javanshir became the king of Caucasian Albania.
Javanshir was known for his bravery and intelligence; he fought against the Arabs during the Muslim conquest of Persia on the side of the Sasanian Empire, and was rewarded by the Sasanian king Yazdegerd III himself two golden spears, two golden shields and a flag, probably the Drafsh e Kavian. In 636, he led an Albanian army, which alongside the Armenian prince Mushegh III Mamikonian and Grigor of Syunik, took part in the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah between the Persian and Arab armies. However, the Sasanians were defeated, which made Javanshir lose hope. He then made a mutiny against his overlords and retreated to Caucasian Albania. Where he wrote a letter to Constans II and became ally with the Byzantine Empire. He was then awarded with the title of patrikios, and recognized as king of the East. He also married to a noble from a princely family of Syunik.
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