Dawith Mamikonian
Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
Date of Death: about 746.
Place of Death: Armenia.
The date is given by Arzoumanian.
Relationships
Father: Hrahat Mamikonian.
According to Lewond, David was Grigor’s brother, Grigor was Mushel’s brother, and Mushel’s father was Hrahat.
Mother: unknown.
Spouse: unknown.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Evidence
from Lewond ([21] p. 113-4):
When, however, the sons of Smbat heard of the honors conferred upon Ashot and the latter's importance to Hisham and to governor Merwan, they acted extremely insolently toward him, to the extent that Muhammad's son (Merwan) became aware of their contention. [Merwan] ordered their immediate arrest and sent Grigor and David, who were from the house of the Mamikonids, to the caliph of the Ismaelites. He also wrote an accusation against them, stating that they were opponents of Ashot and agitators in his realm. [Hisham] ordered them to be taken to a desert place called Eman (Yemen) and to be kept there in prison for the rest of their lives.
from Lewond ([25-26] p. 118-120):
When Prince Ashot was in Syria, the son of Mslim (Ishak) had appointed Grigor from the house of the Mamikonids prince of the Armenian troops in place of Ashot. But when Merwan was informed of the accusationf against the sons of Smbat and what David, Grigor's brother, had done to him [Ashot], he sent messengers to Ishak son of Mslim, who was the governor of Armenia, ordering him to arrest David and deliver him into the hands of a certain Oqba to be sentenced according to the given orders. As he received the orders, [Ishak] did not delay [the execution], but had him [David] arrested deceitfully at once. [Ishak] handed him over to the merciless executioner who, in turn, put David in painful chains and imprisoned him for a few days. He then wrote to Merwan for further orders. [Merwan] ordered to have him amputate the feet and the hands of David and then hang him from a tree until he died. It was this kind of pitiful and ignominious death that befell him. As was said, bad seed shall yield bad fruit, based upon hateful behavior which was indeed unpleasant to God and which people showed toward each other.
As these acts of malice were taking place, Merwan restored once again Ashot in his position as ruler and sent him to the land of Armenia with great honors. Ever since, Grigor did not cease being an adversary and taking revenge on account of his brother's murder. He acted peacefully with Ashot in word only, because he feared the tyrants. In his heart he did not adherebto [Ashot's] rule, but was actually waiting for the opportune time to do what he had in mind.
While war among [the Arabs] prolonged, all the nobles of our country decided to terminate and withdraw their obedience to the Arabs by revolting against them. This advice was given them by Grigor, whod was from the house of the Mamikonids, with the insidious intent of deposing Ashot from his princedom…
… Grigor, anxious to conclude the conspiracy [against Ashot] for quite some time, soon gathered his troops and followed him like a crow from mountain to mountain. He reached his [Ashot's] refuge at night and surrounded the place where he was resting, depending on the hesitation of [Ashot's] troops which had refrained from helping him [Ashot]. He [Grigor] arrested [Ashot], handed him over to the servants of David, and gave orders to blind him.
from Lewond ([26] p. 121):
The ungrateful Grigor, on the other hand, made his way to the city of Karin, returning from the seemingly great act of bravery, and sent messages of his victory throughout the districts. God, then, visited him many days later to judge him according to his own deeds. He underwent terrible torment as a result of a swollen stomach; this was the cause of his death, following which his name was rendered into oblivion. In his place [the nobles] appointed Mushel, his brother, as prince for a short while.
from Lewond ([34] p. 130):
Nakharar Mushel, son of count Hrahat from the house of the Mamikonids, became indignant at this, formed a league with some of the Armenian nobles, and revolted against the rule of the Arabs.
References
History of Lewond, The Eminent Vardapet of the Armenians (Z. Arzoumanian tr.) (1982). The history was written towards the end of the 8th century.