tanutēr
Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
Date of Death: 25 April 775.
Place of Death: the battle of Bagrewand.
The date and place are given by Garsoian (1997, p. 133).
Relationships
Ancestor: Hmayeak Mamikonian.
As tanutēr of the Mamikonian house, Samuel was very likely descended somehow from Hmayeak Mamikonian, since the leadership of the Mamikonian house is not known to have passed out of the male line, and we would probably know if it had. However, there is not enough surviving evidence to construct a step-by-step line from Hmayeak to Samuel, although several proposals have been made, which involve at least four conjectured relationships.
Father: unknown.
Samuel’s father is unattested, but it is usually (Toumanoff, Settipani) supposed that he was a son of Dawith (David) Mamikonian. It makes sense, as both were leaders of the Mamikonian house, that they were closely related.
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.)
A daughter (possibly sister) married Smbat VII Bagratuni.
Evidence
from Lewond (p. 137):
…These are the names of the generals [who gave their lives]: High Constable Smbat from the house of Bagratunik'; Sahak, his ally and co-warrior; General Mushel from the house of Mamikoneank' and Samuel the Ter (Lord) of the Mamikoneank', a lively and a handsome young man, who was the father-in-law of the High Constable; …
Settipani argues that, for chronological reasons, it is more likely that Samuel was Smbat’s brother-in-law. This seems consistent with Lewond’s description of Samuel as “a lively and a handsome young man” at the time of his death, but I haven’t read Settipani’s argument.
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.
Garsoian, N. “Mamikonean Family” in Encyclopaedia Iranica (2005, online edition).
Garsoïan, Nina. “The Arab Invasions and the Rise of the Bagratuni” in The Armenian People from Anicent to Modern Times v. 1 (Richard G. Hovannisian ed.) (St Martin’s Press, 1997).