principality · Caucasus

Principality of Taron

826 CE – 966 CE (approx.) · capital Mush

An Armenian principality west of Lake Van, ruled by a branch of the Bagratids, that passed peacefully to Byzantium in the 960s.

Origins

Taron, the plain around Mush, had long been a Mamikonian land. In the early 9th century the Bagratid Bagrat, son of Ashot Msaker, secured it as his share of the family lands, and in 826 his branch became its hereditary princes under the Abbasid Caliphate.

Rule and society

Taron was a fertile, well-watered district on routes between Armenia and Mesopotamia, and its monastery of Surb Karapet at Glak was among the most revered in Armenia. Its princes balanced between the Arab emirs, the kings of Bagratid Armenia and the Byzantine Empire; Constantine VII describes Prince Grigor visiting Constantinople and receiving a palace and pension.

Decline and legacy

Around 966 Grigor's descendants surrendered Taron to the Byzantine Empire in return for court titles and estates. It became a Byzantine theme, the first of the Armenian principalities to be annexed.

Connections (2)

More states of Caucasus →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Taron. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-taron
MLA
“Principality of Taron.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-taron. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Taron.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-taron.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Taron’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-taron (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻