Vonones I of Parthia

Who was Vonones I of Parthia?

Vonones I of Parthia, ruled the Parthian Empire from about 8 to 12 AD. He was the eldest son of Phraates IV of Parthia and was sent to Rome as a hostage in the 20s BC as surety for a treaty his father made with Augustus.

After the assassination of Orodes III in about the year 6 AD, the Parthians applied to Augustus for a new King from the house of Arsaces. Augustus sent them Vonones I, but he could not maintain himself as King; he had been educated as a Roman, and was despised by the Parthian nobility as a slave of the Romans. Another member of the Arsacid house, Artabanus III, who was living among the Dahan nomads in the east of Parthia, was invited to the throne. In a civil war he defeated and expelled Vonones I.

The coins of Vonones I date from 8 to 12 AD and bear the inscription "King Vonones, conqueror of Artabanus" commemorating a temporary victory over his rival. Those of Artabanus II begin in the year 10. In about the year 12 Vonones I fled into Armenia and became King there. But Artabanus II demanded his deposition, and as Augustus did not wish to begin a war with the Parthians he removed Vonones I into Syria, where he was kept in custody, though in a kingly style. Later he was moved to Cilicia, and when he tried to escape in about 19 AD, he was killed by his guards.