Zakarid dynasty
| Zakarids Զաքարյաններ მხარგრძელი | |
|---|---|
| Nobility | |
Zakaryan's coat of arms with the iconography of a lion and a bull, at Geghard. | |
| Parent house | Pahlavuni |
| Country | Zakarid Armenia |
| Founder | Khosrov |
| Cadet branches | Tmogveli Gageli Argutinsky-Dolgorukov |
The Zakarid dynasty, also Zakarids or Zakarians (Armenian: Զաքարյաններ, romanized: Zak'aryanner) were an Armenian noble dynasty, rulers of Zakarid Armenia (1201–1350) under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Georgia, and from 1256 under the control of the Mongol Ilkhanate of Persia. Their dynastic name was formed in honour of Zakare, the famous servant of the Georgian King Tamar. They were also known by their Georgian nickname Mkhargrdzeli (მხარგრძელი, "Long-armed", in Armenian: Երկայնաբազուկ, Yerkaynbazuk). A family legend says that this name was a reference to their Achaemenid ancestor Artaxerxes II the "Longarmed" (404–358 BC). According to Cyril Toumanoff / Encyclopædia Iranica, they were an offshoot of the Armenian Pahlavuni family. The Zakarians considered themselves Armenians.
During the 13th century, the Zakarids held the highest offices in the Georgian government, as Atabegs (Governor General) and Amirspasalars (Commander-in-Chief of the Army) of the Kingdom of Georgia.