Smbat I

Yusuf ibn Abi'l Saj had come to power in Azerbaijan 901 by overthrowing his nephew, Devdad Ibn Muhammad.

He had razed the walls of Maragha and moved the capital of the Sajid dynasty to Ardabil.

Shortly afterwards, the Bagratid king of Armenia, Smbat I, had offered to become a direct vassal of the caliph al-Muktafi.

As this threatened the Sajids' interests in Armenia, Yusuf had demanded that Smbat appear before him.

When the Bagratid refused, Yusuf had invaded Armenia.

An agreement was eventually reached between the two sides in 903; Smbat received a crown from Yusuf, acknowledging him as his overlord.

Yusuf had never formalized his relations with the caliph, and they had became hostile toward each other.

In 908 a caliphal army had been sent against Yusuf, but al-Muktafi had died and his successor al-Muqtadir had made peace with the Sajid.

Al-Muqtadir's vizier Ibn al-Furat had been instrumental in the establishment of the peace; from this point forward, Yusuf will consider him to be his protector in Baghdad and often name him on his coinage.

The peace allows Yusuf to be invested with the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia in 909 by the caliph.

The caliphate, during the conflict with Yusuf, had encouraged King Smbat to oppose the Sajid.

Yusuf, after mending his relations with the caliph, had decided to retaliate, and has found a willing ally in the prince of Vaspurakan, Gagik Artsruni, who was engaged in a dispute with the Bagratid over the province of Nakhchivan.

Gagik became Yusuf's vassal and the Sajid had given him a crown.

Yusuf had taken Nakhchivan in 909, and, together with Gagik, had gained control of Siunikh.

He then pursued Smbat across the country, and after spending the winter in Dvin defeats in 910 an army under the command of Smbat's two sons, Ashot and Mushel to the north of Erevan.

Mushel is captured and poisoned.

The war between the Sajids and the Bagratids continues, during which the country is devastated and the Armenians suffer from religious oppression at the hands of the Muslims.

Yusuf manages to trap Smbat in one of his fortresses in about 913.

Although the siege is unable to force the surrender of the fortress, Smbat decides to voluntarily surrender himself to Yusuf in an effort to end the war.

Yusuf initially lets him go, but then seizes him and puts him in prison for a year.

Yusuf, during the siege of Erenjak, has Smbat tortured and executed before the fortress' walls in an effort to persuade the defenders to surrender.

The king’s body is then sent to Dvin and hung there.

Smbat's son Ashot succeeds him as Ashot II.

Yusuf initially tries to defeat him as well; Gagik refuses to cooperate so he sets up the Sparapet Ashot as rival king in Dvin.

Ashot II is able to gain the loyalty of the Armenians, however, and can also count on the support of the Empire.

Since Yusuf is having his own problems with the caliphate again, he will in 917 make peace with Ashot, giving him a crown.