Origins Khosrov IV was a member of the
Arsacid dynasty of Armenia. His parentage is not mentioned in the old Armenian sources. The 5th–6th-century Armenian historian
Ghazar Parpetsi calls him the brother of
Vramshapuh, who succeeded Khosrov as king in 389.
Ferdinand Justi,
Cyril Toumanoff and
Christian Settipani assume that Khosrov was the son of the earlier Armenian king
Varazdat.
Reign The division of Armenia after the Peace of Acilisene Khosrov's enthronement is placed before the official partition of Armenia in 387 in the
Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ, but
Movses Khorenatsi's history places it after this event. Presumably, it occurred after the death of
Vologases (Vagharshak), who was co-ruler of Armenia along with his brother
Arshak III under the regency of
Manuel Mamikonian. According to
Nina Garsoïan, the de facto partition of Armenia had probably occurred already in 384/5, around which time Manuel died, Arshak was forced to flee west to
Ekeghiats by the pro-Persian faction of Armenian
nakharars (high-ranking nobles), and Khosrov was appointed king of the eastern part of Armenia with a Persian tutor. In 387, the partition was formalized with the
Peace of Acilisene (Ekeghiats), with the new border running north to south from a point east of Karin (modern
Erzurum) to Mesopotamia west of
Nisibis. Khosrov IV kept the Arsacid capitals of
Artashat and
Dvin in his kingdom, while Arshak ruled in Roman-controlled Ekeghiats until his death 390. The partition of Armenia was followed by the final stage of Arsacid rule in Armenia. The Sasanian king
Shapur III gave his sister
Zruandukht as wife to Khosrov IV, as well as a large army to protect Armenia and a tutor from the
House of Zik. Khosrov reigned for about five years, until 389, when he was denounced by the Armenian nobility for conspiring with Rome and deposed and deported to Iran. He was replaced by his brother Vramshapuh as King of Armenia. Movses Khorenatsi adds that Khosrov's fall from power was because of his appointment of
Sahak I as
catholicos without Sasanian approval. Per Khorenatsi, he was imprisoned in the
Castle of Oblivion in
Khuzistan. After the death of Vramshapuh, Khosrov was released from exile and restored to the throne in 414 or 417. However, Khosrov died not long thereafter (eight months according to Ghazar Parpetsi, one year per Khorenatsi) == The Symbolism of the "Castle of Oblivion" ==