Gnel of Armenia

Gnel also known as Gnelus (, flourished 4th century - died August, 359 ), was a Prince from the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia.

Biography Gnel was the son of Trdat; while the identity of his mother remains unrecorded, she is known to have been the daughter of Gnel Gnuni. Gnel was a nephew of Arshak II, Shapur II's war by capturing these territories began to dealt a severe blow to Roman prestige in the East. as they were betrayed to Shapur II by Tiran's chamberlain. From the inscription it appears that Gnel was designated a royal title within the context of the local aristocracy and feudal system and also appears that his royal title was denoted to all members of great families in Armenia other than the family heads.

Faustus the Byzantine Gnel’s cousin, Tirit, also developed an infatuation with Pharantzem and sought to take her as his wife. Consequently, Tirit orchestrated a conspiracy against his kinsman. He approached his uncle, King Arshak II, alleging that Gnel harbored ambitions to usurp the throne and assassinate the monarch. Finding a way to plot against his cousin Gnel, Tirit approached their uncle Arsaces II and said to him: “Gnel wants to rule, and to kill you. All the grandees, the Naxarars and the Azats like Gnel and all the Naxarars of the land prefer his lordship over them than yours. Now they say, ‘look and see what you do, king, so that you can save yourself”.

Arsaces II planned to kill Tirit in return for Gnel's murder. When Tirit heard this, he was in so much fear for Arsaces II he fled at night. Arsaces II was informed that Tirit had left and ordered his soldiers to find Tirit and kill him. His soldiers found Tirit in the forests in the district of Basen and killed him there.

Summary Diverging from the lyrical narrative of Faustus Byzantium, historian Richard G. Hovannisian posits that the execution of Gnel, and subsequently Tirit, was motivated by Arshak II's apprehensions regarding a potential insurrection aimed at seizing the throne. Nina Garsoïan, in turn, suggests that Tirit’s rhetoric concerning Gnel reflects the broader dynastic tensions at Arshak’s court; as princes of the primary Arshacid lineage, both Gnel and Tirit represented legitimate contenders for the crown should they garner the support of the nobility. Furthermore, V. S. Nalbandyan has proposed that Gnel and Tirit served as the respective leaders of pro-Roman and pro-Persian factions. According to this view, these factions sought to establish dominance within the Armenian Kingdom during the 4th century, effectively polarizing the Armenian nobility between the spheres of influence of the Roman Empire and Sassanian Persia.