House of Kārin

Dec 31

Type: Historical (Part Legendary), Noble, Military
Period: 1st C. BCE (maybe earlier) - 14th C. CE
Region: Various
Patriarch/Eponymous Founder: Unclear - Maybe Arsacid Prince, Son of Phraates IV
Ethno-Linguistic Family: Iranian, Parthian
Seat: Nahavand

The Kārin family was one of the seven great families of the Parthian and Sasanian periods in Iranian history, and is mentioned in the Achaemenid period as well as in the legendary sections of the Šāh-nāma of Ferdowsi. The origins of their rise to power during the Arsacid period are unclear, but they are thought to have had significant power and influence in northeastern Iran and the Caspian region during the late antique period and into the 11th century. The Kārin family also had a significant presence in Armenia, where the Kamsarakan family traced their genealogy to them and remained a powerful dynasty up to the 14th century. The Kārin family was important during the Sasanian period, and Parthian lineage was a significant factor in determining identity. The Kārin family also had a presence in western Iran and were known for their territorial delimitation of power in the region.

Possible origin of house establishment:
”According to Movsēs Xorenacʿi, one of the three sons of the Arsacid king, Phraates IV (r. ca. 37–2 BCE), was called Kārin (tr. Thomson, p. 166). This Kārin became the progenitor and chief agnate of the Parthian house bearing his name. While the historicity of this myth, and the information pertaining to the Kārin and other members of the Parthian dynastic family that Movsēs Xorenacʿi provides, might be debatable (Christensen, 1944, p. 104, n. 1.)”
-Excerpt form Iranica - “Kārin”