Bagratid Armenia
Bagratid Armenia | |||||||||||||||||
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880s–1045 | |||||||||||||||||
Gagik II | |||||||||||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||
• Established | 880s | ||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1045 | ||||||||||||||||
Currency | Byzantine Hyperpyron Abbasid Dinar | ||||||||||||||||
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History of Armenia |
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Timeline • Origins • Etymology |
Bagratid Armenia (
Ashot's prestige rose as both Byzantine and Arab leaders—eager to maintain a buffer state near their frontiers—courted him. The Abbasid Caliphate recognized Ashot as "prince of princes" in 862 and, later on, as king (in 884 or 885). The establishment of the Bagratuni kingdom later led to the founding of several other Armenian principalities and kingdoms: Taron, Vaspurakan, Kars, Khachen and Syunik.[4] During the reign of Ashot III (952/53–77), Ani became the kingdom's capital and grew into a thriving economic and cultural center.[5]
The first half of the 11th century saw the decline and eventual collapse of the kingdom. The Byzantine emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025) won a string of victories and annexed parts of southwestern Armenia; King Hovhannes-Smbat felt forced to cede his lands and in 1022 pledged that his kingdom would pass to the Byzantines following his death. However, after Hovhannes-Smbat's death in 1041, his successor, Gagik II, refused to hand over Ani and continued resistance until 1045, when his kingdom, plagued by internal and external threats, was finally taken by Byzantine forces.[6]
History
Background
The weakening of the
However, Umayyad rule in Armenia grew in cruelty in the early 8th century. Revolts against the Arabs spread throughout Armenia until 705, when under the pretext of meeting for negotiations, the Arab governor of
A third and final rebellion, stemming from similar grievances as the second, was launched in 774 under the leadership of Mushegh Mamikonian and with the support of other nakharars. The Abbasids marched into Armenia with an army of 30,000 men and decisively crushed the rebellion and its instigators at the Battle of Bagrevand on April 24, 775, leaving a void for the sole largely intact family, the Bagratunis, to fill.[9]
Rise of the Bagratids
The Bagratuni family had done its best to improve its relations with the Abbasid caliphs ever since they took power in 750. The Abbasids always treated the family's overtures with suspicion but by the early 770s, the Bagratunis had won them over and the relationship between the two drastically improved. The members of the Bagratuni family were soon viewed as leaders of the Armenians in the region.[10] Following the end of the third rebellion, which the Bagratunis had wisely chosen not to participate in, and the dispersal of several of the princely houses, the family was left without any formidable rivals. Nevertheless, any immediate opportunities to take full control of the region were complicated by Arab immigration to Armenia and the caliph's appointment of emirs to rule in newly created administrative districts (emirates). But the number of Arabs residing in Armenia never grew in number to form a majority nor were the emirates fully subordinate to the Caliph.[11] As historian George Bournoutian observes, "this fragmentation of Arab authority provided the opportunity for the resurgence of Bagratuni leadership under Ashot Msaker [the 'Meat-Eater']".[12]
Ashot began to annex the lands that formerly belonged to the Mamikonians and actively campaigned against the emirs as a sign of his allegiance to the Caliphate, who in 804 bestowed upon him the title of ishkhan.
The brothers, however, were unable to resolve their differences with one another nor able to form a unified front against the Muslims. A new Armenian rebellion against Arab rule broke out in 850 led by Bagrat and Ashot Artsruni of Vaspurakan but like previous rebellions, it failed: an Arab army led by the Turkic general Bugha al-Kabir captured Bagrat, Smbat, and other Armenian princes and brutally put down the rebellion.[15]
Establishment of the kingdom
Armenian fortunes were reversed in 867 with the accession of the Armenian emperor[citation needed] of Byzantium Basil I[citation needed], whose successful military campaigns against the Arabs conclusively weakened Abbasid rule in Armenia. In 857, Smbat had been succeeded by his son Ashot I, who took a measured approach to gradually retake territories formerly held by the Arabs. He assumed the title prince of princes in 862 and appointed his brother Abas sparapet, as they began to push the Arabs out from their base in Tayk.[4] His initial efforts to expel the ostikan of Arminiya failed, although this did not dissuade him in taking advantage of the Byzantine-Arab rivalry.[16]
Early on, he was courted by a Byzantium desperate to secure its eastern flank so as to direct its full strength against the Arabs; although Ashot avowed his loyalty to the empire, Byzantine leaders continued their long-standing demand that the Armenian Church make religious concessions to the Eastern Orthodox Church.[17] A synod of Armenian church leaders was convoked and a letter laden with equivocal wording sent to Constantinople was able to sustain a temporary agreement between the two churches. In any case, religious differences mattered little to the Byzantines in consideration of the menace the Arabs continued to pose.[18] In 884, the Caliph Al-Mu'tamid, reacting to the demands of Armenian princes and religious leaders and, more importantly, the security risks in allowing Armenia to fall under the Byzantine orbit, sent a crown to Ashot, recognizing him as king.[16] This act was not lost on Basil who similarly sent a crown to Ashot. Ashot relocated his throne to the fortress-city of Bagaran and it was here where his coronation ceremony was held sometime in 884 or 885.[4]
Thus, Ashot restored the Armenian monarchy and became Armenia's first king since 428.
Smbat I
Smbat I was crowned king in 892, following a brief attempt by his uncle Abas to disrupt his succession to the throne. Smbat continued his father's policy of maintaining cordial relations with Byzantium but he remained mindful of the Arabs' fears of the Armeno-Byzantine alliance. Speaking with the Arab ostikan
Smbat's successes quickly came to a halt when Afshin decided that he could not countenance a powerful Armenia so close to his domains. He retook Dvin and managed to take Smbat's wife as a hostage until she was released in exchange for Smbat's son Mushegh, and his nephew, also named Smbat. The wars against Armenia continued even after Afshin's death in 901, when his brother
As Yusuf began a new campaign against Smbat in conjunction with Gagik in 909, neither the Byzantines nor the Caliph sent aid to Smbat; several Armenian princes also chose to withhold their support. Those who did ally with Smbat were dealt brutally by Yusuf's powerful army: Smbat's son Mushegh, his nephew Smbat, and Grigor II of Western Syunik were all poisoned.[24] Yusuf's army ravaged the rest of Armenia as it advanced towards Blue Fortress, where Smbat had taken refuge, and besieged it for some time. Smbat finally decided to surrender himself to Yusuf in 914 in hopes of ending the Arab onslaught; Yusuf, however, showed no compassion towards his prisoner as he tortured the Armenian king to death and put his headless body on display on a cross in Dvin.[25]
Resurgence under Ashot Yerkat
Yusuf's invasion of Armenia had left the kingdom in ruins and this fact resonated among the Armenian princes who were left aghast in witnessing the Arab ostikan's brutality. Gagik I was especially shaken and he soon disavowed his loyalty to Yusuf and began to campaign against him. With Yusuf distracted by the resistance put up by his former ally, Smbat's son
Meanwhile, Yusuf's efforts to crush Gagik had failed miserably; instead, Yusuf turned his attention to Ashot and attempted to weaken his position by crowning Ashot's cousin, Ashot Shapuhyan, king of Armenia. Ashot Shapuhyan's and Yusuf's armies, though, were unable to stop the Byzantine advance, which stopped short of capturing Dvin due to the onset of winter. Nevertheless, the force had returned Ashot to a powerful position in Armenia and managed to inflict heavy casualties against the Arabs.
Ironically, the Byzantines were distressed with Ashot's close relations with the Arabs and dispatched a new force under the Armenian Domestic of the Schools
Stability under Abas
Abas I's reign was characterized with an unusual period of stability and prosperity that Armenia had not enjoyed for decades.
Another foreign threat that Abas steadfastly confronted was an invasion by king Ber of
Armenia's Golden Age
Owing to this trade route, the city quickly began to grow and became Bagratuni Armenia's chief political, cultural and economic center. Shops, markets, workshops, inns were established by the city's merchants and populace while the nakharar elite went on to sponsor the building of magnificent mansions and palaces. The construction was also complemented by the King Ashot's own philanthropy, including the building of the famed "Ashotashen" walls that were erected around Ani, monasteries, hospitals, schools, and almshouses (his wife Khosrovanuysh also founded the monastery complexes at
Sub-kingdoms
A new phenomenon that began under Ashot III's reign, and continued under his successors, was the establishment of sub-kingdoms throughout Bagratuni Armenia. Ashot III had sent his brother Mushegh I to rule in Kars (Vanand) and had allowed him to use the title of king. The administrative district of Dzoraget near Lake Sevan was given to Ashot's son Gurgen, the progenitor of the Kyurikid line, in 966, who would later assume the title of king. The proliferation of so many kingdoms worked to the benefit of Armenia so long as the king in Ani remained strong and maintained his hegemony over other kings. Otherwise, the kings, as well their respective bishops who would claim the position of catholicos and formulate their own doctrines, would begin to test the limits of their autonomy.[41]
Progress under Smbat and Gagik
This prosperous age which Armenia lived through continued unabated under the reign of Ashot's son and successor,
Decline and Byzantine encroachment
The Byzantines had slowly been creeping eastward towards Armenia in the final decade of the 10th century. Emperor
The
Internal quarrels and fall
After the death of King Gagik I (in 1017 or 1020), the kingdom was split between his two sons,
The Bagratid king of Kars,
Culture and society
Government
The king of Bagratuni Armenia held unlimited powers and was the ultimate authority when it came to resolving questions on foreign and domestic affairs. The princes and nakharars were directly subordinate to the king and received and kept their lands only through his permission. Should certain nobles have disobeyed the king's orders, he would have the right to confiscate their lands and distribute them to other nobles.
Religion
Most Armenians belonged to the Armenian Apostolic Church, but there were elements in Armenian society who also adhered to the Eastern Orthodox Church, the official religion of the Byzantine Empire. Byzantium repeatedly demanded for communion with the Armenian Church as prerequisite for sending aid to the Bagratunis but most attempts failed to bear any fruit.[19]
In the mid-10th century, a new internal challenge to the authority of the Armenian Church and the kingdom arose when the Tondrakians experienced a revival. An anti-feudal and heretical Christian sect that had been crushed by the Arabs with the Armenian Church's support in the 9th century, the Tondrakian movement attracted many followers during this period.[45] Ashot III had realized the danger the Tondrakians posed against the kingdom and this was of his reasons why he directly subjected the Church to him, gave it lands, and sponsored the construction of new monasteries and churches.[46] The message of the Tondrakians, however, continued to spread and successive Armenian kings would work to suppress its expansion.
Economy
The Bagratuni kingdom was based on essentially two economies: one which was centered around
The Bagratuni kingdom did not mint any of its own coins, and used the currency found in Byzantium and the Arab Caliphate. The expanded trade between Byzantium and the Caliphate established several trades routes which ran across Armenia. The most important route began from
Dabil [Dvin] is an important city, in it are an inaccessible citadel and great riches. Its name is ancient, its cloth is famous, its river is abundant, it is surrounded by gardens. The city has suburbs, its fortress is reliable, its squares are cross-shaped, its fields are wonderful. The main mosque is on a hill and next to the mosque is the church....By the city is a citadel. The buildings of the inhabitants are made of clay or stone. The city has main gates such as Bab ['Gate']-Keydar, Bab-Tiflis and Bab-Ani.[50]
Dvin became famous throughout the Arab world for its wool and silk production and the export of pillows, rugs, curtains and covers. A village named Artashat near Dvin was so prominent a center for the production of Armenian cochineal that it received the name vordan karmiri gyugh ("red-worm village") for the distinctive red dye that was derived from insects. Cochineal and other Armenian goods were extensively found throughout the caliphate and for their eminence were referred to by Arabs as "asfin al-Armani" ("Armenian products").[51]
Demographics
During the Bagratuni period, the great majority of the population of Armenia remained Armenian. 10th-century Arab sources attest that the cities of the Araxes valley remained predominantly Armenian and Christian despite Arab Muslim rule. In fact, the 10th-century Arab geographer
Art and literature
The Arab raids and invasion of Armenia as well as the devastation wrought upon the land during the
The lack of a strong Arab presence saw a rise in the number of
The art of illuminated manuscripts and miniatures illustrations were also revived during this era. The relative period of peace between Byzantium and Armenia during the second half of the 10th century led to a great deal of interaction between Armenian artists and their Greek counterparts. Armenian manuscript authors tended either to stress the natural look of the human body in illustrations or to forgo it and instead concentrate on the aspect of decoration.[53]
Armenian architecture during the Bagratuni era was especially prominent and "most of the surviving churches in present-day Armenia are from this period."[54] The city of Ani, situated on the important trade intersection between the Byzantines, Arabs, and merchants of other countries, grew throughout the 9th century both commercially and culturally, earning renown for its "40 gates and 1,001 churches."[19] The churches of this period expanded on 7th century designs; they were often steeper in elevation, introduced donor portraits in the round and incorporated ideas from Byzantine and Islamic architecture.[55] Armenian churches were invariably built out of stone and had vaulted ceilings which supported a spherical dome.[56] Many churches and other forms of architecture suffered vandalism or outright destruction following the Seljuk invasions of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
See also
References
- ISBN 9780195309911.
- ^ Grigoryan, M. G. (2012). Բագրատունյաց թագավորության սկզբնավորման թվագրության շուրջ [On dating the formation of Bagratid Armenia]. Lraber Hasarakakan Gitutyunneri (in Armenian) (2–3): 114–125. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ISBN 978-1-56859-141-4.
- ^ Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. p. 202.
- ^ a b c Ghafadaryan, Karo (1974). Անի [Ani]. Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia (in Armenian). Vol. 1. Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences. pp. 407–412.
- ^ Bournoutian, Concise History, p. 87.
- Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. pp. 42–43.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, p. 44.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, p. 45.
- ^ Bournoutian, Concise History, p. 74.
- ^ Bournoutian, Concise History, pp. 74-75.
- ^ Bournoutian, Concise History, p. 75.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, pp. 68-69.
- Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. p. 56.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, pp. 83–86.
- ^ Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. pp. 486-487.
- ISBN 978-0-312-10169-5.
- ^ Garsoïan, "Independent Kingdoms", p. 147.
- ^ a b c Toumanoff, Cyril (1988). "Bagratids". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica, Online Edition. Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-8047-2630-6.
- ^ Grigoryan, Principality of Taron, pp. 116–117.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, p. 242.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, p. 123.
- ^ Garsoïan, "Independent Kingdoms", p. 157.
- ^ Garsoïan, "Independent Kingdoms", pp. 157–158.
- ISBN 978-0-521-35722-7.
- ^ Runciman, Romanus Lecapenus, p. 131.
- ^ Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, p. 474.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, pp. 136–137. In Classical Armenian, this titled was rendered Shahan Shah Hayots Metsats (Շահան Շահ Հայոց Մեծաց).
- ^ Runciman, Romanus Lecapenus, p. 134.
- ^ Treadgold, Byzantine State and Society, p. 483.
- ^ Chamchiants, Mikayel (1827). History of Armenia, by Father Michael Chamich: From B. C. 2247 to the year of Christ 1780, or 1229 of the Armenian era. Vol. 2. Translated by Avdall, Johannes. Calcutta: Bishop's College Press. pp. 74–75.
- ^ Runciman, Romanus Lecapenus, pp. 156–157.
- ^ Chamchiants, History of Armenia, pp. 82–83.
- ISBN 978-0-500-02066-1.
- Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. p. 53.
- ^ Arakelyan, "Flourishing of the Bagratuni Kingdom", pp. 52-58.
- ^ Stepanos Taronetsi (Asoghik) (1885). Malkhasyants, Stepan (ed.). Պատմութիւն տիեզերական [Universal History]. Saint Petersburg: I. N. Skorokhodov. pp. 180–181.
- ^ Grigoryan, Principality of Taron, pp. 153–155. According to Sempad the Constable, the actual intent of the Byzantine army was to invade the Bagratuni kingdom itself; other historians have explained that the Byzantines also wanted to consolidate their hold over Taron, which had become a military theme when it was annexed in 966. See Grigoryan, Principality of Taron, pp. 153–154, note 165.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, pp. 168–171.
- ^ Bournoutian, Concise History, pp. 87–88.
- ^ ISBN 1-4039-6421-1.
- ^ Finbarr, Barry, "A Turk in the Dukhang? Comparative Perspectives on Elite Dress in Medieval Ladakh and the Caucasus," in Eva Allinger et al, (eds.), Interactions in the Himalayas and Central Asia: Processes of Transfer, Translation, and Transformation in Art, Archaeology, Religion and Polity, Proceedings of the Third International SEECHAC Colloquium, 25-27 Nov. 2013, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2017), pp. 227-54.
- ISBN 978-0-500-02066-1.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, pp. 234-236.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, p. 236.
- ISBN 978-0-226-33228-4.
- ^ Garsoïan, "Independent Kingdoms", p. 178.
- ^ a b Hewsen, Armenia, p. 112.
- ^ Garsoïan, "Independent Kingdoms", p. 179.
- ^ Ter-Ghevondyan, Arab Emirates, pp. 239-240.
- ^ a b Garsoïan, "Independent Kingdoms", pp. 176–177.
- ^ Bournoutian, Concise History, pp. 90–91.
- ^ Bournoutian, Concise History, p. 90.
- ^ Taylor, Alice. "Armenian Art and Architecture" in Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Alexander P. Kazhdan (ed.) New York: Oxford University Press, 1991, p. 178.
- ^ Kouymjian, Dickran. Arts of Armenia [Architecture] Archived 2008-12-31 at the Wayback Machine. Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno. Accessed January 3, 2009.
Further reading
- Grousset, René. Histoire de l'Arménie: des origines à 1071. Paris: Payot, 1947. (in French)
- Toumanoff, Cyril. "Armenia and Georgia." Cambridge Medieval History. vol. vi: part 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1966.
- Yuzbashyan, Karen. N. Армянские государства эпохи Багратидов и Византия, IX-XI вв (The Armenian State in the Bagratuni and Byzantine Period, 9th-11th centuries). Moscow, 1988. (in Russian)
External links
- Armenian History; Tacentral.com
- VirtualANI: Dedicated to the Deserted Medieval Armenian City of Ani On the architecture of Ani as well as general Armenian architecture.
- The Arts of Armenia by Dickran Kouymjian. Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno.
- Notable societies of Europe, 900 A.D.