The History of Armenia
Map of Armenia (through the centuries)
Ancient Armenia (3500 BC - 520 BC)
Armenia is one of the oldest countries in the world with a recorded history
of about 3500 years. The oldest known ancestors of modern Armenians, the
Hayasa-Azzi tribes, also known as Proto-Armenians, were indigenous to the
Armenian Highland in Eastern Anatolia. These tribes formed the Nairi tribal
union, which existed until late 13th century BC. The legendary forefather of
Armenians, Hayk, famous for his battles with Babylonian ruler Bel, most likely
was one of the Hayasa tribal leaders. The words 'Nairi' and 'Nairian' are still
used by Armenians as poetic synonyms of the words 'Armenia' and 'Armenian'.
At the end of the second millennium BC, another Indo-European ethnic
group, closely related to Thracians and Phrygians and referred to by the Greeks
as Armens, migrated to the Armenian Highland from Northern Balkans. According to
a Greek myth, which actually reflects this tribal migration, the forefather of
Armenians - Armenios - was one of the Argonauts, accompanying Jason in his quest
for the Golden Fleece. In the year 1115 BC, king Tiglath Pileser I of Assyria
reports a battle with a force of 20,000 Armens in the Gadmokh province of
Assyria.
The mixture of Armens with the indigenous Hayasa eventually
produced the Armenian people as it is known today. The existence of two major
segments in the Armenian people is best of all illustrated by the fact that
Armenians call themselves "Hay" and their country "Hayastan" after Hayasa, while
other peoples call them Armenians and their country Armenia after the Armens.
The Armenian language is basically the language of Armens, which is the only
survivor of the now extinct Thraco-Phrygian group. It incorporated a large
number of Hayasa words and grammatical features, as well as a significant number
of non-Indo-European words from minor ethnic groups, which also took part in the
ethnogenesis of Armenians.
The first significant state of the Armenian
Highland was the highly advanced Kingdom of Ararat (with the capital in Tushpa,
today's Van), better known under its Assyrian name Urartu (Ararat). This state
was formed in the XI century BC and existed until VII century BC. Although
populated mostly by Armenians, Urartu was ruled (at least during the first
centuries) by a non-Armenian and non-Indo-European dynasty. In 782 BC the
Urartian king Argishti I founded the fortified city of Erebuni, which is today's
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Another major city in the Valley of Ararat was
Argishti-khinili, also founded by Argishti I in the year 775 BC.
In the
late VII century BC Urartu, weakened by Scythian invasions, fell, but after
several decades was revived under the Armenian Yervanduni (the Orontides)
dynasty with the capital in Armavir, former Argishti-khinili. The revived
kingdom was already called Armenia by its neighbours, but in some languages the
older name, Urartu, was still in use. In the famous tri-lingual Behistun
inscription of Persian king Darius the Great (522-486) the same country is
referred to as 'Armenia' in the Persian and Elamite versions, and 'Urartu' in
the Akkadian version.
Artashisian dynasty, First Armenian Kingdom
Armenia under the Yervanduni dynasty soon became a satrapy of the mighty
Achemenide Persia, and later part of the Seleucid Empire. It restored its full
independence in 190 BC under the king Artashes I, founder of the Artashesian
dynasty (the Artaxiads).
The kingdom started to expand and reached its peak
during the reign of Tigran II, also called Tigran the Great (95-55 BC). Under
Tigran, Armenia ascended to a pinnacle of power unique in its history and became
the strongest state in Asia Minor. Extensive territories were taken from
Parthia, which was compelled to sign a treaty of alliance. Iberia (Georgia),
Caucasian Albania, and Atropatene had already accepted Tigran' suzerainty when
the Syrians offered him their crown (83 BC). Tigran penetrated as far south as
Ptolemais (modern Akko in Israel). As a result, the empire of Tigran II
stretched from the Caspian Sea in the East to the Mediterranean Sea in West, and
from Mesopotamia in the South to the river Kura in North. Political
strengthening and territorial expansion of Armenia was accompanied also by
unprecedented cultural development, with rich cultural heritage of Urartu
intermixing with Hellenistic features. As a result Armenia during the
Artashesian period became one of the most Hellenized and culturally advanced
countries of Asia Minor.
After the death of Tigran II, Armenia was
reduced back to its ethnic Armenian territory and found itself in the middle of
a long war campaign between Rome and Persia, with each superpower trying to have
Armenia as its ally, as the military assistance with Armenia was crucial for
gaining political superiority in Asia Minor.
Arshakunian dynasty, Second Armenian Kingdom
In the middle of the I century AD a new royal dynasty - the Arshakuni (the
Arsacids) - was established in Armenia. This dynasty was related to the royal
family of Persia, which bared the same family name. At this period Armenia and
Persia enjoyed a long period of peace and cooperation, until in 251 AD the
Sassanid dynasty came to power in Persia. Regarding Armenia as the ally of the
overthrown dynasty, the Sassanids adopted anti-Armenian policy, trying to
eliminate the Armenian state and to assimilate the Armenian nation. Since the
Armenian religion of that period bared similarities to both Zoroastrianism and
Greco-Roman polytheism, in the realization of their anti-Armenian policy the
Sassanids were trying to capitalize on the religious closeness. In order to
deprive the Persians of this advantage, the Armenian king Trdat III in 301 AD
declared Christianity the state religion of Armenia, thus making Armenia the
first Christian state in the world, with Gregory the Illuminator as the first
head (Catholicos) of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Christianity was officially
legalized in the Roman Empire 12 years after Armenia became officially
Christian.
Arab invasion and Byzantine Empire
By the end of the IV century the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia officially
established their spheres of influence in Armenia. The Arshakuni dynasty was
dissolved in the year 428, and eastern part of Armenia was annexed to Persia,
while the western part was put under Byzantine rule. The Sassanids were forcing
Armenians to convert to Zoroastrianism, causing the Armenian revolt of 451 under
the leadership of prince Vartan Mamikonian, commander-in-chief of the Armenian
army. Although the Armenian forces, outnumbered by the Persians, actually lost
the legendary battle of Avarayr, and Vartan Mamikonian himself was killed, this
turned out to be a significant victory for Armenians, as Persians eventually
gave up their efforts to convert and assimilate Armenians, and were forced to
agree to much higher level of autonomy for Armenia.
The spiritual
independence of Armenia was further asserted in 554, when the second Council of
Dvin (capital of Armenia of that period) rejected the dyophysite formula of the
Council of Chalcedon (451), a decisive step that cut Armenians off from the
Roman and Greek churches as surely as they were already ideologically severed
from the East.
By the time of Arab invasion in 634 Armenia, ruled by prince
Theodore Rshtuni, was virtually independent. After conquering Persia, the Arabs
started to concentrate their armies against Armenia, but didn't manage to
conquer the country until 654.
Bagratunian dynasty, Third Armenian Kingdom
After more than two centuries of struggle with the Arab Caliphate, Armenia
regained its independence in 886, and both the Caliphate and Constantinople
recognized prince Ashot Bagratuni as the king of Armenia. During the rule of the
Bagratuni dynasty Armenia reached its peak in political, social and cultural
development. The capital of Armenia of that period, Ani, was a magnificent city,
known as "a city of one thousand and one churches". The Armenian architecture of
the Bagratuni period, especially the dome laying techniques, for which Armenian
architects were notorious, significantly influenced the Byzantine and European
architectural styles.
At the end of the 10th century the Byzantine
Empire, although ruled by an imperial dynasty of Armenian origin, adopted a
near-sighted policy of weakening Armenia and eventually annexed it in 1045, thus
depriving itself of an effective shield against disastrous invasion of Turkic
nomads from Central Asia.
Rubinian dynasty, Fourth Armenian Kingdom
Before the fall of the Bagratuni kingdom a number of Armenian princes managed to
escape from Armenia and found refuge in Cilicia, a region at the north-eastern
corner of the Mediterranean Sea, where Armenians were the majority of
population. In 1080 their leader, prince Ruben, founded in Cilicia a new
kingdom, which became known as Cilician Armenia, or Armenia Minor (Little
Armenia). The new Armenian state established very close relations with European
countries and played a very important role during the Crusades, providing the
Christian armies a safe heaven and provision on their way towards Jerusalem.
Intermarriage with European crusading families was common, and European
religious, political, and cultural influence was strong. The royal court of
Cilicia and the kingdom itself were reformed on Western models, and many French
terms entered the Armenian language. Cilician Armenia also played an important
role in the trade of the Venetians and Genoese with the East.
Enduring
constant attacks by the Turks, Mongols, Egyptians and Byzantines, Cilician
Armenia survived for three centuries and fell to Egyptian Mameluks in 1375. The
last Armenian king of Cilicia, Levon VI Lousinian, emigrated to France, where
his grave still can be seen in the St. Denis Cathedral of Paris. The title "King
of Armenia" passed to the kings of Cyprus, thence to the Venetians, and was
later claimed by the house of Savoy.
Armenia under turkish rule
After the fall of the Cilician Armenia, the historical Armenian homeland, or
Greater Armenia, was subject to various Muslim warlords, and eventually was
divided between the Ottoman Empire (Western Armenia) and Persia (Eastern
Armenia). Several Armenian principalities managed to preserve their independence
or autonomy. The most significant among those was the Federation of Khamsa in
Artsakh (today's Nagorno-Karabakh), which consisted of five allied
principalities. De facto independent Armenian principalities existed also in the
regions of Sasun and Zeytun in Western Armenia.
Being for centuries at
the edge of physical annihilation, Armenians nevertheless managed to preserve
and develop their national, religious and cultural identity. Apart from
architecture, Armenians successfully manifested themselves in literature,
painting, sculpture and music. Armenians were the 10th nation in the world to
put their language in print.
Armenian Question
In 1828 the Russian Empire captured Eastern Armenia from Persia. Contact with
liberal thought in Russia and Western Europe was a factor in the Armenian
cultural renaissance of the 19th century. In the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians
initially benefited with the rest of the population from the measures of reform
known as the Tanzimat, and in 1863 a special Armenian constitution was
recognized by the Ottoman government. These liberties were however unknown
outside Constantinople, and the condition of Armenians in Anatolia was
unbearable. A so-called "Armenia Question" emerged in the relations between the
Ottoman Empire - "the sick man of Europe" - and European superpowers. After the
Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, in which Eastern Armenians had taken part, Russia
insisted in the Treaty of San Stefano that reforms be carried out among the
sultan's Armenian subjects and that their protection against the Kurds be
guaranteed. This demand was softened at the Congress of Berlin, but the
"Armenian Question" remained a factor in international politics, with Great
Britain taking on the role of Turkey's protector until the end of the century.
Having lost most of its territory in the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire was
afraid of losing Western Armenia as well, which would mean the end of the
Ottoman dream of creating a pan-Turkic empire, stretching from Balkans to the
Yellow Sea. A new state policy was formed, aiming at the final resolution of the
"Armenian Question" through total annihilation of Armenians in their historic
homeland of 3500 years. During the reign of sultan Abdulhamid Armenian massacres
became a common phenomenon. In 1895, after Abdulhamid had felt compelled to
promise Britain, France, and Russia that he would carry out reforms, large-scale
systematic massacres took place in the Armenian provinces. In 1896 more
massacres broke out in the capital and in Cilicia.
Armenian Genocide
After coming to power in Constantinople, the Young Turks made the policy of "No
Armenians - no Armenian Question" their main priority. Taking advantage of the
favourable political conditions created by the World War I, they began the
"final resolution of the Armenian question" on April 24th, 1915, by executing
hundreds of Armenian intellectuals of Constantinople without trial. In Armenian
provinces of Eastern Anatolia all Armenian males aged 15-62 have been
conscripted, disarmed and executed. Defenceless Armenian women, children and the
elderly were deported to the Syrian desert Der-el-Zor; most of them were
brutally murdered on the way by Turkish soldiers or Kurdish nomads, or died of
starvation and exhaustion. More than one and half million Armenians, i.e. 80% of
the Armenian population of Western Armenia, perished in this first Genocide of
the twentieth century. Several hundred thousand survivors of the Genocide found
refuge in neighbouring counties, laying the foundation of the worldwide Armenian
Diaspora. By the year 1923 Western Armenia was completely de-Armenized, and
successfully incorporated into the newly formed Turkish Republic.
Nagorno-Karabakh movement
The 71 years of Soviet rule in Armenia were a period of relative security, of
great economic development, and of cultural and educational achievements. But
during the same period the government of Soviet Azerbaijan was conducting a
systematic policy of removing the Armenians from Nakhidjevan, which today has no
Armenian population whatsoever. The same policy was less effective in
Nagorno-Karabakh, where Armenians remained the overwhelming majority. In
February 1988 a peaceful, democratic movement for the reunification with Armenia
began in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the regional Assembly of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Region adopted a resolution seeking transfer of Karabakh from
Azerbaijan to Armenia, as a realization of the right of the peoples under alien
domination to self-determination. The Azeri side responded by Armenian massacres
in the Azeri cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku, transforming the peaceful
movement into a violent conflict, and lately committing an act of military
aggression against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The newly
proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh managed to defeat the invading Azeri
forces and to create a security zone around its territory and a humanitarian
corridor to Armenia. The negotiations on the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh
are being conducted within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, through so-called Minsk Group, co-chaired by USA, Russian Federation and
France
Restoration of Independent Armenia
Armenia restored its full independence on September 21, 1991, and became a
member of the United Nations on March 2, 1992. On January 25, 2001, Armenia also
became a member of the Council of Europe.
Source: United Nations (Official Site)
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