Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan ( Armenian Վասպուրական , meaning: Noble Land or Land of the Princes) was an Armenian medieval empire in southwestern Armenia , between Lake Van in what is now Eastern Turkey and the Great Zab .
history
For much of its history, Vaspurakan was ruled by the Arzruni dynasty . The Arzruni established a principality on Lake Van after 800. At its peak in 908, Vaspurakan took the land between Lake Van and Lake Urmia . At that time Vaspurakan was under the Kingdom of Ani .
From around 800 the area was ravaged by Arab incursions. In 851 there was an uprising against the Arab rulers, which is sung about by the Armenian national epic Sasnay crer, "the crazy heroes of Sason ".
Vaspurakan became a kingdom after 908. The invasions of the Oghusian Turks from 1018 onwards led to the incorporation of Vaspurakan into the Byzantine Empire , which was the strongest non-Muslim force in the region. Matthias von Edessa reported in 1018 about a "barbaric nation of Turks" who attacked an Armenian principality between Van and Naxçıvan . According to his report, the Armenian army was confronted with "mounted, long-haired archers" for the first time.
In 1021, after negotiations in Trebizond between Basil II and David, son of King Seneqerim John , it was annexed by Byzantium in exchange for territories in Central Anatolia. The last king Seneqerim John moved with 14,000 families to Sebasteia and founded the cities of Arapgir and Akn in Cappadocia . As magistros strategist of Cappadocia and titular king, Senekerim-Johannes administered his fiefdom in Cappadocia and Lesser Armenia from Sebasteia. The strategos Nikephoros Komnenos incorporated Vaspurakan de facto into the Byzantine Empire from around 1022.
Under Byzantium, Vaspurakan belonged to the Basprakania or Media theme . In 1041, after King Gagik, son of John, sought refuge in Byzantium, the Seljuk ruler Tughrul Beg (poor. Tullup) attacked and besieged Ani. Ani was captured by Tugrul's nephew Alp Arslan in 1064 . In 1050 Basprakania was united with the theme of Talon.
After the annexation by Byzantium there was in 1004 with Derenic , son of Gurgen Khatchik , a ruler over Antzivaziq. He had two brothers named Gugik and Aschot. King Seneqerim Johannes' granddaughter later married King Gagik II of Ani .
Another part of the dynasty lived on with Khatchik the Great . One of his descendants later married King David of Ani .
In the 15th century, Catholicos Zacharias III tried . of Aghtamar for a revival of the kingship of Vaspurakan. His successor and cousin, Catholicos Stephanos V of Aghtamar (1465–1487), anointed Smbat Sefedinean , a nephew of Zacharias, as the only modern king of Vaspurakan in 1466 .
Ruler
- Hamazasp II, prince (800-836). Married the daughter of the Bagratid Ashot Msaker
- Aschot I. Abulabus Ardzruni, Prince (836–852). Son of Hamazasp II.
- Gurgen I. Ardzruni, Prince (852-853). Brother of Ashot I.
- Abu Djafar Ardzruni, Prince (853-854). Probably the brother of Ashot I.
- Gurgen II. Ardzruni of Mardastan, Prince. (854-857). Distant relative.
- Grigor Derenik Ardzruni, Prince (857–868). Married to Sdesia, daughter of Ashot I.
- Aschot I. Abulabus Ardzruni, Prince (868-874). Second time
- Grigor Ardzruni, Prince (874-887). Second time
- Gagik Abu Morvan Ardzruni, regent for Sargis Aschot (887–897), then prince (897–898)
- Sargis Aschot, Prince (898-900). Son of Grigor Ardzruni
Muslim governors
- Emir Afschin (900).
- Safi (900-901).
Local dynasty again
- Sargis Aschot (901–904)
- Khatchik Gagik III. Ardzruni , ruler of Rechtuniq (887–897). Prince of Northwest Vaspurakan (904–937). King of all Vaspurakan (937–943). Brother of Sargis Ashot
- Gurgen III. Artzruni, ruler of Parskahaiq (887–897). Prince of Southeast Vaspurakan (904–925). Brother of Sargis Ashot
- Derenic Aschot III, king (943–953). Son of Gagik III.
- Abuschal Hamazasp III, king (953–972). Brother of Derenic Aschot III.
- Ashot Sahak, King (972-983). Son of Abuschal Hamazasp III.
- Gurgen Khatchik, king (983–1003) and ruler of Antzevaziq. Brother of Ashot Sahak
- Seneqerim Johannes , king (1003–1021) and ruler of Rechtuniq. Also king of Sivas (1021). Brother of Gurgen Khatchik.
Empire structure
The kingdom of Vaspurakan had no fixed capital. The royal court moved from one city to another. These included, for example, Van and Ostan / Vostan (today Gevaş ). Vapusrakan was divided into a total of 35 cantons. These were named after the local ruler (ar: Nashrakar).
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Culture
The Church of the Holy Cross (ar: Surb Chatsch) on the island of Aghtamar was founded by King Gagik Arzruni between 915 and 921. The monastery of Varagavank (tr: Yedi Kilise) on Mount Varag 9 km east of Van was founded by King Seneqerim Johannes. It became the most famous and important monastery in the Van area. It was here that Chrimian Hairik later printed the first Armenian newspaper called Arciv Vaspurakani ( The Eagle of Vaspurakan ). The Armenian Archbishop of Van resided in this monastery until the late 19th century. The monastery was destroyed on April 30, 1915 in the course of the Armenian genocide .
literature
- Sirarpie Der Nersessian : Armenia and the Byzantine Empire: a Brief Study of Armenian Art and Civilization. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1947.
- Robert W. Thomson (Ed.): Thomas Artsruni , History of the House of the Artsrunik. Detroit, Wayne State University Press 1985.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hovannisian, Richard G.:Armenian Van / Vaspurakan, 1999, Mazda Publishers in Costa Mesa, CA. Archived copy ( memento of the original dated June 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Klaus Kreiser, Christoph Neumann A Little History of Turkey, 2009, p. 38
- ^ Gérard Dédéyan (ed.): Les Arméniens entre Grecs, Musulmans et croisés. Etude sur les pouvoirs arméniens dans le Proche-Orient méditerrannéen (1068 - 1150) , Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon 2003, ISBN 972-8767-14-5 , vol. 2, p. 1524
- ^ Robert H. Hewsen: Armenia. A Historical Atlas , The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London 2001, p. 116
- ^ Hewsen, Robert H .: Armenia: a historical atlas, 2001, The University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-33228-4 , p. 126
- ^ Robert H. Hewsen, Armenia: a historical atlas, 2001, The University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-33228-4 , p. 116
