History UsefulNotes / ArmosWithArmor

Armenia's borders would be subject to the political arm wrestling match between the Byzantine and Persian empires until the 600's, when the Muslim Arabs overtook Persia. After that all of Armenia was under Byzantine rule InNameOnly, as the empire had been too weakened by religious in-fighting to fully control the area, and the province reverted back to being self-governed by nakharars. Rather than fight the Arabs when they threatened to invade, Armenia negotiated a treaty with the Arabs under its appointed Byzantine governor Theodorus Rshtuni that stipulated taxation in exchange for peace. Neither the Church nor the militaristic Mamikonians were happy, but otherwise things were peaceful for fifty years or so. Once the Byzantine Empire pulled itself together in the early 700's, they decided they didn't like this arrangement, and started exerting more control over Armenia; the Arabs responded by annexing Armenia wholesale in a war between 701 and 703. Things were not pleasant under Arab rule; non-Muslims were heavily taxed and discriminated against. The Mamikonians organized three large-scale rebellions throughout the 8th century, all of which ended disastrously against the Arab army. The final revolt of 775 crushed the Mamikonians so completely their family was almost fully killed off and they faded from history, their holdings taken over by the Bagratuni family.

Armenia's borders would be subject to the political arm wrestling match between the Byzantine and Persian empires until the 600's, when the Muslim Arabs overtook Persia. After that all of Armenia was under Byzantine rule InNameOnly, as the empire had been too weakened by religious in-fighting to fully control the area, and the province reverted back to being self-governed by nakharars. Rather than fight the Arabs when they threatened to invade, Armenia negotiated a treaty with the Arabs under its appointed Byzantine governor Theodorus Rshtuni that stipulated taxation in exchange for peace. Neither the Church nor the militaristic Mamikonians were happy, but otherwise things were peaceful for fifty years or so. Once the Byzantine Empire pulled itself together in the early 700's, they decided they didn't like this arrangement, and started exerting more control over Armenia; the Arabs responded by annexing Armenia wholesale in a war between 701 and 703. Things were not pleasant under Arab rule; non-Muslims were heavily taxed and discriminated against. The Mamikonians organized three large-scale rebellions throughout the 8th century, all of which ended disastrously against the Arab army. The final revolt of 775 crushed the Mamikonians so completely they faded from history, their holdings taken over by the Bagratuni family.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geography actually made it a very difficult place to conquer, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system, in place since at least the 300's BC. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. For centuries the Mamikonian family, who ruled the lands around Lake Van, commanded Armenia's biggest army, and the head of the family was considered Armenia's ''sparapet'', or general, even long after the monarchy fell. To conquer Armenia, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. The system was somewhat akin to the clans of Scotland, the King himself held little more power than the nakharars.

The Kingdom of Armenia first came into being after the Romans defeated the Selucid Empire in 190 BC, leading a local general from the area, Artashes I, to declare himself King. Rome and Persia had their hands too full to object. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. This zenith of power came at a time when Persia and Rome were both weakened, and lasted a few decades, until Rome defeated the Pontic Greek kingdom and its king fled south to Armenia, prompting Rome to send troops into the heart of Armenia and capture its capital. Despite defeating Armenia, Rome had no interest in annexing the country outright just yet (due to both how costly it would be and out of fear of raising neighboring Persia's ire) and settled for some territorial gains and taxation. Gradually, after the Roman and Persian empires regained power, they chipped away at Armenia's territory until only Greater Armenia remained. Only a few generations after Tigran's reign Armenia briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. Armenia became a buffer kingdom between Rome and Persia from then on, whereas it's king would be approved by both empires. This went on until the Sassanid Persians overthrew the Parthians. When Armenia finally was partitioned between [[ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Rome]] and Sassanid Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's consent, as different families had different interests in both empires and most didn't like the monarchy. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

Armenia's borders would be subject to the political arm wrestling match between the Byzantine and Persian empires until the 600's, when the Muslim Arabs overtook Persia. After that all of Armenia was under Byzantine rule InNameOnly, as the empire had been too weakened by religious in-fighting to fully control the area, and the province reverted back to being self-governed by nakharars. Rather than fight the Arabs when they threatened to invade, Armenia negotiated a treaty with the Arabs under its appointed Byzantine governor Theodorus Rshtuni that stipulated taxation in exchange for peace. Neither the Church nor the militaristic Mamikonians were happy, but otherwise things were peaceful for fifty years or so. Once the Byzantine Empire pulled itself together in the early 700's, they decided they didn't like this arrangement, and started exerting more control over Armenia; the Arabs responded by annexing Armenia wholesale in a war between 701 and 703.

Armenia's borders would be subject to the political arm wrestling match between the Byzantine and Persian empires until the 600's, when the Muslim Arabs overtook Persia. After that all of Armenia was under Byzantine rule InNameOnly, as the empire had been too weakened by religious in-fighting to fully control the area, and the province reverted back to being self-governed by nakharars. Rather than fight the Arabs when they threatened to invade, Armenia negotiated a treaty with the Arabs under its appointed Byzantine governor Theodorus Rshtuni that stipulated taxation in exchange for peace. The militaristic Mamikonians weren't happy, but otherwise things were peaceful for fifty years or so. Once the Byzantine Empire pulled itself together in the early 700's, they decided they didn't like this arrangement, and started exerting more control over Armenia; the Arabs responded by annexing Armenia wholesale in a war between 701 and 703.

Most early mentions of the Armenian military come from Assyrian records where they (as the empire of Urartu) were often cast as AlwaysChaoticEvil invaders from the North. Urartu (existing between 828-585 BC) was formed by a confederation of Anatolian tribes who banded together to resist being conquered by the Assyrians; among these tribes scholars theorize were the ancestors of the Armenians. The Urartians used their position in the Anatolian Highlands to their advantage, Assyria was never able to fully conquer Urartu, and Urartu only finally succumbed to hordes of Sythians and Cimmerians attacking from the north at almost the exact same time Assyria did. It is probable that Urartu helped the Cimmerians and Sythians take down Assyria, only to be betrayed and invaded themselves shortly thereafter. However, what survived of Urartu eventually became what we know as Armenia today.

Most early mentions of the Armenian military come from Assyrian records where they (as the empire of Urartu) were often cast as AlwaysChaoticEvil invaders from the North. Urartu was formed by a confederation of Anatolian tribes who banded together to resist being conquered by the Assyrians; among these tribes scholars theorize were the ancestors of the Armenians. The Urartians used their position in the Anatolian Highlands to their advantage, Assyria was never able to fully conquer Urartu, and Urartu only finally succumbed to hordes of Sythians and Cimmerians attacking from the north at almost the exact same time Assyria did. It is probable that Urartu helped the Cimmerians and Sythians take down Assyria, only to be betrayed and invaded themselves shortly thereafter. However, what survived of Urartu eventually became what we know as Armenia today.

Most early mentions of the Armenian military come from Assyrian records where they (as the empire of Urartu) were often cast as AlwaysChaoticEvil invaders from the North. They used their position in the Anatolian Highlands to their advantage, Assyria was never able to fully conquer Urartu, and Urartu only finally succumbed to hordes of Sythians and Cimmerians attacking from the north at the exact same time Assyria did, when the two empires failed at creating an EnemyMine. However, what survived of Urartu eventually became what we know as Armenia today.

The Kingdom of Armenia first came into being after the Romans defeated the Selucid Empire in 190 BC, leading a local general from the area, Artashes I, to declare himself King. Rome and Persia had their hands too full to object. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. This zenith of power came at a time when Persia and Rome were both weakened, and lasted a few decades, until Rome defeated the Pontic Greek kingdom and its king fled south to Armenia, prompting Rome to send troops into the heart of Armenia and capture its capital. Despite defeating Armenia, Rome had no interest in annexing the country outright just yet (due to both how costly it would be and out of fear of raising neighboring Persia's ire) and settled for some territorial gains and taxation. Gradually, after the Roman and Persian empires regained power, they chipped away at Armenia's territory until only Greater Armenia remained. Only a few generations after Tigran's reign Armenia briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. Armenia became a buffer kingdom between Rome and Persia from then on, whereas it's king would be approved by both empires.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geography actually made it a very difficult place to conquer, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system, in place since at least the 300's BC. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. For centuries the Mamikonian family, who ruled the lands around Lake Van, commanded Armenia's biggest army, and the head of the family was considered Armenia's ''sparapet'', or general, even long after the monarchy fell. To conquer Armenia, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. The system was somewhat akin to the clans of Scotland, the King himself held little more power than the nakharars. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between [[ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Rome]] and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's consent, as different families had different interests in both empires and most didn't like the monarchy. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

The Kingdom of Armenia first came into being after the Romans defeated the Selucid Empire, leading a local general from the area, Artashes I, to declare himself King. Rome and Persia had their hands too full to object. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. This zenith of power came at a time when Persia and Rome were both weakened, and lasted a few decades, until Rome defeated the Pontic Greek kingdom and its king fled south to Armenia, prompting Rome to send troops into the heart of Armenia and capture its capital. Despite defeating Armenia, Rome had no interest in annexing the country outright just yet (due to both how costly it would be and out of fear of raising neighboring Persia's ire) and settled for some territorial gains and taxation. Gradually, after the Roman and Persian empires regained power, they chipped away at Armenia's territory until only Greater Armenia remained. Only a few generations after Tigran's reign Armenia briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. Armenia became a buffer kingdom between Rome and Persia from then on, whereas it's king would be approved by both empires.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geography actually made it a very difficult place to conquer, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. For centuries the Mamikonian family, who ruled the lands around Lake Van, commanded Armenia's biggest army, and the head of the family was considered Armenia's ''sparapet'', or general, even long after the monarchy fell. To conquer Armenia, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. The system was somewhat akin to the clans of Scotland, the King himself held little more power than the nakharars. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between [[ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Rome]] and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's consent, as different families had different interests in both empires and most didn't like the monarchy. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

The Kingdom of Armenia first came into being after the Romans defeated the Selucid Empire, leading a local general from the area, Artashes I, to declare himself King. Rome and Persia had their hands too full to object. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. This zenith of power came at a time when Persia and Rome were both weakened, and lasted a few decades, until Rome defeated the Pontic Greek kingdom and its king fled south to Armenia, prompting Rome to send troops into the heart of Armenia and capture its capital. Despite defeating Armenia, Rome had no interest in annexing the country outright just yet (due to both how costly it would be and out of fear of raising neighboring Persia's ire) and settled for some territorial gains and taxation. Gradually, after both empires regained power, they chipped away at Armenia's territory until only Greater Armenia remained. Only a few generations after Tigran's reign Armenia briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. Armenia became a buffer kingdom between Rome and Persia from then on, whereas it's king would be approved by both empires.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geography actually made it a very difficult place to conquer, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. To conquer the area, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. The system was somewhat akin to the clans of Scotland, the King himself held little more power than the nakharars. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between [[ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Rome]] and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's consent, as different families had different interests in both empires and most didn't like the monarchy. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

On the other side of the partition, although the ruling Arsacid dynasty had initially been of Parthian-Iranian origin, it had severed its relations with Persia when the rival Sassanid dynasty took over, and further when Armenia accepted Christianity in 301. While under Persian control, in 451, the battle of Vartanantz was fought by Armenians, led by Vartan Mamikonian of the Mamikonian nakharar family (who for centuries commanded Armenia's biggest army), against the Persians in order to resist forced conversion to Zoroastrianism (the first of many battles Armenia would have to fight because their neighbors didn't like their religion). Although a military defeat, the Armenians pressed on with guerrilla warfare for the next thirty years until the Persians, tired of fighting, allowed the Armenians to freely practice Christianity in exchange for forming an EnemyMine against the Huns, so it was really more of a moral victory. The battle of Vartanantz has the somewhat unfortunate distinction of being the first holy war.

Armenia's borders would be subject to the political arm wrestling match between the Byzantine and Persian empires until the 600's, when the Muslim Arabs overtook Persia and conquered Armenia as well. Later on during the Middle Ages the Cilcian Armenians became key players in TheCrusades, of course on the side of the Christian European crusaders. The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia joined European forces in invading the Holy Land during this time.

On the other side pf the partition, although the ruling Arsacid dynasty had initially been of Parthian-Iranian origin, it had severed its relations with Persia when the rival Sassanid dynasty took over, and further when Armenia accepted Christianity in 301. While under Persian control, in 451, the battle of Vartanantz was fought by Armenians, led by Vartan Mamikonian of the Mamikonian nakharar family (who for centuries commanded Armenia's biggest army), against the Persians in order to resist forced conversion to Zoroastrianism (the first of many battles Armenia would have to fight because their neighbors didn't like their religion). Although a military defeat, the Armenians pressed on with guerrilla warfare for the next thirty years until the Persians, tired of fighting, allowed the Armenians to freely practice Christianity in exchange for forming an EnemyMine against the Huns, so it was really more of a moral victory. The battle of Vartanantz has the somewhat unfortunate distinction of being the first holy war.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geography actually made it a very difficult place to conquer, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. To conquer the area, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. The system was somewhat akin to the clans of Scotland, the King himself held little more power than the nakharars. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between [[ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Rome]] and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's express permission, as different families had different interests in both empires. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

The Kingdom of Armenia first came into being after the Romans defeated the Selucid Empire, leading a local general from the area, Artashes I, to declare himself King. Rome and Persia had their hands too full to object. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. This zenith of power came at a time when Persia and Rome were both weakened, and lasted a few decades, until Rome defeated the Pontic Greek kingdom and its king fled south to Armenia, prompting Rome to send troops into the heart of Armenia and capture its capital. Despite defeating Armenia, Rome had no interest in annexing the country outright just yet (due to both how costly it would be and out of fear of raising neighboring Persia's ire) and settled for some territorial gains and taxation. gradually after both empires regained power they chipped away at Armenia's territory until only Greater Armenia remained. Only a few generations after Tigran's reign Armenia briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. Armenia became a buffer kingdom between Rome and Persia from then on, whereas it's king would be approved by both empires.

The Kingdom of Armenia first came into being after the Romans defeated the Selucid Empire, leading a local general from the area, Artashes I, to declare himself King. Rome and Persia had their hands too full to object. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. This zenith of power came at a time when Persia and Rome were both weakened, and lasted a few decades, until Rome defeated the Pontic Greek kingdom and its king fled south to Armenia, prompting Rome to send troops into the heart of Armenia and capture its capital. Despite defeating Armenia, Rome had no interest in annexing the country outright just yet (due to both how costly it would be and out of fear of raising neighboring Persia's ire) and settled for some territorial gains and taxation. Only a few generations after Tigran's reign Armenia briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. From then on, Romans and Persians both tried to create close relations with the Armenians.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geography actually made it a very difficult place to conquer, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. To conquer the area, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. The system was somewhat akin to the clans of Scotland. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between [[ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Rome]] and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's express permission, as different families had different interests in both empires. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

On the other side pf the partition, although the ruling Arsacid dynasty had initially been of Parthian-Iranian origin, it had severed its relations with Persia when the rival Sassanid dynasty took over, and further when Armenia accepted Christianity in 301. While under Persian control, in 451, the battle of Vartanantz was fought by Armenians, led by Vartan Mamikonian of the Mamikonian nakharar family (who for centuries commanded Armenia's biggest army), against the Persians in order to resist forced conversion to Zoroastrianism (the first of many battles Armenia would have to fight because their neighbors didn't like their religion). Although a military defeat, the Armenians pressed on with guerrilla warfare for the next thirty years until the Persians, tired of fighting, allowed the Armenians to freely practice Christianity in exchange for forming an EnemyMine against the Huns, so it was really more of a moral victory. The battle of Vartanantz has the somewhat dubious distinction of being the first holy war.

The Kingdom of Armenia first came into being after the Romans defeated the Selucid Empire, leading the local general from the area, Artashes I, to declare himself King. Rome and Persia had their hands too full to object. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. This zenith of power came at a time when Persia and Rome were both weakened, and lasted a few decades, until Rome defeated the Pontic Greek kingdom and its king fled south to Armenia, prompting Rome to send troops into the heart of Armenia and capture its capital. Despite defeating Armenia, Rome had no interest in annexing the country outright just yet (due to both how costly it would be and out of fear of raising neighboring Persia's ire) and settled for some territorial gains and taxation. Only a few generations after Tigran's reign Armenia briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. From then on, Romans and Persians both tried to create close relations with the Armenians.

On the other side pf the partition, although the ruling Arsacid dynasty had initially been of Iranian origin, it had severed its relations with Persia when the rival Sassanid dynasty took over, and further when Armenia accepted Christianity in 301. While under Persian control, in 451, the battle of Vartanantz was fought by Armenians, led by Vartan Mamikonian of the Mamikonian nakharar family (who for centuries commanded Armenia's biggest army), against the Persians in order to resist forced conversion to Zoroastrianism (the first of many battles Armenia would have to fight because their neighbors didn't like their religion). Although a military defeat, the Armenians pressed on with guerrilla warfare for the next thirty years until the Persians, tired of fighting, allowed the Armenians to freely practice Christianity in exchange for forming an EnemyMine against the Huns, so it was really more of a moral victory. The battle of Vartanantz has the somewhat dubious distinction of being the first holy war.

See also: TheGloryThatWasRome, RedsWithRockets, and RussiansWithRustingRockets (since Armenia is in much the same predicament).

Later on during the Middle Ages the Cilcian Armenians became key players in TheCrusades, of course on the side of the Christian European crusaders. The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia joined European forces in invading the Holy Land during this time.

On the other side pf the partition, although the ruling Arsacid dynasty had initially been of Iranian origin, it had severed its relations with Persia when the rival Sassanid dynasty took over, and further when Armenia accepted Christianity in 301. While under Persian control, in 451, the battle of Vartanantz was fought by Armenians, led by Vartan Mamikonian of the Mamikonian nakharar family (who for centuries commanded Armenia's biggest army), against the Persians in order to resist forced conversion to Zoroastrianism (the first of many battles Armenia would have to fight because their neighbors didn't like their religion). Although a military defeat, the Armenians pressed on with guerrilla warfare for the next thirty years until the Persians, tired of fighting, allowed the Armenians to freely practice Christianity in exchange for forming an EnemyMine against the Huns, so it was really more of a moral victory.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geographyactually made it a very difficult place to conquer militarily, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. To conquer the area, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. The system was somewhat akin to the clans of Scotland. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between [[ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Rome]] and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's express permission, as different families had different interests in both empires. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geographyactually made it a very difficult place to conquer militarily, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. To conquer the area, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between [[ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Rome]] and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's express permission, as different families had different interests in both empires. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered over the centuries, Armenia's geographyactually made it a very difficult place to conquer militarily, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces, each ruled over by a wealthy family, the head of which was called a nakharar. Each nakharar family had it's own private militia. To conquer the area, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between Byzantine Rome and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's express permission, as different families had different interests in both empires. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

Most early mentions of the Armenian military come from Assyrian records where they (as the empire of Urartu) were often cast as AlwaysChaoticEvil invaders from the North. They used their position in the Anatolian Highlands to their advantage, Assyria was never able to fully conquer Urartu, and Urartu only finally succumbed to hordes of Sythians and Cimmerians attacking from the north at the exact same time Assyria did, when the two empires failed at creating an EnemyMine. However, what survived of Urartu eventually became what we know as Armenia today. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. This zenith of power came at a time when Persia and Rome were both weakened, and lasted until Rome defeated the Pontic Greek kingdom and its king fled to Armenia, prompting Rome to send troops to Armenia. and capture its capital. Despite defeating Armenia, Rome had no interest in annexing the country outright just yet (due to both how costly it would be and out of fear of raising neighboring Persia's ire) and settled for some territorial gains and taxation. Only a few generations after Tigran's reign Armenia briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. From then on, Romans and Persians both tried to create close relations with the Armenians.

Despite the region's rap sheet when it comes to being conquered by anyone building an empire in the region over the centuries, Armenia's geography made it a very difficult place to conquer, with its numerous mountains and valleys. And from ancient to Medieval times it was made even harder to conquer by its social system. Armenian society followed a system similar to feudalism; the Kingdom was divided into provinces each ruled over by a wealthy family (the head of which was called a nakharar), and each nakharar family had it's own private militia. To conquer the area, an empire would have to go through each and every little province individually and defeat its army; taking Armenia's capital and killing the king wouldn't be nearly enough. So, when Armenia finally was partitioned between Byzantine Rome and Persia in 387 and its monarchy abolished, it was only with the nakharar's express permission, as different families had different interests in both empires. The nakharars under Byzantine rule, however, would soon find that the Justinian reforms robbed them of most of their power, including their right to a private army.

On the other side pf the partition, although the ruling Arsacid dynasty had initially been of Iranian origin, it had severed its relations with Persia when the rival Sassanid dynasty took over, and further when Armenia accepted Christianity in 301. While under Persian control, in 451, the battle of Vartanantz was fought by Armenians, led by Vartan Mamikonian, against the Persians in order to resist forced conversion to Zoroastrianism (the first of many battles Armenia would have to fight because their neighbors didn't like their religion). Although a military defeat, the Armenians pressed on with guerrilla warfare for the next thirty years until the Persians, tired of fighting, allowed the Armenians to freely practice Christianity in exchange for forming an EnemyMine against the Huns, so it was really more of a moral victory.

Most early mentions of the Armenian military come from Assyrian records where they (as the empire of Urartu) were often cast as AlwaysChaoticEvil invaders from the North. They used their position in the Anatolian Highlands to their advantage, Assyria was never able to fully conquer Urartu, and Urartu only finally succumbed to hordes of Sythians and Cimmerians attacking from the north at the exact same time Assyria did, when the two empires failed at creating an EnemyMine. However, what survived of Urartu eventually became what we know as Armenia today. At the height of it's power in the First Century BC, the Armenian Empire spread over parts of what is today the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. After its expansion under the leadership of King Tigran the Great, it confronted the [[TheGloryThatWasRome Republic of Rome]] and conquered a fairly sizable chunk of the ''entire Middle East''. Although only a few generations after Tigran's reign it briefly lost its independence (becoming a Roman province, and later a Persian one), it reaffirmed itself in the region with the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. From then on, Romans and Persians both tried to create close relations with the Armenians.

Although the Arsacid dynasty was of Iranian origin, it severed its relations with Persia when the rival Sassanid dynasty took over, and further when Armenia accepted Christianity in 301. While under Persian control, in 451, the battle of Vartanantz was fought by Armenians, led by Vartan Mamikonian, against the Persians in order to resist forced conversion to Zoroastrianism (the first of many battles Armenia would have to fight because their neighbors didn't like their religion). Although a military defeat, the Persians afterwards allowed the Armenians to freely practice Christianity in exchange for forming an EnemyMine against the Huns, so it was really more of a moral victory.

When the Soviet Union [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp collapsed]] and Armenia finally regained its independence, Armenia went to war with Azerbaijan over the Armenian-populated enclave of UsefulNotes/NagornoKarabakh (itself given to the Azerbaijani SSR by Stalin when dividing up the Caucasian SSR into the borders that Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan hold today), whose citizens had chosen to secede from Azerbaijan and declare independence. This war was essentially a continuation of the post-WWI battles Armenia and Azerbaijan had fought prior to being absorbed by the USSR, which did nothing but put the conflict on pause, in a sense. There were massacres on both sides of the conflict, sadly, and the war became fueled by GrayAndGreyMorality as it spiraled out of control. Russia and Turkey avoided becoming directly involved for fear of sparking a much larger Christian-Muslim conflict, though Turkey's sympathies remained towards Azerbaijan, and Russia provided Armenia with weapons under-the-table. Armenia earned several victories, of note being the capture of Shushi, when a cease-fire was declared in 1994, leaving the two countries in a very uneasy truce, with Armenian troops still occupying the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (or Artsakh) to this day. The frozen conflict could boil over into another war at any given time. And with Azerbaijan becoming increasingly impatient and violating the cease-fire, war could indeed be on the horizon, if the Azeris have their way. There have been peace talks mediated by Russia, but since neither side wants to concede anything (not to mention the conspicuous absence of any representative from Artsakh at these meetings), the talks have so far gone nowhere.

When the Soviet Union [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp collapsed]] and Armenia finally regained its independence, Armenia went to war with Azerbaijan over the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh (itself given to the Azerbaijani SSR by Stalin when dividing up the Caucasian SSR into the borders that Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan hold today), whose citizens had chosen to secede from Azerbaijan and declare independence. This war was essentially a continuation of the post-WWI battles Armenia and Azerbaijan had fought prior to being absorbed by the USSR, which did nothing but put the conflict on pause, in a sense. There were massacres on both sides of the conflict, sadly, and the war became fueled by GrayAndGreyMorality as it spiraled out of control. Russia and Turkey avoided becoming directly involved for fear of sparking a much larger Christian-Muslim conflict, though Turkey's sympathies remained towards Azerbaijan, and Russia provided Armenia with weapons under-the-table. Armenia earned several victories, of note being the capture of Shushi, when a cease-fire was declared in 1994, leaving the two countries in a very uneasy truce, with Armenian troops still occupying the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (or Artsakh) to this day. The frozen conflict could boil over into another war at any given time. And with Azerbaijan becoming increasingly impatient and violating the cease-fire, war could indeed be on the horizon, if the Azeris have their way. There have been peace talks mediated by Russia, but since neither side wants to concede anything (not to mention the conspicuous absence of any representative from Artsakh at these meetings), the talks have so far gone nowhere.

However, Armenia's independence came to an end for hundreds of years once the Seljuk Turks invaded from Central Asia in the 1100's and essentially (and violently) claimed Anatolia as their own. In the 1300's Armenia was absorbed into the Ottoman Empire, and later divided between the Ottomans and ImperialRussia after the Russo-Turkish War. The Armenians were essentially the Ottoman Empire's most obedient minority for most of its history, and fought in its military. Trouble began after the Ottoman Empire began to fall apart in the 19th century. Armenians along with the empire's other Christian populations would become [[TheScapegoat scapegoats]] for the empire's growing troubles, due also in part to revolutionary groups such as the Dashnak pushing for Armenian independence, and subjected to government-condoned massacres in the 1890's. Armenians did not take this lying down however, and in places such as the City of Zeitun were able to put up a resistance, defeating the [[TurksWithTroops Turkish army]] with simple pistols and rifles against overwhealming odds until the intervention of European powers mediated the conflict. These massacres, however, proved to be merely a test run for the atrocities that were to come.

When the Soviet Union [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp collapsed]] and Armenia finally regained its independence, Armenia went to war with Azerbaijan over the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh (itself given to the Azerbaijani SSR by Stalin when dividing up the Caucasian SSR into the borders that Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan hold today), whose citizens had chosen to secede from Azerbaijan and declare independence. This war was essentially a continuation of the post-WWI battles Armenia and Azerbaijan had fought prior to being absorbed by the USSR, which did nothing but put the conflict on pause, in a sense. There were massacres on both sides of the conflict, sadly, and the war became fueled by GrayAndGreyMorality as it spiraled out of control. Russia and Turkey avoided becoming directly involved for fear of sparking a much larger Christian-Muslim conflict, though Turkey's sympathies remained towards Azerbaijan, and Russia provided Armenia with weapons under-the-table. Armenia earned several victories, of note being the capture of Shushi, when a cease-fire was declared in 1994, leaving the two countries in a very uneasy truce, with Armenian troops still occupying the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh to this day. The frozen conflict could boil over into another war at any given time. Andwith Azerbaijan becoming increasingly impatient and violating the cease-fire, war could indeed be on the horizon, if the Azeris have their way. There have been peace talks mediated by Russia, but since neither side wants to concede anything (not to mention the conspicuous absence of any representative from Artsakh at these meetings), the talks have so far gone nowhere.