Map Close  
Person info Close  
Information Close  
Source reference Close  
  Svenska
 
Index

Armenia

The Urartu Civilisation

Victory for Independence

Artashisian Dynasty on the Armenian Throne

Armenia caught between Rome and the Arsacids

The Acceptance of Christianity

Defending Christianity

Armenia Under the Bagratouni Dynasty

Cilicia - the New Armenia

Armenia Under Turanian Rule

The Renaissance or the Resurrection of Armenia

The Eastern Question

Russia in the Caucasus

The Armenian Question

Battle on Two Fronts

Tsarist Russia Against the Armenians

The Revolution of the Young Turks and the Armenian People on the Eve of World War I

The First World War

The Resurrection of Armenia

Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

- Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

Eastern Armenia

Western Armenia

"The Fateful Years" (1914-1917)

"Hopes and Emotions" (March-October, 1917)

The Bolshevik Revolution and Armenia

Transcaucasia Adrift (November, 1917

Dilemmas (March-April, 1918)

War and Independence (April-May, 1918)

The Republics of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia

The Suppliants (June-October, 1918)

In conclusion

Soviet Armenia

The Second Independent Republic of Armenia

Epilogue

Previous page Page 119 Next page Smaller font Larger font Print friednly version  
Besides the king, there were five social classes in the country: The nobility (Nakharar), lesser nobility or the free, the religious clergy, the bourgeois and the peasants.

Craftsmen made up a significant percentage of the population of the cities, living in the cities during the winter and farming their lands, on the skirts of the city, during the summer. 115

As in Byzantine and the Arab world, the professional classes in Armenia had established their own trade network. 116

Cultural Aspects

Needless to say, the establishment of the government of Bagratouni Armenia allowed for a new lease of life in the culture and development of the Armenian people.

During centuries of foreign rule in Armenia, the Armenian culture had sustained its existence and assured its survival. But now, under the rule of a national government, free from pressure, limitations and dependence of others, with peace, security and order, the right environment was created to foster the development and expansion of the Armenian culture.

The majority of Armenian authors have devoted their time to documenting the history of their people, and the most famous works from these authors cover the Bagratouni era. 117 Books about the 10th century include: the "History of Armenia", by Catholicos Ohannes IV, the "History of the Artzrouni Noble Family", by Thomas Artzrouni who belonged to the same family, and "The Life of Catholicos Nerses I", written by Mesrop. But the greatest author of this period is without a doubt Grigor Narekatsi (from Narek), who is the author of Armenian Pindars and religious psalms, which are truly inspired.

From the 11th century are books such as "History of Armenia", written by Stephan Azoghik, and the "History of Armenia", written by Oukhtanes, and the works of Mathéos and Grigor Magistros. A very evocative work is "The History of the End of the Bagratouni Dynasty and the Plundering of the Seljuk Turks", written by Aristakes of Latisvert, in which the author describes Armenians thus: "Naked they lie on the side of the road, tramped beyond recognition, driven out from their homes, captured and enslaved."

From the 12th century, after Bagratouni Armenia had lost its independence, we find Mkhitar Gos who has described the laws of Armenia in his book, "Datastanagirk" (Law-book). 127 The author, who succinctly connects the basic weakness of Armenia during the past centuries to the unlimited privileges of the feudal nobility, tried to, by creating a legislation of modern laws, strengthen the position and the rights of the royal court. Unfortunately this book came to late to save the Great Armenia, but instead was used by the new government in Armenian Cilicia, and here didd affect the constitution of the country by strengthening the position of the royal court.

The architecture of Armenia and its influence over the architecture of the western world

As in earlier centuries, it was within the field of architecture that Bagratouni Armenia, with its original and beautiful design, truly contributed to the development of the world civilisation and culture; for the Armenian way of thinking and creative art is expressed most clearly in architecture.