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Smbat III and the Creation of the Lori Kingdom

When Gagik I died in 1020, he left two sons. His oldest son, Ohannes Smbat, was crowned King Smbat III. "He was peace-loving, and an incompetent person as far as concerning handling weapons and warfare, which was strongly related to his heavily overweight person. In contrast to him, his younger brother, Ashot, was a brave and skilled warrior." 60

With the assistance of the king in Vaspourakan and the kings in Georgia, Ashot managed to rebel against his own brother and conquer the northern part of the country. Here he founded a new Armenian kingdom, by the name of Lori. The two brothers signed a treaty according to which they would rule their own part of the country until the death of the other, at which point the survivor would rejoin these two countries in a united Armenia and rule as its sole regent.

This division took place at a time of time when the Armenian people, more than ever, needed its united strength in order to withstand the waves of assault of the Turanian tribes.