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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

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Armenia Under the Rule of the Arab (645-859)

Armenia remained under the rule of the Arabs for two centuries and to some level the independence of the Armenian principalities was respected, in part due to the strong resistance the Armenians had shown in war. Armenia's neighbouring status with Byzantine had also, forced the Arabs to give up their dreams about the Armenians handing over their entire country to them. In fact, Byzantine occasionally took action and invaded Armenia on several occasions.

However, apart from the Armenian principalities which sustained their independence, there were places in the valleys of Araxes and Euphrates, with easily accessibly cities and plains. The Arabs managed to secure their positions here and built garrisons, especially in the cities of Dvin, Nakhichevan, Erzurum and Ganja.

The Arabs controlled these areas and forced heavy taxations upon the population. The people who were forced to pay these heavy taxes to the Arabs were driven into the abyss of poverty, a destiny which fell upon the populations of almost every country that the Arabs had invaded.

The Arabs tried on several occasions to force the Armenians to convert to Islam, but neither tortures nor promises could break the love of the Armenian people for Christianity, a faith which had transformed into a factor of existence.

The annihilation of Christianity in Armenia could only have been undertaken through the annihilation of every Armenian. Though this plan was impossible to realize in the mountainous regions where the fortified fortresses put up a formidable resistance, it was much easier to implement it in the cities situated in the valleys of Araxes and Euphrates, where the Arabs had absolute control. However, despite of the harsh treatment which the Arabs affected towards the people in the countries they invaded, they showed a relative liberal religious policy in these countries, once the initial ruthlessness in the conversion to Islam had subsided.

Their centre of power in Armenia was the city of Dvin, and it was here that they had appointed a governor general of their own, who commanded over 5,000 Arab soldiers. The first governor general, as we already have mentioned, was General Theodoros Rshtouni. Even the second and the third commanders were selected from among the Armenian noble families, and specially from the Mamikonian family. Following the first two appointments, the position of commander was given to Arabs, although there was still an Armenian representative by the side of the Arab governor, selected from among the noble families and acting as the supreme commander of the Armenian forces. This army, consisting of 15,000 men, was responsible for the defence of the country's borders against external threats and during war assisted the Arabs in their campaigns. This Armenian commander was the mediator between the Arabs and the Armenian princes (the ishkhans) and for that reason they were always selected from the princes of the Mamikonian, Bagratouni or the Artzrouni houses.

The history of Armenia during these two centuries of Arab rule, especially the history of the Armenian principalities, is described thoroughly in Laurent's work, "Armenia between Byzantine and Islam".

The Arabs were fully ware of the threats which these independent principalities with their warrior inhabitants and rebellious princes posed. Some of the caliphs argued in the following way: "To leave these brave warriors to themselves, since they are so far away from our court, is deeply worrying" 39 whilst at the same time admitting the Armenian princes were an invaluable resource.