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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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New Armenia, the Ally of the Crusader States (1095-1100)



After the death of Prince Rouben in 1095, he was succeeded by his son, Prince Constantine. Thus way Rouben was the founder of a new dynasty of Armenian kings who came to be known as Roubinian-Bagratouni. Constantine I expanded his domain by conquering a number of fortresses and defended his new realm against attacks from the emirs and the atabegs.

His rule, which lasted from 1095 to 1100, coincided with an important historical event, namely the arrival of the first crusaders to Cilicia. Prince Constantine and the Armenians stood beside the Christians of the western world and undoubtedly with their active participation, had an important role in the successes of the first crusade.

Laurent writes: "When the warriors of the first crusade came to the Taurus Mountains, tired and exhausted, the Armenians received these Christian men, who had come on a long journey, and were successors to the legionnaires whose brave men the Armenians had regarded as their brothers during the countless years in the service of Byzantine. Thus it was the Armenians who guided the crusaders and supplied them with provisions. And it was the Armenians who made the conquest of Antiochia, and later Jerusalem, possible. If the Armenians had not existed, the first crusade of the crusaders would have ended with the same sad outcome on the plains of Cilicia or Cappadocia as the first attempt of the Christian Armenians who tried to reach Palestine via Asia Minor." 10

As soon as the crusaders came to Nicea, they sent a messenger to the Armenians. Together with Baudouin de Flandre, stepbrother to Godefroy de Bouillon, the Armenians sent back a guide. This Armenian guided the great military leader and took him through Asia Minor. 13

Baudouin, who led the crusader army, altered his path, on advice from the Armenian guide, towards the east. Instead of marching directly towards the plains of Cilicia, he went to the mountainous Taurus area and later to the Marash plain, where he came in direct contact with the Armenian forces. Thereby he continued towards Ourfa. As Stevenson observes, it was only because of the Armenian assistance that he was able to conquer this area, create a principality and rule it 14 Hence the principality of Ourfa came to be a neighbour and an ally of Constantine and Baudouin strengthened this alliance by marring the nephew of Constantine.

Later Baudouin, who had reinforced his forces with Armenian units, continued to the plain of Cilicia where the crusaders gathered in order to surround the fortress of Antiochia.

The majority of the crusaders who had reached the plain of Cilicia were in miserable shape and were exhausted by fatigue and hunger. It was the Armenians who came to their aid, supplying them with provisions and food, saving many lives during the winter of 1097-1098. The Armenians continued to supply the crusaders with provisions until the arrival of spring when the crusaders, with the support of the Italian navy which had the dominion of the Mediterranean Sea, took over the responsibility of the transportation of food and provisions over sea. 15