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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 Between the Arab and Byzantine Empires

Despite the two centuries of Arab occupation in the major valleys of Armenia, where they had stationed their garrisons, and the changes the Arabs managed to accomplish among the Armenian principalities, the Armenian people were still able to maintain their independent principalities and prevent the Arabs from conquering the Armenian nation.

In their struggle against the Arabs and their attempts to drive them completely out of the country, the Armenians at least continued the resistance from the mountains. At the same time, the vicinity of the Byzantine Empire posed a constant threat to the Arabs and compelled them to relinquish the idea of a concentrated and prolonged battle against Armenia (of the same kind which the Russians carried out during the 19th century in the northern Caucasus). In any case, victory would only have been theirs had the Arabs eliminated the fortresses of the fighting Armenian princes, situated in the high mountains, one by one.

Byzantine, in its turn, also attempted also to conquer Armenia and even invaded a part of the country during some of the uprisings. Although the Armenians called for help from Byzantine in the most difficult situations, they generally opposed the presence of Byzantine forces in the country.

There were several factors preventing a durable and complete union between Armenia and Byzantine: the religious differences between them; the mistrust felt by the Armenian principalities, which were supported by the Arabs but threatened by the mighty centralised power of the Byzantine system, and finally the ever-present policy of Byzantine to annex of the whole of Armenia into its empire.

The Arabs realised, early on the delicacy of the geographical situation. Despite resistance and revolts from the Armenian principalities and the occasional assistances they received from Byzantine in wars against the Arabs, the caliphate was aware of the advantages at the existing independent principalities held.

This period in Armenian history, when the country was caught between the Byzantine and Arab Empires, holds a close comparison to its earlier experience sandwiched between the Roman Empire and Arsacid Persia.

Laurent summarizes his work, dedicated to this period, in the following way: "Situated on the borders between the Byzantine and the Arab Empires, Armenia was quite far away and difficult to access, a place where the two great superpowers could not start any adventures nor keep their troops, apart from the occasions when the warrior and heavily armed inhabitants, with a fanatic decisiveness in defending their independence, did not use the narrow passes in the mountains or the high walls of their highly situated fortresses. The Arabs were never able to strike down the Armenian forces. Prior to this decisive matter they always had to consider their own continuously weakening government and the external threats from Byzantine, and in order to avoid driving the Armenians more towards the Greeks, the Arabs let them be and even agreed upon some privileges. On the other hand, every time the Arabs tried to conquer Armenia, Byzantine was forced to forget about its grudge against the Armenians and protect the country, since the existence of Armenia averted the great threat against Constantinople, of Islam reaching the shores of the Black Sea. In this way the interests of the two superpowers, Byzantine and the Arab, forced them to keep alive the very people who they knew were warriors and rebellious and a great deal of trouble, but at the same time they could not disregard the advantages of having them on their side. Armenia between the Arabs and Byzantine was always a victim in the continuous struggle for power between these two, and one can say that the country became part of their gambling game. The country suffered hits from both sides, but also managed to, during long periods of time, use the competition between the two and play them against each other, submitting getting entirely to the rule of one side." 45