It was during the war of Emperor Heraclius against the Sasanid Persia, in the beginning of the 7th century, a wat which is regarded as one of the most eventful battles of Byzantine, that the Armenians truly distinguished themselves. At that time, the Persian king, Khosro Parviz, had by means of a surprise attack managed to conquer Syria, Mesopotamia and the whole of Asia Minor. It was only the marine superiority of Byzantine and the strength of its fleet which prevented Khosro Parviz from crossing the Bosporus and dealing the decisive blow to Constantinople, which at the same time was under attack from the north by barbarian savages. Heraclius, the emperor of Byzantine, who has been compared to Trajanus and who according Guillaume de Tyr, was the first real crusader, succeeded by way of a number of sea and land-campaigns to turn their defensive position to an offensive. As initial step he landed a unit in northern Syria, but his main campaign concentrated on landing forces at the coast of the Black Sea and, passing through Armenia, staging an assault on the enemy in the northern Mesopotamia. The strike was intended to break the contact of the Persians, who still had control over Asia Minor, with their central headquarters in Persia. The battle which determined the outcome of the war took place in the vicinity of present-day Mosul. The Sasanid king, who knew that everything depended upon this battle and did not believe in making excuses for defeat, turned to his commander Razates and said: "If you can not be victorious, then you can at least die." The Byzantine army achieved a complete victory. In this battle the Armenian units played an important role under the leadership of Méjég Gnouni.
Armenian soldiers in the Byzantine army are cited during the following centuries, especially during the 9th and the 10th centuries, which might have been the period of greatest participation of the Armenians in the Byzantine army. Byzantine and Arab historians are unanimous in recognising significance of the Armenians soldiers. Charles Diehl, for instance, writes: "The Armenian units, particularly during this period, were numerous and well trained." 24 Another Byzantine historian praises the decisive role which the Armenian infantry played in the victories of the Byzantine emperors Nicephorus Phocas and John Tzimiskes. 25
At that time the Armenians served side by side with the Scandinavians who were in the Byzantine army. This first encounter between the Armenian mountain-dwellers and the northern people has been discussed by Nansen, who brings these two elements closer to each other and records: "It was the Armenians who together with our Scandinavian forefathers made up the assault units of Byzantine." 26 Moreover, Bussel underlines the similarities in the way of thinking and the spirit of the Armenian feudal lords and the northern warriors. He claims that, in both groups, there was a strange absence and ignorance of government and public interest and at the same time an equally large interest in achieving personal distinctions and a loyalty towards their masters and leaders. 27
One section of the Armenians constituent was divided into special units, under the leadership of the Armenian nobility and fought side by side as allies with the Byzantine armies. The other section formed part of the Byzantine units in accordance to the famous Byzantine military clause Armeniacus. From the 12th century onwards, when Armenia and the Armenian provinces of Byzantine fell into the hands of the Turks, this source of mercenariesdried up, yet one more reason why the loss of Asia Minor was catastrophic for the Byzantine Empire.
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