This policy faced several difficulties. First from the Armenians themselves, since the powerful national party, which favoured the Persians for a long time, opposed the rule of Rome and the group of Armenian kings who were Roman subjects. In several failed experiments Rome tried to find a solution – something that made Tacitus write scathingly about the Armenians. When an Armenian or eastern prince, who had been educated in Rome, was put on the Armenian throne, he was too alien to the culture and the sentiments of his new country, and too ignorant to be able to create ties with the local noble families. When they selected a prince from among the local Armenian princes, even if he was approved by Rome, in time he would come up against the national party and the nobility who favoured the Persians. 99
These factors forced Rome to, annex Armenia to its empire, an annexation which Strabon advocated when he wrote: "But regarding the Armenians, they will not need anything else than the rule of the Romans over themselves. Only this can tame them and make it possible for us to keep them."
Another reason was the fact that among all the countries in the Roman Empire, Armenia was the one farthest from Rome. This was a decisive factor in those times when transporting troops and their supplies over long distances was a very demanding task.
At the same time we should not forget the warlike nature of the people of Armenia, especially the rebellious noble class, who were able to fortify themselves in their high fortresses among the mountains.If Rome wished to annex Armenia it would have been forced to keep several legions in the country.
There was yet another reason why Rome was willing to annex Armenia. From a long term political perspective the Romans no longer hoped to be able to make Armenia their ally against the Persians, since they were aware of the gradual change in alliance of the national party towards the Persians. But they could still use the Armenians as a shield against the savage tribes in the northern Caucasus and the Scythe tribes.
According to the plan which Pompey had drawn up, that Marcus Antonius ruined and that Augustus and his successors implemented, with the exception of Trajanus (Marcus Ulpius, 53-117, emperor from 98), the foreign policy of Rome was about having an independent Armenia under Roman influence. This policy excluded the annexation alternative, since the only Roman need of Armenia was its role as a shield in the east and northeast. If Rome was to annex Armenia it would risk inheriting the responsibility of holding back the tribes in Transcaucasia, something that would mean a new Germanium on the borders of Rome, while an independent and allied Armenia with its own army would be the best defence for the empire in this part of the world.
Later, during the horrible wars between Sasanid Persia and Rome, Armenia became an important ally for Rome. As Ferrero wrote: "The situation in the empire had since the time of Emperor Valerianus 100, i.e. from the time when the Roman Empire lost its defence and its most important shield against the new Sasanid Persia, become worse." 101
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