This Bagratouni Armenia reached an astonishing position through by development and progress, and was on its way to becoming a major power. Unfortunately, this power was undermined by the independence of the Armenian principalities of Vaspourakan and Siuni;, the later separation of the provinces of Kars and Lori into their own small kingdoms. As Toynbee points out, this was a heavy loss for medieval Armenia which did not at that time have a king of the same calibre as Tigran the Great, a king who united Armenia Major and Armenia Minor in one Great Armenia, which in Ancient times existed for five centuries. 141
The existence of separate Armenian kingdoms apart from the Bagratouni Armenia of Ani, was in part a natural outcome of the feudal system, and in part due to the geographical shape of the country; however, the assets and resources would have better served had they been concentrated in one place.
The history of Armenia is very similar to that of Spain during the same period, the Spanish also liberated themselves from the Arabs and regained their homeland (8th-11th centuries).
Like Armenia, Spain is a mountainous country divided in several different provinces which are separated from each other by high mountain chains. At that time, several smaller local powers existed, including Astoria, Leon, Castile, Navarro and Aragon, each one fighting on their own, preventing the creation fo an united front action against the foreign enemy. 150
In spite of this division and seclusion, Bagratouni Armenia proved that able to withstand any foreign competition, from the Turkish emirs in Azerbaijan (Persian) to the Byzantine emperors and the Seljuk Turks, provided that they acted alone. In order to defeat Armenia, an sanctiomonious cooperation of Byzantine and the Seljuk Turks was required, in addition to domestic treason: Eastern Roman treachery and broken promises. According to Rambaud: "It was only after a long war, during which the Byzantine Empire played an unexpected role and allied itself with the Arabs, and after the defeat of the Greeks, that Ani, by an act of treason, fell in their hands." 151
This act of madness from Byzantine, which paved the way for the Turanian invasion is regarded as one of the most serious mistakes in history and its consequences proved once more that what was considered a threat for Armenia, was also dangerous for Europe.
In this way the achievements of one of the most outstanding and magnificent Armenian civilizations was lost in the 11th century, "the architectural magnificence and glory of Ani, the mighty Bagratouni army, the cultural life of Kars and the treasures of trade in Bitlis and Arzen." 152
By the beginning of the 11th century, Bagratouni Armenia was a well developed civilization. The junction point for trade between Byzantine and the Arab world, a country which was a blend of east and west, and thanks to its unique geographical situation, Armenia with its ideas and eccentric characteristics had reached a special status as the link between East and West. This duality leant originality to Armenia, much like the northern Germanic and the southern Latin combination which created the unique character of present-day France.
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