Category Archives: HISTORY

Summary

Ararat M. Hakobyan

Key words – Constitution, Parliament, Sh. Shahamiryan, government, party, opposition, Democratic Republic, H. Kajaznuni, A. Sahakyan, agenda, Armenian assembly, proportional voting system, legislative and executive authorities, Bureau of the Board.

The idea of parliamentarianism has deep roots in Armenia, since the 18th century, when on the initiative of Sh. Shahamiryan and his party in Madras the work “Trap of ambition” was made up that is estimated as constitution. However, the parliamentary system of government was first implemented during the First Republic of Armenia.

RA parliamentary history can be divided into three stages. The first stage covers the period of the first convocation of the Board of Armenia from August 1, 1918 until the end of April in 1919, when the Parliament was the supreme organ of state power and its jurisdiction included not only legislative, but also part of the executive, administrative and even judicial functions. In the absence of the constitution and the presidency, the prime minister was considered to be the first official figure who, together with his cabinet, was elected by parliament and thus was accountable to the parliament and the latter could express trust or distrust with respect to the Prime Minister.

Armenian assembly was made of four political parties and none of them, including the ARF Dashkaktsutyun, formed a stable majority. This period can be regarded as democratic due to the formation of a coalition in the government (ARF and ADP), which ensured a stable majority for the smooth management of the country.

The 2nd stage of the parliamentary government of Armenia covers the second half of 1919 (from August 1) to May 5, 1920. At this stage, parliament and government were balancing each other. The overwhelming majority of the seats in the newly elected parliament belonged to the ARF Dashnaktsutyun (72 seats out of 80), and in these circumstances, the government again was elected by Parliament and was accountable to it. The ruling party ARF was a link between the government and the ARF Bureau.

The situation changed dramatically during the third stage (May-November 1920). After external and internal threats hovered over the republic (the May speech of Bolsheviks in 1920, the escalation of Turkish-Tatar disorders, the ultimatum of the Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan to Armenia, etc.), ARF Bureau had to take control of the country with all the staff (7 members and 3 candidates for membership of the party), while the Parliament was sent on forced leave for several months. It is quite difficult to speak of a parliamentary system of government at this stage.

Nevertheless, though during its short political life the First Republic (2.5 years) bore unusually difficult conditions, both external and internal threats, the lack of a constitution, as well as the lack of management experience and weak opposition and could not properly introduce the idea of parliamentarianism, one can be sure that during the Third Republic these ideas are going to be finally materialized and implemented.

Summary

Ararat M. Hakobyan

Key words – category, electorate, Central Committee, Party apparatus, J. Stalin, Ashot Hovhannisyan, revolutionary committee, Council of People’s Commissars, commissariat, heating part, responsible worker, drawing up a list of posts, branch structure, personal data, one-party system.

In the mid-1920s, on the example of the Soviet Union’s system of one-party Bolshevik nomenclature, the same emerged also in Soviet Armenia. It is known that in Soviet literature, one were not usually speaking about usually political nomenclature for political reasons, it was also prohibited to engage in such matters. The emergence of the bureaucratic nomenclature system is due to historical and political past of the Russia and monopoly political and economic regime established by the Bolsheviks. A unified procedure for registration of party workers and their appointment was developed. Special rations and privileges were established for responsible workers. By the degree of control all the posts were divided into three classes. Throughout the country there were at least four levels of nomenclatures, each consisting of three classes: 1st, 2nd and 3rd nomenclature i. e. there were 12 classes all in all. At the same time the nomenclatures had branch structures, the number of which has reached a dozen in Armenia. For persons included in nomenclatures, some personal cards were drawn up. County, and from 1930 regional nomenclatures became lower-level nomenclatures. According to archival materials it can be concluded that in that period the total number of employees who hold positions in nomenclatures of the Armenian SSR, was about 4,200 people. This system expanded and improved in future. She remained until the collapse of the Soviet Union and communist totalitarianism

The Forgotten “Great Prince” of 11th Century

Summary           

Karen A. Matevossian

Key words – Gregory VI Apirat, Grigor Magistros Pahlavuni, Hovhannes-Smbat, Kecharis, a double name, Grand Duke, protocol, emperor, Catholicos, son, daughter.

During the Bagratuni period the history of many of the princely houses in Armenia has not been studied in detail and are therefore artificially identified with better known Pahlavunis. Historians treated other noble houses of the 11th century Hasanyan the same way, identifying them with the Pahlavunis. The most well known representative of this family is mentioned in some sources as Gregory Magistros, in others, as Apirat.Comparative evidence shows that originally he was called by the dual name of Gregory Apirat. And the researchers often confused him with Gregory Magistros Pahlavuni.

Hassan’s son Gregory from the Bagratuni family was an eminent prince and was called by historians the “Great Prince”. The first time he is referred to as Magistros is in 1001 in Arzakan records. In 1003 he built St. Gregory Church of the Kecharis Monastery and also set up a canal in Yerevan. The prince’s brother, George who was the owner of the Keghi castle, built the church for the Havuts Tar Monastery in 1002. At a time Gregory Apirat saved the life of HovhannesSmbat, King of Ani, and afterwards was killed in Dvin in 1021. Despite the availability of this data, Gregory Apirat Magistros’s name is not mentioned in Armenian Academy’s 1976 and 2014 editions of history volumes, nor is it mentioned in the encyclopedias.

After his death, the prince’s children have gone under the care of the King Hovhannes-Smbat, who later married Gregory Apirat’s daughter to a famous prince named Vest Sargis. His sons, Apljahap and Vassak married the daughters of Gregory Magistros Pahlavuni. These families gave birth to prominent clans, such as Hasanyan-Pahlavuni, whose descendants have long used the name Gregory and Apirat separately and as a dual name, Gregory Apirat

Part II: Reestablishment of the Armenian Kingdom

Summary

Arman S. Yeghiazaryan

Key words – Ashot the Iron; Armenian kingdom; catholicos; historical period; coronation; Ashot, son of Shapuh; shahnshah; Sbuk; Gagik Artsruni; Abas.

Ashot the Iron returned from Constantinople in 919 and immediately restarted the liberation war against the troops of Yusuf, emir of Atrpatakan, who have already crowned Ashot-the brother’s son of king of Armenia Smbat I.

There were 3 kings of Armenia at that time: Ashot the Iron, Gagik Artsruni from Vaspurakan and Ashot, son of Shapuh, crowned by Yusuf.

Successes of Ashot the Iron forced the emir of Atrpatakan to recognize him as a king of Armenia.

After Yusuf was captured in 919, Subuk, new emir of Atrpatakan proclaimed Ashot the Iron as a king of kings.

After Yusuf released and returned he attacked Vaspurakan, then left for Atrpatakan. He sent to Armenia Nasr al-Subuki as a governor. The army of Nasr was defeated by the troops of Ashot the Iron.

In 924 the battle of Sevan Lake took place. The Arabian army headed by Bashаr was defeated.

After Yusuf has died in 927, Ashot the Iron could liberate Armenia from the troops of Atrpatakan, restored the state system of the kingdom and beginning from the last yeаrs of his reign for a century Armenia enjoyed peace and was developing.

Ashot the Iron played key role in the history of the Bagratids kingdom. The figures such Ashot the Iron in the world history are called heroes of the epoch or historical persons.

Part I: The Issue of Preservation of the Armenian Kingdom

Summary

Arman S. Yeghiazaryan

Ashot the Iron is one of the greatest figures in the history of Armenia. The period of his reign (914-929) has an epochal importance for the history of Armenia, because he managed to both save the Armenian kingdom from collapse, and restore the state system, which was destroyed during the prolonged invasion of the Atropatene ruler troops.

Ashot the Iron was declared as the heir to the throne in 903. In 910 he headed the Armenian army against the troops of Atropatene in Dzknavadjar battle, where his army was defeated.

After Smbat I the Armenian king (891-914) was captured, in 913 Ashot the Iron led the war against Atropatene and managed to liberate the central and north-eastern parts of the Armenian kingdom.

In 914 he was crowned and declared as the king of Armenia.

Soon he faced a number of serious difficulties, which forced him to appeal to the Byzantine emperor for help. In 915 he left for Constantinople, where he was received with honors. There he got the information about the new attacks of the ruler of Atropatene and hurriedly returned to Armenia. The Byzantine emperor sent troops to assist him against the enemy.

Summary

Sargis G. Petrosyan

Ancient vehicles of the Armenian Highland were massive four-wheel, with wheels without spokes. Hittite vehicles tiiarit =*diiaret were also of such kind. This word has probably not “Hurrian” but Indo-European-Armenian origin. The first component of the word corresponds to an arm. ti “big” (<I.-E. *dei- “shine”), and the second component – from ancient Arm. *aret (*a-ret<I.-E. *ret(h) “slide, spins, rotate”: cmp. ancient Hindu rոtha “vehicle, chariot”, Latin rota “wheel, circle” and so on. Chariots are known from the III millennium BC. by Sumerian images, but the center of the creation of wheeled vehicles were northern mountainous regions, with strong wood forests, where existed also metallurgy of bronze. These were the regions of the Armenian (Eastern) Taurus.

In the Hittite code of the laws of XIV century B.C. the tribes Manda and Sala were mentioned as the Hittite citizens, earlier exempt from duties. The representatives of these tribes are presented as fighters. The descendants of these tribes are the representatives of ancient Armenian naharar dynasty Mandakuni and Salkuni. Together they are also mentioned in the “History of Armenia” by Khorenatsi (II, 8), in ancient Armenian “Gahnamak” (47th and 48th) and “Zoranamak” (14 th and 15 th). So their possessions were in the neighborhood: nakharars (overlords) Mandakuni were the owners of gavar (province) Arshamunik, and Salkuni once lived in the south Arshamunik, in gavar (province) Taron. Hence, the ancestors of these nakharars (overlords) lived in the neighborhood in this area (in the north-west of Lake Van). Ethnonyms of the tribes manda and sala are of particular interest, because they etymologized from Indo-European-Armenian base. According to Khorenatsi, during the Trojan War Armenian commander Zarmayr together with the Ethiopian army went to the aid of the Trojans of Priam, though he was serving to the Assyrian king Tevtamos (I, 20; I, 32). In Greek sources of Khorenatsi originally it was not about the country of Assyria, but about the country Assuwa in the northwest of Asia Minor, as the name of Tevtamos is of Indo-European (Asia Minor, the Balkans) origin.

As for the “Ethiopian army” of Zarmayr, it is likely that there here too were originally mentioned the soldiers of Armenian origin. In our opinion, there was initially no ethnonym Ethiop, but the little-known archaic Armenian word * eti-iop “horse-drawn carriage”> “chariot”.

In the context of the cooperation of AR Federation and Khoyboun and regional developments

Summary

Aram S. Sayiyan

So far unknown pages of the cooperation among AR Federation and Khoyboun in the period of Ararat rebellion in 1926-1930, which was Kurdish people’s national liberation struggle, are discussed in this article based on newly discovered archival records and the handling of the materials. We have shown AR Federation’s comprehensive political, organizational and ideological support to the Kurdish movement, which secured its spread and success from 1927 to mid-summer 1930. The article unlocks the secret agreements among Ar Federation’s eminent figure Ruben (M. Ter-Minasyan) who has arrived to Teheran in 1929 and Iran’s court minister Temurtash, strengthening Armenian-Kurdish military cooperation and securing the Iranian authorities’ support.

Denying unfounded hypotheses spread by the Soviet historiography, the author of the article proves that it was not the Turkish army’s role that was decisive in the defeat of Ararat rebellion, but the Soviet Union’s support to Kemalist Turkey. Soviet Union’s overt political blackmail against Iran in August 1930 broke Reza Shah’s insistence and led to the termination of assistance to the rebels by small Ararat’s pathways.

Summary

Arman S. Yeghiazaryan

“Ashkharhatsouys” the monument of the Middle Ages Armenian historical geography preserves a detailed describtion of the north-western region Taik’ of the Greater Armenia. Taik’ included eight gavars or districts, which locations could be defined by the informations of “Ashkharhatsouyts”.

In “Ashkharhatsouyts” the gavars of Taik’ are described by two groups. The frist, which is mentioned from East to West and South, includes gavars Kogh, Berdats por and Partizats por. The second group is described beginning from the eastern part of Taik up to the western gavar Arseats por. It included gavars Djakatk, Boghkha, Vokaghe and Azordats por. The eight gavar or Taik’ Arseats por is presented by its geographical location to above mentioned gavars.

Up to the V century Taik’ included only the seven gavars of “Ashkharhatsouyts”s Taik besides Arseats por. As for Arseats por, up to 387 it was the part of the strategy (prefecture) Arsik’ or Arsesa of the Greater Armenia. In 387, when the Armenian Kingdom was devided, the south-western part of Arsesa – the gavar Sper was included to the Western Armenian Kiingdom, while Arseats por was included to the Eastern Armenian Kingdom. In the V century Arseats por was united to Taik’ and was owned by the Mamikonyans. Thus was formed the Taik’ region describing by “Ashkharhatsouyts”.

Summary 

Arman S. Yeghiazaryan

After prince of princes of Armenia Ashot Bagratuni was proclaimed king of Armenians and Georgians (887-891), the position of the prince of princes was preserved, but its functions were restricted. For more than 50 years only the members of the royal family with the right to inherit the throne were appointed to the position.
In the reign of the Armenian king Ashot I his son Smbat was appointed to the position of the prince of princes, in the reign of Smbat I – his brothers Shapuh and David and his son Ashot II the Iron (Yerkat), then in the reign of Ashot II his brother Abas and in the reign of Abas – his son Ashot. Afterwards Smbat, Ashot the Iron, Abas and Ashot, son of Abas inherited the Armenian throne. As for Smbat’s brothers, they were appointed as prince of princes because in 897-901 Ashot the Iron, the son and the successor of Smbat I was being held hostage.

Part I. Тhе rout of king Sargon II՚s campaign to Urartu in 714 B. C.

Summary

Aleksan H. Hakobyan

The detailed analysis of the texts of king Sargon II about his campaign east and north in 714 B. C. allows us to correct or clarify the route of the Assyrian troops in several cases. In particular, the small kingdoms Andia and Zikirtu mentioned between the countries Manna and Urartu are actually localized not to the east of Lake Urmia, but to the south and south-west of it; Zikirtu corresponds to medieval province Mahkertu (bordering Greater Armenia) in the river basin Barazgir, and Andia corresponds to “country Parsua” of early Urartian texts (on the southhern shore of Lake Urmia – “Great Sea of the East”), with the city Meišta / Misi.