23.06.2013 Views

The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

ABSTRACT<br />

TEE TURCO-MONGOL INVASIONS AND THE LORDS OF<br />

ARMENIA IK THE <strong>13</strong>-14TH CENTURIES<br />

ROBERT GREGORY BEDROSIAN<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>13</strong>-14th centuries was a period <strong>of</strong> great<br />

turbulence <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Araenian people. Over<br />

roughly 170 years (from ca. 1220 to ca. 140?) <strong>Armenia</strong><br />

wae subjected to no less than 15 <strong>in</strong>vasions <strong>of</strong> <strong>Turco</strong>—<br />

<strong>Mongol</strong> peoples. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Armenia</strong>n societies conquered <strong>and</strong><br />

controlled by <strong>the</strong> various nomadic <strong>in</strong>vaders froa Central<br />

Asia had already experienced conquest <strong>and</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ation by<br />

nomadic <strong>and</strong> sedentariz<strong>in</strong>g Turkic peoples two centuries<br />

earlier. <strong>The</strong> experience <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>vasion by nomads from<br />

Central Asia consequently, was not new to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Armenia</strong>n<br />

historical experience. But <strong>the</strong>re were differences among<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>vad<strong>in</strong>g groups, <strong>and</strong> differences with<strong>in</strong> any one<br />

<strong>in</strong>vad<strong>in</strong>g group.<br />

Just as <strong>the</strong>re were differences among <strong>and</strong> even with<strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> different <strong>in</strong>vad<strong>in</strong>g groups, so <strong>the</strong> sedentary <strong>Armenia</strong>n<br />

societies which came to be dom<strong>in</strong>ated were <strong>of</strong> different<br />

sorts. Subject to different political entities, <strong>the</strong><br />

various districts <strong>of</strong> "<strong>Armenia</strong>" <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>13</strong>-14th centuries<br />

were (<strong>and</strong> had been, historically) subjected to different

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!