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

ieal Armenia had been subjected to sack by 1070, it must
be stressed that in several remote mountain areas, small
Armenian principalities continued their existence through-
out the llth and 12th centuries, although encircled by
inimical forces and under perpetual attack. These areas
comprised districts in northern and northeastern Armenia
(Gugark*, Siwnik', Arc'ax), plus southern and southwestern
Armenia (parts of Vaspurakan and Mokk'.and Sasun) .
Consequently, it would be incorrect to speak of "the
Turkish conquest" as being fully consummated in the llth
century. Some parts of Armenia never succumbed.
1 Armenian political control over much of the Armenian
highlands had been reestablished during the dissolution
of a powerful Arab empire beginning in the late 9th century.
The Bagratid state, the most powerful of the several Armenian
kingdoms which arose in the 9-10th centuries, apparently
remembered well not only the legendary glory of Armenia's
ancient Arsacid kingdom, but also the more recent extensive
unit of Armeniya , which had been named for Armenia, its
most important p§jtt Very much as the Muslim emirs of
Atrpatakan/Azarbaijan attempted to control parts of eastern
Armenia, basing their somewhat dubious claims on their
occasional duties as tax collectors in the period of Arab
supremacy, or on the more respectable claims of legitimacy
through intermarriage with local naxarar houses, so the
Bagratids attempted—with considerable success—to gain
control of the non-Armenian parts of Arab Armeniya
(see Ter-lewondyan, "Kust..." pp. 76-77). Already by the
early 9th century, a branch of the Bagratid family had
established itself on the Iberian throne. During the peak
of Bagratid power, under king Gagik I (990-1020), that
family controlled in addition to Iberia, an extensive state
stretching from Baaen district in the west, to near
Partaw/Barda'a in Caucasian Albania in the east, south to
Hanazkert and north to Samk'or city. In addition, that
kingdom had a number of vassals such as the princedoms
of Xajjen, Kogovif, Bagrevand, Gardman and the emirate of
Golt'n, while other areas such as the kingdoms of Vanand
and Tafjir-Joraget, the Kaysite emirate and the principality
of Taron were ruled by Bagratid family members and relations
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