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

the west and southwest *
. Thus
Cappadocia and Armenia Minor
(P'ok'r Hayk*). areas which centuries earlier had hosted
sizeable Armenian populations suddenly became re-Armenlzed
on the ere of the Turkish invasions. The invasions
quickened the tempo of Armenian emigration and extended
its range in a southwesterly direction (into Cilicla) and
1
V .T '
emuryan, "Hayeri artaga t '
a depl gamirk '
llrd darum
[The Emigration of Armenians to Cappadocia in the lltK"
Century]", TgielsagiE #2(1955) PP. 75-83} V.K.Iskanyan,
"
Arcrunvac artagatt i magin [On the Arcrunid Emigration]"
Patina-banaairakan HandesCPBH] #3(1965) PP. 67-82. Without
a doubt, prior to the Saljuq, invasions of the 11th century,
it was Christian Byzantium in the west which posed the
greatest threat to the various Armenian kingdoms and princedoms.
Indeed, it is clear not only to modern scholars, but
the very contemporaries themselves recognized the fact that
Byzantium's ill-conceived policies vis-a-vis the Armenian
kingdoms were responsible in large measure for the success
of foreign conquest and penetration of Asia Minor. Already
in the mid-lOth century, Byzantium had seized the southwestern
Armenian district of Taron. To it were added
other western Armenian districts such as Der an, Mananaii,
Haiteank' and Palnaturn. Although frequently governed
by Bagratdis appointed by Byzantium, the prefecture of
Taron including the above-mentioned districts experienced
Byzantine administration for over 100 years before the
Saljuq conquests. Coterminous with Byzantine military
pressure on parts of western and northern Armenia, the
Empire attempted to Induce various powerful Armenian lords
to will their hereditary lands to itself in exchange for
new lands elsewhere. Thus did the last king of Vaspurakan,
Senek'erim Arcruni leave southern Armenia to settle in
Byzantine Sebastla (1021) which was given to him "in perpetuity".
Supposedly tens of thousands of Armenians from
Vaspurakan accompanied Senek'erim. By a similar route,
the Empire acquired the Ani-Sirak kingdom in 1040. The
last ruler of that state also received lands in Byzantine
Cappadocia, and also'quit Greater Armenia with thousands
of his followers. The consequences of Byzantine pressure
from the west were twofold. First, numerous purts of
Greater Armenia were stripped of their natural military
defenders, thereby facillitating Saljuq penetration.
Second, various areas of Cappadocia, North Syria, Cilicla
and Georgia became Armenized or re-Armenlzed with tens of
thousands of emigrants from Greater Armenia. The pace
of emigration quickened with the Saljuq invasions. See
succeeding two notes. Also H.W.Thomson, "The Influence of
72