Материал: Payaslian S., The History of Armenia From the Origins to the Present

Contents

Part I Origins and Formation

1.Dynasties and the Geopolitics of Empire: The Ervanduni and the

4.The Cilician Kingdom, the Crusades, and

Part III Sultans, Tsars, and Tyrants

5.Armenia under Ottoman, Persian,

Part IV Independence, Modernization,

and Globalization

8.The Leninist-Stalinist Legacy: Seventy Years

9.Independence and Democracy:

Preface

This volume presents a survey of the history of Armenia from antiquity to the present, with a focus on four major themes: East-West geopolitical competitions, Armenian culture (e.g., language and religion), political leadership (e.g., nakharars or the nobility, intellectuals and party leaders), and the struggle for national survival. It places Armenian history within the broader context of secularization, modernization, and globalization. It would be mere truism to state that the geography of Armenia directly affected the local cultures and economies. The mountain chains and valleys across the historic Armenian land created distinct regions, each with its own local customs and interests. The Armenian Plateau, rich in natural resources, in times of peace became a center for international commerce, but precisely because of its resources and strategic location, it also served as a battleground for military competition between major powers, such as the Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman, and Soviet empires. The history of the Armenian people, therefore, whether in ancient or modern times, as in the age of King Artashes I in the 180s–170s B.C. and as demonstrated in the twentieth century and since the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, remains a constant struggle for security and survival.

This volume also challenges some of the conventional views on key aspects of Armenian history that are often presented through the traditional lenses of received wisdoms. For example, the historiography on the Armenian conversion to Christianity in the fourth century and the adoption of the Armenian alphabet in the fifth century is deeply rooted in theologically based analyses often blurring the line between history and mythology. Relying on more secular narratives (most of which are in the Armenian language), this book examines the political economy of the Christianization and transformation of Armenian culture. Further, one of the central themes in Armenian historical thought, as shaped by geographical determinism, has been the disadvantaged position historic Armenia had, and the current Republic of Armenia continues, to endure as a result of the lack of access to the sea. Of particular interest in this regard is the case of the Armenian kingdom in Cilicia (Armenian: Kilikia, Giligia),

which in fact had access to the sea for nearly two hundred years. Yet despite Cilicia’s various achievements, the advantages accrued from access to the sea proved nugatory, as the Cilician system failed to rectify effectively its shortcomings in international relations and internal governance.

This volume consists of four parts. Parts I and II (chapters 1 to 4) examine the emergence of the Armenian dynasties and the formation of the Armenian state as an independent entity, the role of the major powers in the development of the Armenian kingdoms, the conversion to Christianity and the adoption of the Armenian alphabet, and the strengths and weaknesses of the Armenian monarchies until the collapse of the last Armenian kingdom in Cilicia in 1375. Close attention is paid to some of the most successful leaders in the Armenian kingdoms, including Artashes I, Tigran the Great, Trdat the Great, and Hetum I. Part III (chapters 5 and 6) reviews the major issues involving the emergence of modern Armenian culture and political life in Western (Ottoman) Armenia and Eastern (Persian and later Russian) Armenia from the late seventeenth to the twentieth century. It focuses on the emergence of Armenian national movements, the conditions that gave rise to Turkish nationalism and the Young Turk dictatorship, the genocide, and the creation of the first Republic of Armenia. Part IV (chapters 7 to 9) evaluates the successes and failures of Soviet Armenia and reviews the reemergence of the Republic of Armenia in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the current international and domestic issues confronting the republic.

I shall be greatly satisfied if this volume makes the history of Armenia accessible to a wide readership and generates debates on the various issues it examines. The genocide during World War I abruptly cut short the numerous intellectual currents that sought to address some of the fundamental issues at the time, such as religion and secularization, cultural revival and nationalism, civil and political rights and good governance. Since then, the evolving historiography in the former Soviet Armenia and across the diaspora has made a considerable contribution to our understanding of some of the old and new themes in Armenian history. I hope this survey will contribute to that historiography. Above all, I hope this book will be seen as a product of my intellectual curiosity in issues and ideas rather than as an expression of loyalty to ideas and political agendas.

Throughout this volume, I employ a simplified transliteration based on Eastern Armenian phonetics instead of the more scientific system with diacritical marks, except in citations to sources that utilize such technical transliteration. Turkish words and names are spelled according to the style used before the alphabet reforms in the late 1920s (e.g., j instead of c). Words in languages other than English are italicized only at first mention. Also, while it is common to include maps and photographs in books of this nature, the availability and far superior quality of such material on the

Internet to those found in print would make their inclusion here superfluous. I have therefore included at the end of the bibliography a sample of Internet links where the reader will find various useful materials.

I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for Palgrave Macmillan for their suggestions and corrections that greatly improved the quality of the manuscript. Special thanks to Alessandra Bastagli, Yasmin Mathew, Brigitte Shull, and the editorial team at Palgrave Macmillan for their patience and for bringing this book to fruition. It gives me a great pleasure to take this opportunity to thank Professor John A.C. Greppin (Cleveland State University) for his comments and corrections on parts of the manuscript. I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Richard G. Hovannisian (UCLA) for his usual attention to details and for his invaluable criticism and corrections. Of course, I alone am responsible for any errors in facts and interpretations. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my intellectual debts to the pioneering historians of the previous generations: Leo (Arakel Babakhanian, 1860–1935), Nikoghayos Adonts (1871–1942), and Hakob Manandyan (1873–1952), and to professors Hovannisian and Nina Garsoian, who have all, as indicated throughout this volume, greatly influenced my understanding of Armenian history.

Thanks to my mother, Kohar Payaslian, my brother, Zareh Payaslian, and the Payaslian and Hedeshian families for their moral support and their understanding for my prolonged absences from and inattention to family affairs as I worked on this project. I want to express my deepest gratitude to my wife, Arpi. Without her love, patience, and constant support, I could not have completed this book.

Part I

Origins and Formation