The Bagratids: The History and Legacy of the Kings Who Ruled Medieval Armenia

At the height of the Roman Empire, the Romans sought to preserve their influence in Greater Armenia by employing foreign kings as proxies. In contrast, the Armenian people and their rulers strived to emancipate themselves from Roman hegemony and the dominance of their allies, aspiring to reinstate the sovereignty of the Greater Armenian Kingdom while reestablishing a mutually beneficial military-political alliance with the neighboring Parthian Kingdom.

The early medieval history of Armenia is characterized by a complex interplay of external pressures and internal resilience as the region navigated the competing influences of the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires. By the sixth century, Armenia had become a contested frontier, its strategic location making it a focal point for both empires and an emerging target for Arab expansion in subsequent centuries. Amid this geopolitical turbulence, the Armenian nobility—particularly the Nakharar (Princes) class—played a pivotal role in maintaining a semblance of political and cultural autonomy. Among these noble families, the Bagratunis rose to prominence, adeptly maneuvering through periods of foreign domination to establish the Bagratuni (Bagratid) dynasty in 885.

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