Muslim conquest of Armenia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Early Muslim conquests |
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 Arab invasions of Byzantine Armenia in Anatolia |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate |
Byzantine Empire Byzantine Armenia Sassanid Empire Sassanid Armenia |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Iyad ibn Ghanim Salman ibn Rabiah |
Theodore Rshtuni Constans II |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 100,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown killed 35,000 captured |
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The Muslim conquest of Armenia was a series of events where Muslim armies took control of the region of Armenia. This happened after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. By 645 CE, the part of Armenia controlled by the Persians had fallen to the Arab Rashidun Caliphate. The part of Armenia controlled by the Byzantine Empire was conquered earlier, between 638 and 639 CE.
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Early Arab Raids on Armenia
According to Arab historical records, the first Arab army reached Armenia in 639 or 640 CE. This happened right after they had conquered the Levant (a region in the Middle East) from the Byzantine Empire. The Arabs were led by Iyad ibn Ghanim, who had already conquered Upper Mesopotamia. They went as far as Bitlis.
A second Arab army arrived in 642 CE. This army split into four groups and moved into northeastern Anatolia. However, they were defeated by the Armenians and had to leave the country. After this loss, the Arabs only made a small raid in 645 CE from Caucasian Albania, led by Salman ibn Rabiah. This raid only touched the edges of Anatolia.
Major Campaigns and Armenian Resistance
A big campaign to conquer Armenia finally began in 645 or 646 CE. This was led by Mu'awiya, who was the governor of Syria. Mu'awiya's general, Habib ibn Maslama al-Fihri, first attacked the Byzantine part of Armenia. He surrounded and captured Theodosiopolis (which is now Erzurum, Turkey). He also defeated a Byzantine army near the Euphrates River. This Byzantine army had soldiers from the Khazars and Alans helping them.
Habib then moved towards Lake Van. Local Armenian princes from Akhlat and Moks surrendered to him. This allowed Habib to march on Dvin, which was the capital of the former Persian part of Armenia. Dvin surrendered after a few days of being surrounded. Tiflis, further north in Caucasian Iberia, also surrendered. At the same time, another Arab army from Iraq, led by Salman ibn Rabi'a, conquered parts of Caucasian Iberia (the region of Arran).
Armenian Accounts of the Conquest
Armenian historians tell a slightly different story, especially about the exact dates and details. However, the main idea of the Arab campaigns is similar to what the Muslim sources say. Armenian historians report that the Arabs first arrived in 642 CE. They went into the central region of Ayrarat and looted Dvin. They took over 35,000 people as captives.
In 643 CE, the Arabs invaded again from Azerbaijan. They damaged Ayrarat and reached the Anatolian peninsula. But they were defeated in battle by the Armenian leader Theodore Rshtuni and forced to go back. After this victory, Rshtuni was recognized as the ruler of Armenia by the Byzantine emperor Constans II. Soon after, the Armenians agreed to be under Byzantine rule.
When the peace agreement between Constans and the Arabs ended in 653 CE, a new Arab invasion seemed likely. Rshtuni then chose to submit to Muslim rule. In response, Emperor Constans himself led a huge army of about 100,000 men into Anatolia and Armenia. The local princes joined him, and both Armenia and Iberia returned to Byzantine control. After staying in Dvin for the winter, Constans left in the spring of 654 CE.
An Arab army invaded and captured the regions on the northern shore of Lake Van soon after. With their help, Rshtuni forced the Byzantine soldiers out of Armenia. He then secured Arab recognition as the main prince of Armenia and parts of Albania. The Byzantines, led by General Maurianos, tried to get control of the region back, but they failed.
In 655 CE, even parts of Byzantine Armenia were invaded. The Arabs took Theodosiopolis (which they called Qaliqala). They made their control stronger by taking Rshtuni to Damascus, where he died in 656 CE. They then appointed his rival, Hamazasp Mamikonian, in his place. However, when the First Muslim Civil War started in 657 CE, the Arabs lost effective control in Armenia. Mamikonian quickly returned to Byzantine rule.
Modern historians generally believe the Armenian accounts from that time are more accurate. It is clear that Armenia did not fully submit to Arab rule right away. However, in 661 CE, Mu'awiya, who had won the Muslim civil war, ordered the Armenian princes to submit to his authority again and pay taxes. To avoid another war, the princes agreed.
Armenia Under Caliphate Rule
Theodore Rshtuni and other Armenian nakharars (lords) accepted Arab rule over Armenia. Constans II, the Byzantine Emperor, sent help to Armenia sometimes, but it was not enough. The commander of the city of Dvin, Smbat, realized he could not hold out against the Islamic army. He surrendered to Caliph Omar and agreed to pay him tribute.
In 644 CE, Omar was killed by a Persian slave and was replaced by Caliph Uthman. The Byzantines were not happy that Armenia accepted Arab rule. Emperor Constans sent his men to Armenia to make them accept the Chalcedonian type of Christianity. He did not succeed in this goal. However, the new Armenian leader, Hamazasp, thought the taxes from the Muslims were too high. So, he sided with the Emperor.
Armenia stayed under Arab rule for about 200 years, starting formally in 645 CE. During many years of Umayyad and Abbasid rule, Armenian Christians had some political freedom and could practice their religion. However, they were considered second-class citizens, known as dhimmi.
At first, the invaders tried to force Armenians to become Muslim. This made many people flee to Byzantine-controlled Armenia. The Muslims had mostly left this area alone because it was rugged and mountainous. This policy also caused several rebellions. Eventually, the Armenian Church gained more recognition than it had under Byzantine or Sassanid rule.
The Caliph appointed governors called Ostikans. Sometimes, these governors were of Armenian origin. For example, the first ostikan was Theodorus Rshtuni. However, the commander of the 15,000-strong Armenian army was always Armenian. These commanders often came from the Mamikonian, Bagratuni, or Artsruni families. The Rshtuni family had the largest number of troops, with 10,000. This commander would either defend Armenia from invaders or help the Caliph in his military trips. For example, Armenians helped the Caliphate fight against Khazar invaders.
Arab rule was often interrupted by revolts. These happened whenever Arabs tried to force Islam or collect higher taxes (called jizya) from the Armenian people. However, these revolts were not always connected and happened at different times. They never involved all of Armenia. The Arabs used the rivalries between different Armenian nakharars to stop the rebellions. Because of this, the Mamikonian, Rshtuni, Kamsarakan, and Gnuni families gradually became weaker. The Bagratuni and Artsruni families became stronger. These rebellions led to the creation of the famous Armenian hero, David of Sassoun.
During Islamic rule, Arabs from other parts of the Caliphate moved to Armenia. By the 9th century, there was a well-known group of Arab emirs. These emirs were similar to the Armenian nakharars.
At the end of this period, in 885 CE, the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was created. Ashot I, a Christian king, became its first ruler. Both the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate agreed to recognize this kingdom. They wanted Armenia to be a neutral country between them. For the Caliphate, Armenia was better as a buffer state than a province because of the threat from the Khazars, who were allied with Byzantium. Ashot's rule and the kings who came after him brought a time of peace, artistic growth, and writing. This time is called the second Armenian Golden Age. We can see this in the beautiful churches built and the illustrated books made during this period.
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