HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF
BATTLE OF AVARAYR EXAMINED

            Prof. Karen Yuzbashian of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg spoke on “The Battle of Avarayr and Its Historical Role” on Tuesday evening, March 13, at the Center and Headquarters of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) in Belmont, Mass.

            The war of 450-51 between the Armenians and the Persians, and the Battle of Avarayr in particular, have long been recognized as central to any understanding of early Armenian history.  Prof. Yuzbashian focused on some of the less-examined aspects of the events and attempted to place them in historical context.

            Armenia in the mid-fifth century, Yuzbashian explained, was divided between the Eastern Roman (later Byzantine) Empire and the Persian Empire.  Though much of Armenia was ruled by the Zoroastrian Persians, the authority of the Armenian Church and the Armenian princely families (the nakharars) was not disrupted.  This situation began to change around the mid-fifth century, as the Persian Shah Yazdgerd II increased the tax burden on the country and especially on the Church.  Following these disturbances the order came from Persia that the Armenians abandon Christianity once and for all and accept the Zoroastrian faith.

            As Yuzbashian explained, this ultimatum was designed to “make the Armenians ordinary subjects of the Iranian realm” and to destroy forever the Armenians’ sense of national consciousness.  Christianity had been the state religion in Armenia for a century and a half, and all of the structures of Armenian society were constructed around the church.  Thus, to abandon the Church and take on Zoroastrianism would have meant, in essence, to cease to be Armenian.

            A group of Armenian nakharars traveled to the Persian capital and were forced to renounce their faith; they returned to Armenia with a group of Magians (Zoroastrian priests) who had the task of converting the Armenian people.  The presence of the Magians on Armenian soil brought about the beginnings of the rebellion throughout the country, and the nakharars who had renounced Christianity, including Vartan Mamigonian, returned to the Church.  One of these nakharars, Vasak Siuni, who had served as the marzpan in Armenia, later betrayed the movement and sided with the Persians.

            The civil war in Armenia built to a climax with the Battle of Avarayr in late May/early June 451.  As is well known, the badly-outnumbered Armenians, led by sparapet (commander-in-chief) Vartan Mamigonian, were defeated and Vartan was killed; but the Persian losses were so substantial that it was hardly a victory for them.  The rebellion continued into the fall of the year.  Eventually, many of the leaders of the rebellion who survived Avarayr were punished for their role, but ultimately the rebellion was successful and Armenia remained Christian.

            Yuzbashian stressed that although the story of the Battle of Avarayr is frequently portrayed in terms of a clear battle between good (represented by Vartan) and evil (represented by Vasak), there were political reasons for the events which unfolded.  Vasak’s role has been distorted, he stated, and “in reality, Vasak sought to protect his compatriots from the danger threatening them.  Had his policy prevailed, the liberation of the Armenians would have come at a lesser price.”  However, the fact is that Vartan’s position of rebellion prevailed, and “we cannot determine which of the two policies was the wiser, nor what might have been the future of Armenia had its defenders immediately laid down their arms.  The difficulty is not only a matter of insufficient information; history does not accept tentative explanations.”  The only unquestionable fact is that Vartan’s rebellion preserved the religious freedom and, to some extent, the national identity of Armenia.

            Following his talk, Prof. Yuzbashian fielded numerous questions from the audience.  He was assisted by Prof. James R. Russell of Harvard University, who earlier had introduced Yuzbashian.  Displaying a remarkable depth and breadth of knowledge of Armenian history and culture of the period, Yuzbashian left the audience impressed with his ability to convey a great deal of detailed information in an accessible and engaging manner.  Following his talk at NAASR, Prof. Yuzbashian also spoke at Harvard University and in New York City.

            Yuzbashian is the author of numerous books and articles on medieval Armenian history and culture, including a book on the subject of Avarayr.  His recent work has focused on Armeno-Byzantine relations.  He was educated at the State Universities of Yerevan and St. Petersburg and received his Ph.D. degree from the University of St. Petersburg in 1974, with a dissertation on The Narration of Aristakes Lastivertci and the Decline of the Bagratid Epoque.  In addition to his scholarly work, Yuzbashian served in the Armenian Parliament and was a member of the Karabagh Committee.