Karen Yuzbashyan
Encyclopedia
Karen Yuzbashyan was an Armenian
historian
-orientalist
and expert on medieval Byzantine
-Armenian relations. Yuzbashyan was the author of over 200 books and articles in his lifetime (published in Armenian, Russian, and other languages) on the political, legal, and cultural aspects and relations of the two countries and a researcher on the development of Armenian studies
.
) in 1927, Yuzbashyan attended Yerevan State University
from 1946 to 1948 and studied at Leningrad State University (now Saint Petersburg State University) from 1948 to 1951, receiving his degree in history. He worked and carried out research at the Matenadaran
in Yerevan
beginning in 1955 until he transferred to the Leningrad branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies in 1958. In 1974, he received his doktor nauk
after defending his thesis on the work of the eleventh century Armenian historian Aristakes Lastivertsi
. Four years later, he was promoted to the head of the group for Historical and Cultural Studies at Leningrad's Department of Near Eastern Studies. From 1981 to 1991, Yuzbashyan headed the Leningrad branch of the Palestine Society. Just prior to the Soviet Union's collapse, Yuzbashyan was elected into the Armenian parliament and he served there for a term of five years (1990–1995).
Yuzbashyan's works spanned the early and medieval eras of Armenia's history. In 1963, he published the first critical edition of the Aristakes Lastivertsi's history (in the original classical Armenian language); he also translated Aristakes' work into Russian in 1968. In 1988, Yuzbashyan published a highly important work on the Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia
and its relations with the Byzantine Empire. Working at the Russian Academy of Sciences, he wrote in many international journals and participated in and organized numerous international congresses and conferences. He taught at Saint Petersburg State University and was the doctoral adviser of many students who entered the field of Byzantine studies. His most recent work (2005) was the compilation and cataloging of Armenian illuminated manuscript
s at the university.
In addition to works concerning Armenia's history, Yuzbashyan also completed a biography on his mentor, Joseph Orbeli
, in 1964.
. NS: X, 1973-1974. Армянские государства эпохи Багратидов и Византия в IX–XI вв. (The Armenian State in the Bagratuni and Byzantine Period, 9th-11th centuries). Moscow: Nauka, 1988. Ավարայրի Ճակատամարտից դեպի Նվարսակի Պայմանագիրը (From the Battle of Avarayr to the Treaty of Nvasark). Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences
, 1989. "L'Arménie et les Arméniens vus par Byzance." Byzantinische Forschungen. Pt. 25, 1999.
. March 29, 2009. Accessed April 25, 2009.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
-orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
and expert on medieval Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
-Armenian relations. Yuzbashyan was the author of over 200 books and articles in his lifetime (published in Armenian, Russian, and other languages) on the political, legal, and cultural aspects and relations of the two countries and a researcher on the development of Armenian studies
Armenian studies
Armenian studies, or Armenology is a field of humanities covering Armenian history, language, religion and culture.- Early scholars :*Lord Byron *Ghevond Alishan *Mikayel Chamchian...
.
Biography and scholarly activity
Born in Tiflis into the family of an engineer (originally from ShushaShusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
) in 1927, Yuzbashyan attended Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University is a university in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded on May 16 1919, it is the largest university in the country with 110 departments. Of its 3,150 employees, 1,190 comprise the teaching staff which includes 25 academicians, 130 professors, 700 docents , and 360 assistant lecturers...
from 1946 to 1948 and studied at Leningrad State University (now Saint Petersburg State University) from 1948 to 1951, receiving his degree in history. He worked and carried out research at the Matenadaran
Matenadaran
The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts , commonly referred to as the Matenadaran , is an ancient manuscript repository located in Yerevan, Armenia...
in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
beginning in 1955 until he transferred to the Leningrad branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies in 1958. In 1974, he received his doktor nauk
Doktor nauk
Doktor nauk is a higher doctoral degree, the second and the highest post-graduate academic degree in the Soviet Union, Russia and in many post-Soviet states. Sometimes referred to as Dr. Hab. The prerequisite is the first degree, Kandidat nauk which is informally regarded equivalent to Ph.D....
after defending his thesis on the work of the eleventh century Armenian historian Aristakes Lastivertsi
Aristakes Lastivertsi
Aristakes Lastivertsi was a medieval Armenian historian and chronicler. The author of many works, Aristakes' most valuable contribution in the field of the historiography was his History: About the Sufferings Visited Upon by Foreign Peoples Living Around Us , which described Armenia's relations...
. Four years later, he was promoted to the head of the group for Historical and Cultural Studies at Leningrad's Department of Near Eastern Studies. From 1981 to 1991, Yuzbashyan headed the Leningrad branch of the Palestine Society. Just prior to the Soviet Union's collapse, Yuzbashyan was elected into the Armenian parliament and he served there for a term of five years (1990–1995).
Yuzbashyan's works spanned the early and medieval eras of Armenia's history. In 1963, he published the first critical edition of the Aristakes Lastivertsi's history (in the original classical Armenian language); he also translated Aristakes' work into Russian in 1968. In 1988, Yuzbashyan published a highly important work on the Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia
Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia
The medieval Kingdom of Armenia, also known as Bagratid Armenia , was an independent state established by Ashot I Bagratuni in 885 following nearly two centuries of foreign domination of Greater Armenia under Arab Umayyad and Abbasid rule...
and its relations with the Byzantine Empire. Working at the Russian Academy of Sciences, he wrote in many international journals and participated in and organized numerous international congresses and conferences. He taught at Saint Petersburg State University and was the doctoral adviser of many students who entered the field of Byzantine studies. His most recent work (2005) was the compilation and cataloging of Armenian illuminated manuscript
Armenian illuminated manuscript
Armenian illuminated manuscripts form a separate tradition, related to other forms of Medieval Armenian art, but also to the Byzantine tradition. The earliest surviving examples date from the Golden Age of Armenian art and literature in the 5th century...
s at the university.
In addition to works concerning Armenia's history, Yuzbashyan also completed a biography on his mentor, Joseph Orbeli
Joseph Orbeli
Joseph Orbeli , 1887 – February 2, 1961) was a renowned Soviet orientalist and academician of Armenian descent who specialized in medieval history of Southern Caucasus and administered the State Hermitage Museum in Leningrad from 1934 to 1951...
, in 1964.
Notable works
"L'administration byzantine en Arménie aux X e - XI e siècles." Revue des études ArméniennesRevue des Études Arméniennes
Revue des Études Arméniennes is a prominent French language academic journal dedicated to the study of Armenian history, art history, philology, linguistics, literature. The journal was founded by two French scholars who specialized in Armenian studies in Paris in 1920, Frédéric Macler and Antoine...
. NS: X, 1973-1974. Армянские государства эпохи Багратидов и Византия в IX–XI вв. (The Armenian State in the Bagratuni and Byzantine Period, 9th-11th centuries). Moscow: Nauka, 1988. Ավարայրի Ճակատամարտից դեպի Նվարսակի Պայմանագիրը (From the Battle of Avarayr to the Treaty of Nvasark). Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences
Armenian Academy of Sciences
The Armenian Academy of Sciences is the primary body that conducts research in and coordinates activities in the fields of science and social sciences in the Republic of Armenia. It was founded on November 29, 1943...
, 1989. "L'Arménie et les Arméniens vus par Byzance." Byzantinische Forschungen. Pt. 25, 1999.
- "The Armenian War of 450-451: Some Interpretations." Journal of Armenian Studies. № 1, volume vii: Fall-Winter 2002-2003.
External links
Friends and Colleagues. "Умер К.Н.Юзбашян." Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of SciencesRussian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
. March 29, 2009. Accessed April 25, 2009.