Kingdom of Artsakh
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Artsakh is the modern name given to the medieval eastern Armenia
n state on the territory of Artsakh
(present-day Nagorno-Karabakh
), Gardman
and Gegharkunik. Contempororay sources referred to it as the "kingdom of Aghuank" or "Khachen". The royal house of Artsakh was a cadet branch
of the ancient Syunid
dynasty and was named Khachen, after its main stronghold. The kingdom emerged when John-Senecherib (Hovhannes-Senekerim) acquired the royal title in 1000. The monarchs of Artsakh maintained an internationally recognized sovereign status
, though in the early 13th century they accepted Georgian
, then Mongol
suzerainty
. They lost the royal title after the assassination of Hasan-Jalal (1214–1261) by the Ilkhanid ruler Arghun Khan, but continued to rule Artsakh as a principality, which from the 16th century comprised five Armenian melik
doms and lasted until the early 19th century. The descendants of the kings of Artsakh played a prominent role in the history of Artsakh as far as the 20th century.
Eastern Armenia
Eastern Armenia or Caucasian Armenia was the portion of Ottoman Armenia and Persian Armenia that was ceded to the Russian Empire following the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829...
n state on the territory of Artsakh
Artsakh
Artsakh was the tenth province of the Kingdom of Armenia from 189 BC until 387 AD and afterwards a region of Caucasian Albania from 387 to the 7th century. From the 7th to 9th centuries, it fell under Arab control...
(present-day Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
), Gardman
Gardman
Gardman was one of the eight districts of the ancient province of Utik' in the Kingdom of Armenia and simultaneously, together with the district of Tush, an Armenian principality. In the Early Middle Ages a feudal state of Gardman emerged on the area of Caucasian Albania...
and Gegharkunik. Contempororay sources referred to it as the "kingdom of Aghuank" or "Khachen". The royal house of Artsakh was a cadet branch
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
of the ancient Syunid
Syunik
Syunik is the southernmost province of Armenia. It borders the Vayots Dzor marz to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave to the west, Karabakh to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital is Kapan. Other important cities and towns include Goris, Sisian, Meghri, Agarak, and Dastakert...
dynasty and was named Khachen, after its main stronghold. The kingdom emerged when John-Senecherib (Hovhannes-Senekerim) acquired the royal title in 1000. The monarchs of Artsakh maintained an internationally recognized sovereign status
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, though in the early 13th century they accepted Georgian
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia was a medieval monarchy established in AD 978 by Bagrat III.It flourished during the 11th and 12th centuries, the so-called "golden age" of the history of Georgia. It fell to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by 1327...
, then Mongol
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
. They lost the royal title after the assassination of Hasan-Jalal (1214–1261) by the Ilkhanid ruler Arghun Khan, but continued to rule Artsakh as a principality, which from the 16th century comprised five Armenian melik
Melik
Мelik , from malik ) was a hereditary Armenian noble title, in various Eastern Armenian principalities known as melikdoms encompassing modern Yerevan, Kars, Nakhchivan, Sevan, Lori, Artsakh, Tabriz and Syunik starting from the Late Middle Ages until the end of the nineteenth century...
doms and lasted until the early 19th century. The descendants of the kings of Artsakh played a prominent role in the history of Artsakh as far as the 20th century.
Further reading
- Robert H. HewsenRobert H. HewsenRobert H. Hewsen or Hewsenian is Professor Emeritus of History at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey and is an expert on the ancient history of the South Caucasus.-Biography:...
. "The Kingdom of Arc'ax" in Medieval Armenian Culture (University of Pennsylvania Armenian Texts and Studies). Thomas J. Samuelian and Michael E. Stone (eds.) Chico, California: Scholars Press, 1984. ISBN 0-8913-0642-0.