''Nakharar'' ( hy, նախարար ''naxarar'', from Parthian ''naxvadār'' "holder of the primacy""նախարար" in H. Ačaṙean (1926–35), ''Hayerēn Armatakan Baṙaran'' (Yerevan: Yerevan State University), 2nd ed., 1971–79) was a hereditary title of the highest order given to houses of the ancient and medieval Armenian nobility.

''Nakharar'' system

Medieval Armenia was divided into large estates, which were the property of an enlarged noble family and were ruled by a member of it, to whom the title of ''nahapet'' "chief of the family" or ''

tanuter Tanuter ( xcl, տանուտէր, literally ''house + lord'') was the head of an Armenian nakharar house in ancient and medieval Armenia. Prior to the Russian annexation of Eastern Armenia Eastern Armenia ( hy, Արևելյան Հայաստան ...

'' "master of the house" was given. Other members of a ''nakharar'' family in their turn ruled over smaller portions of the family estate. ''Nakharars'' with greater authority were recognized as '' ishkhans'' (princes). This system has often been labelled as feudal for practical purposes; however, there are differences between this system and the feudal system later adopted in Western Europe. The estate as a whole was actually ruled by a single person, it was nonetheless considered the property of his whole enlarged family, so that, if the ruler died heirless, he was succeeded by a member of a different branch of the family. Furthermore, the ruler was allowed to alienate a part of the family estate only to another member of the family or by permission of the whole enlarged family. This may also explain why Armenian feudal families were normally endogamic, in order not to scatter parts of their property, as would have happened if they had to give a part of their property to another family as dowry. Endogamic marriages had a religious reason too, particularly before Christianity, because Armenian paganism favoured marriages between relatives very highly. Each ''nakharar'' had his own army, depending on his domain. The national force or "royal cavalry" was under the '' sparapet'', a commander-in-chief who presided over the whole of the nation. After the country's Christianization, schools and courts were all run by the Armenian clergy. In 4th-century Armenia, as in Parthia, large estates were hereditarily possessed by noble families and actually ruled by one of their members. The whole enlarged family was devoted to the worship of the same ancestors, lived in small fortified villages and spent most part of their time in hunting and in banqueting. Furthermore, each ''nakharar'' family had a particular social function: in Armenia a member of the Arshakuni family was chosen as king, who was consequently a sort of primus inter pares; the Mamikonians fielded the ''sparapet'', one of the Bagratunis was the cavalry chief ('' aspet'') and king crowner (''tagadir''), and so on.

History of the ''nakharars''

The origin of the ''nakharars'' seems to stretch back to pagan Armenia, which coexisted with the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

and

Parthian Empire The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conqu ...

s, and they are mentioned to have pillaged many pagan temples when Armenia's conversion to Christianity began under Tiridates III. The ''nakharars'' survived the fall of the Arshakuni dynasty and the subsequent placement of the Marzban Governor-Generals by Sassanid king, and allowed a great deal of autonomy for the vassal state, up until the attempted conversion of Armenia to Zoroastrianism by Yazdegerd II, in which Vartan Mamikonian led a rebellion, and through the Battle of Vartanantz convinced the Persians that conversion would come at too high a price, eventually leading to the

Nvarsak Treaty The Treaty of Nvarsak (also spelled Nuarsak) was signed between the Armenian rebel leader Vahan Mamikonian and the representatives of the Sasanian King of Kings (''shahanshah'') Balash () at Nvarsak in 484. Overview The Nvarsak Treaty was conclu ...

. In western Armenia under Byzantine rule, Justinian's reforms removed the martial role of the ''nakharars'', as well as attempting to annex estates from Armenian nobles. The ''nakharars'', angered at their restriction in power, began a full-scale insurrection that had to be quelled through swift military intervention, eventually sparking war with the Sassanids. Though weakened by numerous invasions and the legal reforms of Kings, the ''nakharar'' structure remained virtually unchanged for many centuries and was finally eliminated during the

Mongol invasions The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire (1206-1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastation ...

in the thirteenth century. Certain aspects of the ''nakharar'' system remained intact in Armenia until the early 20th century, when the noble class was altogether abolished by the Bolsheviks.

''Nakharar'' system

History of the ''nakharars''

References

Further reading