Vaspurakan
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Vaspurakan (,
Western Armenian Western Armenian ( Classical spelling: , ) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Eastern Armenian. It is based mainly on the Istanbul Armenian dialect, as opposed to Eastern Armenian, which is mainly based ...
pronunciation: ''Vasbouragan'') was the eighth province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, centered on
Lake Van Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...
. Located in what is now southeastern
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and northwestern
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, the region is considered to be the cradle of
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
civilization.


Name

The name Vaspurakan is of Iranian origin. It is related of the
Middle Persian Middle Persian or Pahlavi, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg () in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasanian Empire. For some time after the Sasanian collapse, Middle Per ...
word ''vāspuhr'', meaning "senior, heir, prince". In Middle Persian, ''vāspuhrakān'' referred to the top nobility of the
Sasanian Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
. In Armenian, ''vaspurakan'' was also rarely used as an adjective meaning "noble"; for example, ''vaspurakan gund'' ("army/troop of nobles"). Thus, Vaspurakan can be translated as "noble land" or "land of princes". Alternative interpretations of the name include "having a special position" or "royal domain". Armenologist
Heinrich Hübschmann Johann Heinrich Hübschmann (1 July 1848 – 20 January 1908) was a German philologist. Life Hübschmann was born on 1 July 1848 at Erfurt. He studied Oriental philology at Jena, Tübingen, Leipzig, and Munich; in 1876 he became professor of Ira ...
considered it likely that the name originated as a shortening of the ''koghmn Vaspurakan Gndin'' ("land of the army/troop of nobles") mentioned by the 7th-century historian Sebeos. Some scholars believe that Vaspurakan is mentioned by
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
as Basoropeda (). Hübschmann argues that if the province was already commonly called Vaspurakan by Strabo's time (1st century BC-1st century AD), then it should also be found in the works of the early Armenian historians, but it is not mentioned by most of them.
Movses Khorenatsi Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; hy, Մովսէս Խորենացի, , also written as ''Movses Xorenac‘i'' and Moses of Khoren, Moses of Chorene, and Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historian from the late an ...
(traditionally dated to the 5th century) is the first to refer to the province by that name, and only on one occasion. Later Armenian historians (e.g.
Łewond Łewond (Armenian Ղեւոնդ) or Leontius was a late 8th-century Armenian priest and historian. Very little is known about his life, except that he was an eyewitness to the events he describes after 774. His historical work was commissioned by Sa ...
,
Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi ( hy, Յովհաննէս Դրասխանակերտցի, John of Drasxanakert, various spellings exist), also called John V the Historian, was Catholicos of Armenia from 897 to 925, and a noted chronicler and historian. He i ...
,
Tovma Artsruni Tovma Artsruni ( hy, Թովմա Արծրունի; also known in English-language historiography as Thomas Artsruni; precise birth date and date of death unknown) was a ninth-century to tenth-century Armenian historian and author of the ''History o ...
) refer to the province more frequently, especially after the emergence of the
Artsruni The Artsruni ( hy, Արծրունի; also transliterated as Ardzruni) were an ancient noble (princely) family of Armenia. Background and history The Artsruni's claimed descent from Sennacherib, King of Assyria (705 BC–681 BC). Although ...
-ruled principality in Vaspurakan.


History

From the 9th century BC, Vaspurakan was part of
Urartu Urartu (; Assyrian: ',Eberhard Schrader, ''The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament'' (1885), p. 65. Babylonian: ''Urashtu'', he, אֲרָרָט ''Ararat'') is a geographical region and Iron Age kingdom also known as the Kingdom of Va ...
. In the 6th century BC, it became part of
Satrapy of Armenia The Satrapy of Armenia (Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴 or 𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴𐎹 ), a region controlled by the Orontid dynasty (570–201 BC), was one of the satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC that later became an ind ...
. From 189 BC, it became one of
Greater Armenia Greater Armenia ( hy, Մեծ Հայք, translit=Mets Hayk) is the name given to the Armenian state that emerged on the Armenian Highlands during the reign of King Artaxias I at the turn of the 2nd century BC. The term was used to refer princi ...
's provinces. Then it became part of Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. After the division of 387, it was included into Persian Armenia. In the 8th century, it fell under
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
control. Many rebellions took place in Vaspurakan. In 885, within the territory of Kingdom of Armenia, it became free. During most of its history, it was ruled by the
Ardzruni The Artsruni ( hy, Արծրունի; also transliterated as Ardzruni) were an ancient noble (princely) family of Armenia. Background and history The Artsruni's claimed descent from Sennacherib, King of Assyria (705 BC–681 BC). Although ...
dynasty, which first managed to create a principality in the area. At its greatest extent Vaspurakan comprised the lands between
Lake Van Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...
and
Lake Urmia Lake Urmia; az, اۇرمۇ گؤلۆ, script=Arab, italic=no, Urmu gölü; ku, گۆلائوو رمیەیێ, Gola Ûrmiyeyê; hy, Ուրմիա լիճ, Urmia lich; arc, ܝܡܬܐ ܕܐܘܪܡܝܐ is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is l ...
(also known as ''Kaputan'') in 908. In 908
Gagik I of Vaspurakan Gagik I Artsruni ( hy, Գագիկ Ա Արծրունի; 879/880 – 943) was an Armenian noble of the Artsruni dynasty who ruled over Vaspurakan in southern Armenia, first as prince of northwestern Vaspurakan (Gagik III, 904–908) and after t ...
was recognized King of Armenia by the
Abbasid Caliph The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The family came t ...
in competition to the Bagratids, but soon he was reconciled with
Ashot II Ashot II the Iron ( hy, Աշոտ Բ; r. 914–929) was an Armenian king of the royal Bagratuni line. He was the son and successor of King Smbat I. His reign was filled with rebellions by vassals and pretenders to the throne, as well as foreign in ...
, who recognized him as the
King of Vaspurakan The Kingdom of Vaspurakan (; also transliterated as Vasbouragan from Western Armenian) was a medieval Armenian kingdom centered on Lake Van, located in what is now eastern Turkey and northwestern Iran. It was named after Vaspurakan, a province o ...
. In 1021,
Seneqerim Ardzruni Senekerim-Hovhannes Artsruni ( hy, Սենեքերիմ-Հովհաննես Արծրունի), also known variously as Senekerim-John, Sennecherim or Sennacherib-John, known in Byzantine sources simply as Senachereim ( el, Σεναχηρείμ), was t ...
gave Vaspurakan to the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
, receiving estates in Sebasteia and surroundings in exchange. After Vaspurakan was ceded to the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
(''Vasprakia'' Βασπρακία, in
Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman co ...
), it was conquered by
Seljuq Turks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...
. Later it was ruled by Ahlatshahs,
Ayyubids The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin ...
and
Sultanate of Rum fa, سلجوقیان روم () , status = , government_type = Hereditary monarchyTriarchy (1249–1254)Diarchy (1257–1262) , year_start = 1077 , year_end = 1308 , p1 = By ...
successively. In the beginning of the 13th century, part of Vaspurakan was liberated by the Zakarians, but was then conquered by the
Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...
,
Seljuks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...
,
Kara Koyunlu The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu ( az, Qaraqoyunlular , fa, قره قویونلو), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, En ...
, Iranian
Safavids Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
, and then by the
Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
(though Nader Shah regained it during his short lived
Afsharid dynasty The Afsharid dynasty ( fa, افشاریان) was an Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan eth ...
).


Cantons (Gavars)

Vaspurakan's territory was and was divided into 35 cantons. They usually took the name of the local ''
nakharar ''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 heredi ...
'' (canton chief) that ruled them:


Sites of interest

* The old city of Van *
Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross The Cathedral of the Holy Cross ( hy, Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի, translit=Surp Khachʿ egeghetsʿi, tr, Akdamar Kilisesi or ) on Aghtamar Island, in Lake Van in eastern Turkey, is a medieval Armenian Apostolic cathedral, built as a pala ...
, former Armenian Catholicosate of Aghtamar on the Isle of Aghtamar *
Varagavank Varagavank ( hy, Վարագավանք, "Monastery of Varag"; tr, Yedi Kilise, "Seven Churches") was an Armenian monastery on the slopes of Mount Erek, southeast of the city of Van, in eastern Turkey. The monastery was founded in the early 11 ...
, an Armenian monastery on the slopes of Mt. Varag (9 km. east of Van), founded by King Sennacherib-John early in his reign (1003–1024). It became the richest and most celebrated monastery of the Lake Van area. Here,
Khrimian Hayrik Mkrtich Khrimian or ''Mıgırdıç Kırımyan'' ( classical hy, Մկրտիչ Խրիմեան, reformed: Մկրտիչ Խրիմյան; 4 April 182029 October 1907) was an Armenian Apostolic Church leader, educator, and publisher who served as Cat ...
founded ''Arciv Vaspurakani'' (The Eagle of Vaspurakan), the first newspaper ever printed in Armenia. The archbishop of Van resided here until the late 19th century. * Chapel of Dzordzor
The Monastery of Saint Gregory the Illuminator
near Mount Varag * Naregavank, a destroyed 10th-century Armenian monastery where Krikor Naregatsi is buried * Karmravank, a 10th-century Armenian monastery on the shores of Lake Van * Saint Gregory of Goms monastery, on the southern shores of Lake Van * Saint Thomas Monastery, near the shores of Lake Van * Saint Bartholomew Monastery * The Church of the Holy Cross at Soradir * Hayots Dzor (now Gürpınar plain), the valley in which the Armenian progenitor Hayk defeated the Assyrian king Bel * Haykaberd, the castle constructed by Hayk in Hayots Dzor * Plain of Avarayr * Saint Thaddeus Monastery *
Saint Stepanos Monastery The Saint Stepanos Monastery ( hy, Սուրբ Ստեփանոս վանք, ; fa, کلیسای سن استپانوس, ), also known in Armenian as Maghardavank (), is an Armenian monastery located about 15 km northwest of the city of Julfa in ...


Notable people

*
Khrimian Hayrik Mkrtich Khrimian or ''Mıgırdıç Kırımyan'' ( classical hy, Մկրտիչ Խրիմեան, reformed: Մկրտիչ Խրիմյան; 4 April 182029 October 1907) was an Armenian Apostolic Church leader, educator, and publisher who served as Cat ...
*
Aram Manukian Aram Manukian, reformed spelling: Արամ Մանուկյան, and he is also referred to as simply Aram. (19 March 187929 January 1919), was an Armenian revolutionary, statesman, and a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation ...


Gallery

Image:Akdamar and mountain.jpg, The ''Cathedral of the Holy Cross'' (10th century) on
Akdamar Island Akdamar Island ( tr, Akdamar Adası, ku, Girava Axtamarê), also known as Aghtamar ( hy, Աղթամար, translit=Aġt’amar) or Akhtamar ( hy, Ախթամար, translit=Axt’amar), is the second largest of the four islands in Lake Van, in east ...
Image:Narekavank.jpg, The Monastery of Narek (10th century) on the shores of
Lake Van Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...
Image:Varagavank.jpg, The Monastery of Varag (11th century) at the foot of Mount Varag near Van Image:Saint Bartholomew Monastery.jpg, The Monastery of Saint Bartholomew (13th century) Image:Saint Thaddeus Monastery.jpg, The Saint Thaddeus Monastery (14th century) in northwestern
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
Image:St-Stepanous-02.jpg,
Saint Stepanos Monastery The Saint Stepanos Monastery ( hy, Սուրբ Ստեփանոս վանք, ; fa, کلیسای سن استپانوس, ), also known in Armenian as Maghardavank (), is an Armenian monastery located about 15 km northwest of the city of Julfa in ...
in northwestern Iran


References


Bibliography

* * Der Nersessian, Sirarpie. ''Armenia and the Byzantine Empire: a Brief Study of Armenian Art and Civilization.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1947. * * * *


Further reading

*


External links

* «Վասպուրական» Հայրենակցական միություն http://vaspurakan.blogspot.com/ {{coord, 38.8, 44.0, type:adm1st_dim:180km, display=title Provinces of the Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)