Rituals of Power in Cilician Armenia (original) (raw)

31 March 2023, University of Geneva, Workshop: The Armenians face New Challenges: Seljuqs and Crusaders (1000-1240)

AI-generated Abstract

The eleventh century saw the large-scale migration of Armenians to southwest Anatolia, into an area called Cilicia since Antiquity. Here, seeds were sown for the eventual establishment of an Armenian state-known as the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Along with the traditional Armenian homeland to the north, Armenian Cilicia was compelled to deal with the influx of Turcomans led by the Seljuqs. Frankish Crusaders entering the country, and then moving south, towards the end of the century made the challenges even greater. Through the twelfth century modi vivendi were worked out with both groups, but the coming of the Mongols in the 1230s, and in greater force in the following decades, necessitated a strategic change of both Armenian polities: The Armenians enthusiastically joined the Mongol imperial project, a decision that made perfect sense at the time of unstoppable Mongol conquest. The entrance, however, of the Mamluks of Syria and Egypt into the picture from 1260 onward, was an additional challenge. In the long run, the Mongols (and their successors) were unable to provide a protective umbrella to the Armenians of Cilicia, and in 1375 the country was overrun by the Mamluks, and Armenian political independence was eliminated in Cilicia forever. The Armenians were key players in the politics and warfare of the time, and need to be taken into account to properly understand developments. At the same time, the larger regional (and even global) context must be considered to fully appreciate internal Armenian cultural, social and political changes. While there has been some interesting and important research on these topics in past, there is still much to do, not the least to take into account recent developments in the study of Armenian, Crusader, Byzantine, Turkish, Mongol and Muslim history.