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A Revolutionary Take on Medieval Armenian History
The Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World - Vol. I and II by Seta B. Dadoyan (Published by Transaction Publishers).
Reviewed by Jirair Tutunjian, 26 March 2013
Although the year is only three months old, it's possible that Seta B.
Dadoyan's `The Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World' will be the
year's most important book on Armenian history. In the two-volume
exploration (a third and final volume is due before the end of the
year) Dadoyan turns Medieval Armenian history inside out by
challenging countless received ideas and verities Armenians and
Armenian historians have nursed for more than a millennium.
A specialist in the Islamic and Armenian interaction in the Middle
Ages and author of `The Fatimid Armenians', in addition to five other
books, Dadoyan makes no bones about her intentions: `To clear the
Armenian psyche of sedimentation and fixities...To draw the outlines of
a new philosophy of Armenian history based on hitherto undetected or
obscured patterns of interactions.' She says Armenian studies are and
have always been embedded in cultural-political tradition...the
`scholarship and the discipline of Armenian studies in general face
serious problems such as cultural traffic lights and institutional
validations.'
Dadoyan also alleges that there has always been a deeply rooted and
strong culture of authority among Armenians. `There is a tendency
[among Armenians] to fix authority in all matters, even those of
opinion...the institutional infrastructure of the Armenian environment
still does not allow the development of a culture of experimentation
and critical thinking,' she says blaming the politics of Armenian
intellectual culture which wants to safeguard the classical framework
and certain foundational concepts. She quotes Armenian historian, Leo,
who said that Armenian Medieval authors, who were members of the
clergy, `took great care in avoiding the proofs and concealing the
facts.'
Glaring example of how the Armenian clergy helped falsify Medieval
Armenian history is the case of Armenian dissidents who opposed the
mainstream Church. According to the standard version of Armenian
history, Armenians converted - en masse and totally - to Christianity in
301 and pagan or opposing creeds vanished from Armenia. Yet right from
the time of St. Gregory Illuminator to the 15th century (some say up
to the 19th century) there was a significant proportion of Armenians
who remained semi-pagan and often opposed Church dogma and practices.
The Paulicians and Tondrakians weren't the only dissidents. There were
Barborits, Gnostics, Messalians, Manicheans, Nestorians, Phantasists,
the Arevordiks (`Sun Worshippers') and others who opposed Church's
teachings. According to the accepted version of history, these
dissident movements were insignificant blips in Church and lay
history. The fact is they threatened the establishment, formed armies
to defend themselves, joined forces with the Islamic armies to fight
their persecutors - the Armenian and Byzantine lay and Church leaders.
The Paulician might have been the ancestors of the Cathars of southern
France. In addition to Cyprus and Sicily, many Paulicians were exiled
to Thrace. From there some moved to Bulgaria where they helped
establish the Bogomil heretics. The latter spread to Europe and
eventually settled west of Marseille.
Dadoyan criticizes the monolithic view of Armenian history and the
`simplistic constructs centred on the idea of a heroic, yet victimized
nation.' She demonstrates how, after 970, the Armenian condition
changed with the gradual loss of semi-autonomy, and many Armenians
migrated southwest to Syria and Cilicia. The decline of the nobility
(after the failure of the Armenian rebellion in 774) had begun with
the migration of the Mamigonian, Amadouni, Rshdouni and other nakharar
clans to Byzantium. Their departure created a power vacuum. A new type
of leadership and power centres were created in the fragmented society
and space where adventurers, military leaders, brigands, heterodox
sects mushroomed to fill the void. The culture of settler Armenians
changed as they interacted with the Byzantines, Franks, Arabs,
Seljuks, and Memluks.
Urbanization created new classes, including merchants and urban
militias made up of young men. These societal changes often resulted
in friction between the migrants and Armenians who had remained in
Armenia proper. The latter maintained that western Armenians had
strayed from the traditional path and mores.
It will come as a surprise to many Armenians that one of the most
famous Byzantine epics (`Digenis Akritis') featured a hero of mixed
descent--Muslim and Christian--whose grandfather was Armenian
Paulician leader Chrysoverigs. The famous romance has been erased from
Armenian cultural memory perhaps because our historians looked with
disapproval upon national and religious intermingling.
While most Armenians know that some Byzantine emperors and generals
were Armenian and that the Byzantine army was often made up of
Armenians, very few Armenians know the important role Armenians played
in Islamic history. Dadoyan rectifies the omission through original
research in primary and secondary Arabic texts and sources. Armenian
clergymen/historians - often misguided with a false sense of national
and religious priorities - put the lid on these developments. Luckily
for Armenians, Medieval Arab authors wrote, at great length about the
Armenian contribution to Islamic civilization.
In volume II the author details the Fatimid Caliphate history from
1074 to 1163 when eight Armenian viziers governed Egypt. Badr
al-Jamali, an Armenian slave who became Fatimid vizier (1074-1094),
was the first. His son, vizier Al-Afdal, wrested Jerusalem from the
Turks only to lose it to the Crusaders in 1099. Al-Afdal's son, Abu
Ali Ahmad Kutayfat Ibn al-Afdal was another progressive vizier.
Abul-Fath Yanis al-Rum al-Armani, Bahram al-Armani, father and son
Ruzziks - Talai and Majd al Islam Abu Shuja' Ruzzik rose to power often
through the backing of their Armenian armies. These soldiers had left
Armenia mainly because of the Seljuk invasions. The Armenian viziers
strengthened the Egyptian military, ended corruption, and improved the
economy. Despite the challenges from the Turks, the Crusaders and the
Byzantines, these Armenian viziers were responsible for a century of
Fatimid prosperity. They also acted as godfathers to the
100,000-strong Armenian community in Egypt. The viziers helped
Armenian immigrants and built 30 churches and monasteries.
The viziers were not the only prominent Armenians in the Islamic
world. Hazaramard, Bargash, Karakush (Guiragos), Baha ed-Din Abdallah
al-Nasiri (helped Saladin become vizier), Sharaf ed-Din al-Armani,
Azis al-Dawlah, Nawiki (Awaki-Avaki) Aqziz, Husam ed-Din Lulu
al-Hajib, and Sultana Badr al-Duja were other Armenian-Islamic
commanders, politicians and rulers. There was also the convert to
Islam Armenian-Georgian dynasty of Danishmandids in Cappadocia, the
Bene Boghusaks in Severek, and the Zakkarids clan in the east.
Armenian leaders adopted Islamic names (Senekerim, Abu Gharib) and the
nobility intermarried with Muslims and Mongols. Armenian poetry (some
of Krikor Naregatsi's opus), architecture and design were influenced
by Islamic culture, says Dadoyan.
Dadoyan's ambitious work will challenge many readers' `sacred' ideas
of Medieval Armenian history. Criticizing the standard and monolithic
version of Armenian historiography, the author shows that Medieval
Armenian civilization was syncretic and dynamic. It was
philosophically realistic, theologically ecumenical, and politically
pragmatic, says Dadoyan. Armenians - from secular rulers to Church
leaders to ordinary people - practiced realpolitik as never before. They
would form alliances with the Byzantines, the Crusaders, the Arabs,
the Seljuk Turks, Mongols and then break up with them when necessary.
Similar realpolitik was practiced by all parties involved in Middle
Eastern conflicts.
In this cauldron of the late Middle Ages Armenians miraculously
witnessed their Silver Age. Armenian authors wrote and translated
books on philosophy, theology, medicine, and astronomy. Poetry and
illuminated manuscripts, innovative martial and civilian architecture
boomed. According to the author, in the 11th to 14th century the
Armenian civilization was in many ways `the single-most significant
Near Eastern equivalent of the European Late Gothic and
Proto-Renaissance cultures.'
While Dadoyan's agenda is serious and seminal, the two volumes brim
with dazzling and colorful characters... Kogh Vasil; Red-Haired Dog
Lazar; Ashod Msager; Ashod Yergat; iconoclast Emperor Constantine V
Kopronymos (`dung-named') by his enemies; Karbeas/Garbis/Garabed,
Paulician leader who joined forces with the Muslims to fight
Byzantium; Smpad II `Diezeragal'(although he ruled over a patch of
land); the larger-than-life Catholicos Yovhan Ojnetsi; Krikor and
Tavit Mamigonian who were exiled to Yemen; the red-haired
Armenian-Muslim Karmruk (governor of Tripoli); bloody Babik, a convert
to Islam who claimed to be the reincarnation of a saint; brigand Gorg,
Philaretus, the Edessa chieftain who - like many Armenian Cilician
leaders - had converted to the Greek Orthodox Church to hold office in
Byzantium; the legendary Manichean woman called Kallinike and her many
sons; Simplica the monk who attacked the Church's `corrupt' dogma and
practices...all make their appearance in this Medieval pageant.
We can hardly wait for the third and final volume of Dadoyan's masterpiece.
The Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World - Vol. I and II by Seta B. Dadoyan (Published by Transaction Publishers).
Reviewed by Jirair Tutunjian, 26 March 2013
Although the year is only three months old, it's possible that Seta B.
Dadoyan's `The Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World' will be the
year's most important book on Armenian history. In the two-volume
exploration (a third and final volume is due before the end of the
year) Dadoyan turns Medieval Armenian history inside out by
challenging countless received ideas and verities Armenians and
Armenian historians have nursed for more than a millennium.
A specialist in the Islamic and Armenian interaction in the Middle
Ages and author of `The Fatimid Armenians', in addition to five other
books, Dadoyan makes no bones about her intentions: `To clear the
Armenian psyche of sedimentation and fixities...To draw the outlines of
a new philosophy of Armenian history based on hitherto undetected or
obscured patterns of interactions.' She says Armenian studies are and
have always been embedded in cultural-political tradition...the
`scholarship and the discipline of Armenian studies in general face
serious problems such as cultural traffic lights and institutional
validations.'
Dadoyan also alleges that there has always been a deeply rooted and
strong culture of authority among Armenians. `There is a tendency
[among Armenians] to fix authority in all matters, even those of
opinion...the institutional infrastructure of the Armenian environment
still does not allow the development of a culture of experimentation
and critical thinking,' she says blaming the politics of Armenian
intellectual culture which wants to safeguard the classical framework
and certain foundational concepts. She quotes Armenian historian, Leo,
who said that Armenian Medieval authors, who were members of the
clergy, `took great care in avoiding the proofs and concealing the
facts.'
Glaring example of how the Armenian clergy helped falsify Medieval
Armenian history is the case of Armenian dissidents who opposed the
mainstream Church. According to the standard version of Armenian
history, Armenians converted - en masse and totally - to Christianity in
301 and pagan or opposing creeds vanished from Armenia. Yet right from
the time of St. Gregory Illuminator to the 15th century (some say up
to the 19th century) there was a significant proportion of Armenians
who remained semi-pagan and often opposed Church dogma and practices.
The Paulicians and Tondrakians weren't the only dissidents. There were
Barborits, Gnostics, Messalians, Manicheans, Nestorians, Phantasists,
the Arevordiks (`Sun Worshippers') and others who opposed Church's
teachings. According to the accepted version of history, these
dissident movements were insignificant blips in Church and lay
history. The fact is they threatened the establishment, formed armies
to defend themselves, joined forces with the Islamic armies to fight
their persecutors - the Armenian and Byzantine lay and Church leaders.
The Paulician might have been the ancestors of the Cathars of southern
France. In addition to Cyprus and Sicily, many Paulicians were exiled
to Thrace. From there some moved to Bulgaria where they helped
establish the Bogomil heretics. The latter spread to Europe and
eventually settled west of Marseille.
Dadoyan criticizes the monolithic view of Armenian history and the
`simplistic constructs centred on the idea of a heroic, yet victimized
nation.' She demonstrates how, after 970, the Armenian condition
changed with the gradual loss of semi-autonomy, and many Armenians
migrated southwest to Syria and Cilicia. The decline of the nobility
(after the failure of the Armenian rebellion in 774) had begun with
the migration of the Mamigonian, Amadouni, Rshdouni and other nakharar
clans to Byzantium. Their departure created a power vacuum. A new type
of leadership and power centres were created in the fragmented society
and space where adventurers, military leaders, brigands, heterodox
sects mushroomed to fill the void. The culture of settler Armenians
changed as they interacted with the Byzantines, Franks, Arabs,
Seljuks, and Memluks.
Urbanization created new classes, including merchants and urban
militias made up of young men. These societal changes often resulted
in friction between the migrants and Armenians who had remained in
Armenia proper. The latter maintained that western Armenians had
strayed from the traditional path and mores.
It will come as a surprise to many Armenians that one of the most
famous Byzantine epics (`Digenis Akritis') featured a hero of mixed
descent--Muslim and Christian--whose grandfather was Armenian
Paulician leader Chrysoverigs. The famous romance has been erased from
Armenian cultural memory perhaps because our historians looked with
disapproval upon national and religious intermingling.
While most Armenians know that some Byzantine emperors and generals
were Armenian and that the Byzantine army was often made up of
Armenians, very few Armenians know the important role Armenians played
in Islamic history. Dadoyan rectifies the omission through original
research in primary and secondary Arabic texts and sources. Armenian
clergymen/historians - often misguided with a false sense of national
and religious priorities - put the lid on these developments. Luckily
for Armenians, Medieval Arab authors wrote, at great length about the
Armenian contribution to Islamic civilization.
In volume II the author details the Fatimid Caliphate history from
1074 to 1163 when eight Armenian viziers governed Egypt. Badr
al-Jamali, an Armenian slave who became Fatimid vizier (1074-1094),
was the first. His son, vizier Al-Afdal, wrested Jerusalem from the
Turks only to lose it to the Crusaders in 1099. Al-Afdal's son, Abu
Ali Ahmad Kutayfat Ibn al-Afdal was another progressive vizier.
Abul-Fath Yanis al-Rum al-Armani, Bahram al-Armani, father and son
Ruzziks - Talai and Majd al Islam Abu Shuja' Ruzzik rose to power often
through the backing of their Armenian armies. These soldiers had left
Armenia mainly because of the Seljuk invasions. The Armenian viziers
strengthened the Egyptian military, ended corruption, and improved the
economy. Despite the challenges from the Turks, the Crusaders and the
Byzantines, these Armenian viziers were responsible for a century of
Fatimid prosperity. They also acted as godfathers to the
100,000-strong Armenian community in Egypt. The viziers helped
Armenian immigrants and built 30 churches and monasteries.
The viziers were not the only prominent Armenians in the Islamic
world. Hazaramard, Bargash, Karakush (Guiragos), Baha ed-Din Abdallah
al-Nasiri (helped Saladin become vizier), Sharaf ed-Din al-Armani,
Azis al-Dawlah, Nawiki (Awaki-Avaki) Aqziz, Husam ed-Din Lulu
al-Hajib, and Sultana Badr al-Duja were other Armenian-Islamic
commanders, politicians and rulers. There was also the convert to
Islam Armenian-Georgian dynasty of Danishmandids in Cappadocia, the
Bene Boghusaks in Severek, and the Zakkarids clan in the east.
Armenian leaders adopted Islamic names (Senekerim, Abu Gharib) and the
nobility intermarried with Muslims and Mongols. Armenian poetry (some
of Krikor Naregatsi's opus), architecture and design were influenced
by Islamic culture, says Dadoyan.
Dadoyan's ambitious work will challenge many readers' `sacred' ideas
of Medieval Armenian history. Criticizing the standard and monolithic
version of Armenian historiography, the author shows that Medieval
Armenian civilization was syncretic and dynamic. It was
philosophically realistic, theologically ecumenical, and politically
pragmatic, says Dadoyan. Armenians - from secular rulers to Church
leaders to ordinary people - practiced realpolitik as never before. They
would form alliances with the Byzantines, the Crusaders, the Arabs,
the Seljuk Turks, Mongols and then break up with them when necessary.
Similar realpolitik was practiced by all parties involved in Middle
Eastern conflicts.
In this cauldron of the late Middle Ages Armenians miraculously
witnessed their Silver Age. Armenian authors wrote and translated
books on philosophy, theology, medicine, and astronomy. Poetry and
illuminated manuscripts, innovative martial and civilian architecture
boomed. According to the author, in the 11th to 14th century the
Armenian civilization was in many ways `the single-most significant
Near Eastern equivalent of the European Late Gothic and
Proto-Renaissance cultures.'
While Dadoyan's agenda is serious and seminal, the two volumes brim
with dazzling and colorful characters... Kogh Vasil; Red-Haired Dog
Lazar; Ashod Msager; Ashod Yergat; iconoclast Emperor Constantine V
Kopronymos (`dung-named') by his enemies; Karbeas/Garbis/Garabed,
Paulician leader who joined forces with the Muslims to fight
Byzantium; Smpad II `Diezeragal'(although he ruled over a patch of
land); the larger-than-life Catholicos Yovhan Ojnetsi; Krikor and
Tavit Mamigonian who were exiled to Yemen; the red-haired
Armenian-Muslim Karmruk (governor of Tripoli); bloody Babik, a convert
to Islam who claimed to be the reincarnation of a saint; brigand Gorg,
Philaretus, the Edessa chieftain who - like many Armenian Cilician
leaders - had converted to the Greek Orthodox Church to hold office in
Byzantium; the legendary Manichean woman called Kallinike and her many
sons; Simplica the monk who attacked the Church's `corrupt' dogma and
practices...all make their appearance in this Medieval pageant.
We can hardly wait for the third and final volume of Dadoyan's masterpiece.
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