Battle of Vardanakert was fought between an Arab garrison and Armenians. The Armenian prince Smbat VI Bagratuni defeated the 5,000-strong Umayyad army from the garrison in Nakhichevan.[1] Struck by a surprise attack, the remaining Arabs fled to the river Araxes and either drowned or froze to death.[1] Smbat, chosen to rule by Byzantine commission, managed to re-conquer the majority of Armenia and drive the Arabs out of the country.[2]
| Battle of Vardanakert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Umayyad Caliphate | Bagratuni | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ostikan of Arminiya | Smbat VI Bagratuni | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,000 | 2,000 | ||||||
Aftermath edit
Despite this success, the Umayyad generals Muhammad ibn Marwan and Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik soon restored Armenia to subject status.[a] Muslim control was secured by organizing a large-scale massacre of the princely families (nakharar) within the cathedral of Nakhchivan, which was burned, in 704.[2]
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b Hoyland 2015, p. 155.
- ^ a b c Macler 1923, p. 156.
Sources edit
- Hoyland, Robert G. (2015). In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. Oxford University Press.
- Macler, Frederic (1923). "Armenia". The Cambridge Medieval History. Vol. IV:The eastern Roman empire (717-1453). Cambridge at the University Press.
40°17′19″N 44°58′46″E / 40.2885°N 44.9795°E
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