Misplaced Pages

#182817

72-609: The meliks of Karabagh each had their troops and military fortifications known as sghnakh s. They ruled on legal disputes within their territory and collected tax. The meliks of Karabagh saw themselves as the last bastion of Armenian independence in the region. After the conquest of Eastern Armenia by the Russian Empire, the meliks were generally not recognized as princes, but only as untitled nobles. Many of them, especially meliks from Karabagh, became Russian generals. The conquest of Armenia by successive foreign dynasties during

144-615: A Frankish family who came to the Near East in the Crusades, once ruling over Cilicia and Cyprus, merged with the representatives of the west European royal dynasty of Savoy reigning in parts of Italy. The offspring of some nakharar houses founded new medieval Armenian aristocratic houses, such as the Cartozians , Proshians , Kyurikians , Orbelians , Hasan Jalalyans , Artsrunis and Tornikians among others. These dynasties played

216-669: A lesser extent, Syunik were fully autonomous and held executive, legislative, judicial, military, and fiscal authority over their territories. They issued their own decrees, ruled on legal disputes and criminal cases and collected their own taxes, from which they paid tribute to the Iranian shah. They were often responsible for maintaining more than one fortress, called sghnakh s. They had their own military forces consisting of one to two thousand infantrymen, although more troops could be raised in emergencies. A melik had his own banner ( droshak ), commander ( zoravar ), and his subordinates,

288-515: A sheep was also the house symbol of Bagratuni nakharardom. The dynastic emblem of the Cilician Armenian royal house of Lusignan (Lusinian) reflected west European heraldic influence and consisted of red lions and crosses on the yellow and blue background of the shield. The nakharar families of ancient Armenia were listed in the so-called Gahnamak s and Zoranamak s, which were the official inventories or registrars that were positioning

360-572: A significant role in the struggle for the liberation of Armenia and the revival of Armenian statehood. In the 13th century particularly prominent were the Mkhargrdzeli princes – brothers Zakare and Ivane – whose military strength and political influence in the united Armenian-Georgian state was so significant that they were de facto the fully-fledged rulers of the Armenian territories. The last strongholds of Armenian statehood were preserved by

432-461: A system of nobility that was similar to the nobility of Cilicia. Members of the upper class of medieval Armenian society were known as nakharars ( Armenian : նախարար ) and azats ( Armenian : ազատ ), (also aznvakans ( Armenian : ազնվական )). The roots of Armenian nobility trace back to ancient tribal society, when the proto-Armenian tribes separated from the primordial Indo-European community and selected chieftain leaders for governing

504-460: Is deeply rooted in the ancient kinship and tribal beliefs and totems of the Armenian clans. Although the information on Armenian heraldry is quite limited, nevertheless it is well known that the most common symbols were those of the eagle, lion, and mountain ram. For example, the coat-of-arms of the Artashesian dynasty consisted of two eagles with the symbol of sun in the middle. An eagle holding

576-599: Is mentioned to be ninety, yet at other times it reaches up to three hundred. Certainly, the number of the Armenian noble houses did change in the course of time as the aristocratic class was itself subject to flux. The first attested Armenian royal dynasty was the Orontids (Yervandunis) which was ruling Armenia as a satrapy of the Persian Empire in the 4th century BC. They are preceded by legendary or semi-legendary patriarchs of Armenian tradition, first recorded in

648-566: Is open to descendants of old and new Armenian noble families, as well as to the foreign titled nobility that reside in Armenia and abroad, regardless their political or religious views, and age and sex. They conduct their activities in accordance with their Charters, the Constitution and legislation of Armenia, and international law. The main goals of these nobility unions are: Lake Sevan Too Many Requests If you report this error to

720-618: The History attributed to Moses of Chorene (Movses Khorenatsi), written circa the 5th century. The noble houses of Rshtuni , Mokats, Artzruni and others originated from tribal rulers or clans already in antiquity. Some others, such as the Mamikonians or Aravelians, were granted noble titles and/or offices, such as aspet ( Armenian : ասպետ ), 'coronator' and sparapet ( Armenian : սպարապետ ), ' generalissimo ' by special decrees of medieval Armenian kings for their services to

792-540: The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia underwent certain changes: Great Armenia Cilician Armenia Cilician Armenia adopted many peculiarities of west European classification of the nobility, such as paron (deriving from "baron"), ter or sinyor (senior), berdater (castle lord) etc. Besides this, in Cilicia Armenian knighthood emerged which was also considered to be part of the nobility despite

SECTION 10

#1732772125183

864-749: The Erivan Khanate , including those of the Aghamalians, Geghamians, Loris-Melikians, Arghutians, and so on. There were four semi-autonomous meliks in the Khanate of Ganja , who, according to Raffi, had good relations with the Khan. Further east, there was one melik each in Shaki , Shamakhi , and Baku. There were also meliks in Surmalu who claimed descent from the ancient noble house of Kamsarakan . From

936-583: The Parthav or Parthian clan. Sahak Parthev made the registrar available to the Sasanian Persian court, mentioning a total of 70 Armenian nakharar s. In another source of the 4th century 86 nakharars were listed. According to the Arab chronologist Yacoubi (9th century) there were 113 lords in the administrative province of Arminiya, whereas another Arab historian, Yacout al-Hamavi (12–13th centuries)

1008-526: The Zoranamak , literally: "strength registrar"), as well as according to the ancient tradition. Gahnamak was composed and sealed by the King of Armenia, because the nakharars (lords) were considered to be his vassals . Nakharar thrones ( gahs , i.e. the positions at the royal court) were changing rarely and were inherited from father to son. Only in special circumstances – such as high treason , cessation of

1080-454: The 13th century Stepanos Orbelian also mentions 400 nakharar thrones, who had "throne and respect" at the royal court of king Trdat III (287–332). Pavstos Buzand mentions 900 princely lords, who carried honorary services at the royal court and who sat on a special throne (gah) or cushion (bardz). The Gahnamak is believed to have been written by Armenian Catholic Sahak Parthev (387–439), whose surname indicates distant Persian origin from

1152-538: The Armenian aristocracy were repressed, sentenced to prisons and work camps, or simply executed. Those who survived against all odds were forced to hide their aristocratic origins by changing family names and obliterating their family histories. Only a very few managed to preserve their family traditions by leaving the Communist regime and moving to other countries. With the end of the Communist regime and independence of Armenia in 1991, important steps were made to revive

1224-665: The Armenian nobility was headed by the king, in Armenian arka . The term arka originates from the common Aryan root that has equivalents in the name for monarchs in other Indo-European languages : arxatos in Greek , raja in Indo-Aryan , rex or regnum in Latin , roi in French , and reis in Persian . The sons of the king, i.e. princes, were called sepuh . The elder son, who

1296-528: The Armenian nobility. For example, in 705 the Ostikan (governor under the Arab caliphate) of Armenia deceitfully invited around 800 Armenian noblemen together with their guards to Nakhichevan as if for negotiations and massacred them all. Nevertheless, some Armenian noble houses lived through this tragedy and continued their efforts to liberate the country. Some descendants of the Armenian nobility achieved high-ranking positions at foreign royal courts. For example,

1368-422: The Armenian nobles of Karabagh and Syunik, many of whom had earlier been dispossessed by Timur . They were granted the title of melik and allowed broad autonomy. The meliks of Karabagh and Syunik retained their autonomous status under Safavid rule, although they were weakened as a result of the devastating Ottoman–Safavid wars in the sixteenth century. During the reign of Shah Abbas I ( r.  1588–1629 ),

1440-649: The Beglarian, Israelian, Shahnazarian, Hasan-Jalalian , and Avanian families, respectively. The Khamsa melikdoms formed a league against their foreign enemies, but they also competed with each other. The melidom of Tsar was geographically in Karabagh but not a part of the Khamsa melikdoms' league. There were four important melikdoms in Syunik: Sisian (or Angeghakot), Ghapan (or Bekh), Tatev and Kashatagh . Sisian

1512-455: The Gahnamak of the 4th century preserved in "The Deeds of Nerses", during the reign of king Arsaces II (Arshak II) (c.350–368) the number of the Armenian aristocratic houses reached 400. However the author of "The Deeds" mentions the family names of only 167 lords, 13 of whom did not have a throne. The author himself explains that he is incapable of listing all of them. Armenian historian of

SECTION 20

#1732772125183

1584-581: The Great , to conquer Iranian Armenia with the help of the meliks. He did not succeed, but his activities contributed to Armenian elites seeing Russia as an ally and liberator of the Armenians. The collapse of Safavid power and the Russian invasion of Iran in 1722 raised Armenian hopes of liberation from Muslim rule. The meliks of Syunik and Karabagh raised a rebellion against the local Turkic tribal lords under

1656-489: The Meliks of Syunik/Karabagh. Later beys under Fuad Ist and Faruk IInd of Egypt, also bey & consul of Nader Shah of Iran. Incomplete list: (15th–19th centuries) Incomplete list: Many Armenian aristocratic families perished during wars with foreign invaders, notably Arabs and Turks . The latter quickly realized that the Armenian state was based on the national aristocracy and thus adopted policies of annihilation of

1728-572: The Safavids confirmed and increased the rights of the meliks and apparently raised new people to the status of melik. Succession of a new melik was confirmed by a decree of the shah, but was actually hereditary, with the eldest son or sometimes a younger brother of the melik succeeding him. The five Armenian melikdoms of Karabagh, known as the Khamsa melikdoms , were Gulistan, Jraberd, Varanda , Khachen, and Dizak . These five principalities were ruled by

1800-460: The chiliarchs ( hazarapet s) and centurions ( haryurapet s or yuzbashi s). These officers were often members of the melik's family. Despite the name, the centurions or yuzbashi s were not literally the commanders of a hundred men, but rather vassals of the meliks, either hereditarily or by appointment, who controlled two or more villages and furnished a certain number of troops under his own banner. The meliks of Karabagh saw themselves as

1872-537: The clergy, where he proposed accepting Catholicism in exchange for European protection. A delegation of meliks headed by the Catholicos set out for Rome, but the mission was abandoned after the Catholicos died on the journey. Only the young Israel Ori of the Haikazian family went on to Europe. Ori spent much of his life trying to convince a European ruler, first Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine and later Peter

1944-431: The community, defending territory and leading military campaigns against their enemies. These chieftains and leaders were usually the strongest members of the clans and tribes, who had become renowned for their strength, intelligence, and deeds. Thus, gradually the upper class of the Armenian society came into existence, namely that of the azat s, also known as aznvakan s or aznavur s. Translated from contemporary Armenian

2016-483: The death penalty, which remained the sole right of the sardar. The melik also appointed the commander of the Armenian infantry units that served in the sardar's army. The Aghamalians' exact origin cannot be determined, but their high degree of authority and their high-level marriage alliances (for example, with the royal house of Georgia) strongly suggests a princely origin. After the Russian conquest of Karabagh in 1813,

2088-675: The downfall of the autonomous Armenian melikdoms of Karabagh. There were also melikdoms in southern Georgia : in Lori , Aghstev and Pambaki. The Armenians of Tbilisi had their own melik from the Bebutian family. There were twelve melikdoms in Nakhichevan. South of the Aras River , there were meliks in Maku , Marand , Khoy , and Karadagh and Salmast . There were at least eleven meliks in

2160-500: The equivalent of "mister" in modern Armenian. In late mediaeval Armenia and in the new age a variety of nobility titles existed in different nahang s (provinces) of the country. For example, in Artsakh of the Khamsa period (i.e. period of "five principalities") the title of ishkhan (prince) was used in its local equivalent – that of melik (a 'devaluated' Arabic word for king). Below melik – or sometimes in parallel with it –

2232-408: The evolution of the term nakharar . Initially this term referred to the hereditary governors of the Armenian provinces and was used with the meaning of "ruler" and "governor". The same title could mean a particularly honorable service ( nakhararutyun , nakharardom) at the Armenian royal court. Examples of such heritable services or nakharardoms are aspetutyun (coronation, which traditionally belonged to

Melik - Misplaced Pages Continue

2304-544: The fact that knights themselves – called dziavor i hetzelvor – did not always originate from paron s. Some other features also underwent changes. For example, whereas the salutation for the noblemen in Great Armenia was tiar or ter , in Cilician Armenia a new form of salutation was added to these, namely paron . The latter became the most popular form of greeting and gradually changed its meaning to

2376-412: The families based on the criteria of honor, virtue and esteem. The difference between Gahnamak and Zoranamak were in the listing criteria that were determining the esteem of the noble family. Zoranamak was based on the military strength of the houses, i.e. the number of possessed cavalry and infantry, responsibility in defending the northern, eastern, southern and western borders of Armenia, as well as

2448-472: The family etc. – did the king had the right to make some changes in the Gahnamak . The sequence and classification of Armenian lords' thrones had been defined and observed from the ancient times. According to Khorenatsi, the first actual listing of lords in the shape of Gahnamak was Armenian King Vologases I (Vagharsh I) . According to the recorded sources, the classification of Armenian lords' thrones in

2520-441: The film David Bek was released and in 1978, Armenfilm in association with Mosfilm produced another movie about the efforts of David Bek and Mkhitar Sparapet called Star of Hope ( Huso astgh ). Armenian nobility The Armenian nobility ( Armenian : Հայ ազնվականություն , romanized :  hay aznvakanutyun ) was a class of persons which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other members of society under

2592-552: The flexible term melik, which was used to refer to any of the remnants of the Armenian nobility, whether successors of the great princely houses or of the lower gentry ( azat s). Later, the term was used to refer to even lower layers of elites, such as municipal and village chiefs in charge of duties such as tax collection. Outside of Karabagh and Syunik, most people bearing the title of melik were merely hereditary leaders of local Armenian communities, rather than (semi-)autonomous rulers. According to historian Robert H. Hewsen , all of

2664-571: The form of Gahnamak existed throughout the reign of Arshakuni (Arsacid) dynasty (1st–5th centuries). The same system was continued during the Marzpanian period in the history of Armenia (5th–7th centuries), i.e. during the supremacy of the Sasanian kings of Persia . There are significant discrepancies and inaccuracies in the data of Gahnamak s of different centuries regarding the number of princely houses and degrees of their thrones. According to

2736-456: The gentry or local headmen and larger landowners who were raised to the status of melik. The meliks of Karabagh (Artsakh) and Syunik were the successors of the earlier Armenian lords of those regions, mainly of Syuni origin, who had maintained their autonomy following the Seljuk conquest of Armenia in the tenth century. The Armenian lords of Artsakh and part of Syunik were more or less united from

2808-436: The honor and esteem of the noble houses. The latter, most probably was fixed in Gahnamak s and Zoranamak s. Gahnamak ( Armenian : Գահնամակ , literally: "throne registrar") – was an official state document, list of places and thrones ( bardz ) that the Armenian princes and nakharars were occupying at the royal court of Armenia. The throne of the prince or nakharar was defined by his economic or military strength (according to

2880-477: The house of Bagratuni ), sparapetutyun (commander-in-chief of the Armenian army, which traditionally belonged to the house of Mamikonean ), hazarapetutyun (chancellery and taxation, which were inheritably managed by the houses of Gnuni and Amatuni ), and malhazutyun (royal guard that was traditionally organized and headed to the house of Khorkhoruni ). However, in the course of hereditary consolidation of gavar s (provinces) or royal court services by noble houses,

2952-416: The king's death and if there was no inheriting sepuh (crown prince), it was the metz ishkhan who would temporarily take the responsibilities and perform the duties of the king until the issues of succession to the throne are resolved. In reality, however, the successions to the throne would be arranged in advance or would be resolved in the course of feuds and internal struggle. Thus, the social pyramid of

Melik - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-495: The king. Bdeshkh s had their own armies, taxation and duties system, and could even produce their own coins. The third layer of the Armenian aristocracy after the king and the bdeshkhs was composed by ishkhan s, i.e. princes. The term ishkhan derives from ancient Aryan root xshatriya (warrior-ruler). An ishkhan normally would have a hereditary estate known as hayreniq and residence caste – dastakert . Armenian princely houses (or clans) were headed by tanuter . By its meaning

3096-464: The laws and customs of various regimes of Armenia . Governments which recognized or conferred nobility were the Kingdom of Van (860-590 B.C.), Satrapy of Armenia (570-331 B.C.), Kingdom of Armenia (331 B.C.-428 A.D.), Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia (885–1045) and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (1198–1375). The Armenian kingdoms of Vanand (963–1065), Syunik (987–1170), and Lori (978–1113) had

3168-580: The leadership of Avan Yuzbashi and Davit Bek , an Armenian from Georgia of possible melik extraction. The rebels were soon faced with an Ottoman invasion, which they resisted successfully in Syunik and Karabagh at least until the deaths of Davit and his successor Mkhitar Sparapet in 1728 and 1730. In 1735, Nader Khan Afshar drove the Ottomans out of the South Caucasus and was crowned Nader Shah

3240-526: The medieval period dealt severe blows to the traditional Armenian nobility . By the end of Mongol rule in Armenia, the old social structure of Armenia had been virtually destroyed and the great princely houses had mostly disappeared. Remnants of these princely houses survived in a few places, most notably in the mountainous and strategically important regions of Karabagh (part of historical Artsakh province) and Syunik , where they retained their autonomy. Old Armenian titles fell out of use and were replaced with

3312-478: The melik houses of Karabagh and probably most of those of Syunik were descended from branches of the Syuni dynasty . Besides the meliks of Karabagh, Syunik, Lori and Somkhiti , the other meliks of Eastern Armenia cannot be proven to have been of princely origin, although the highly influential Aghamalian meliks of Yerevan were almost certainly of princely extraction. The other, minor meliks may have been descendants of

3384-623: The meliks of Karabagh were reduced to untitled nobles with the word "melik" incorporated into their surnames. Save for a few exceptions, the meliks were generally not officially recognized as princes in the Russian Empire. Some meliks remained on their ancestral properties after the Russian conquest. The descendants of the meliks of Karabagh formed a large part of Russian Armenian "high society" in major cities such as Baku, Tbilisi, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Altogether, there were between 70 and 90 melikal houses in Eastern Armenia , mostly in

3456-490: The mid-seventeenth century until 1828, the Armenians of the province (or khanate) of Erivan were under the authority of the Aghamalian meliks of Yerevan (Erivan). Each mahal (district) of the province with a significant Armenian population had its own melik as a hereditary leader, who, along with the Armenian village headmen, answered to the melik of Yerevan. The melik of Yerevan was the most powerful non-religious leader in

3528-419: The name Bagarat probably is of Indo-European origin. It is remarkable that Prince Bagratuni himself rejected Khorenatsi's version of the origins of his family. Exotic descents were in vogue among the early medieval Armenian aristocratic families. However, there is no evidence supporting any of these claims of descent. The nobility always played an important role in Armenian society. This is evidenced through

3600-549: The next year. Nader reconfirmed the autonomy of the meliks of Karabagh and recognized Karabagh and Zangezur as semi-autonomous regions. After Nader's death in 1747, chaos beset Iran again, allowing the Muslim khanates to reassert their power in the Caucasus. During this time, Melik Shahnazar of Varanda allied himself with Panah Khan Javanshir , the chieftain of a Turkic tribe, against other Armenian meliks, which ultimately led to

3672-399: The nobility of Great Armenia includes the following layers: This division, however, reflects the specific tradition of Great Armenia in its early period in history. Naturally, in time the social structure of nobility underwent changes based on the specifics of Armenian territories, historical era, and social relations. For example, in medieval times the names and composition of the nobility of

SECTION 50

#1732772125183

3744-624: The noble houses of Vahevuni and Mehnuni were believed to be offspring of Vahagn and Mihr , ancient Armenian deities of fire and war, and heavenly light and justice respectively. The House of Artzruni traced its origins to Sanasar, son of Mher from the Armenian epos Sasna Tzrer. According to the Armenian aristocratic tradition, the princely houses of [Poladian] Khorkhoruni , Bznuni , Mandakuni , Rshtuni , Manavazian , Angelea (Angegh tun), Varajnuni , Vostanikyan, Ohanian, Cartozian, Apahuni, Arran tun and some others, are all believed to be direct descendants of Nahapet (Patriarch) Hayk , whose epithet

3816-447: The number of Armenian principalities was 118. Armenian historians Agathangelos , Pavstos Buzand, Yeghishe , Lazar Parbetsi, Movses Khorenatsi, Sebeos and others also provided numerous data and information about Armenian princely houses and lords. However, the Gahnamak s and lists of nakharar s (princely houses), based on these data and information, remain incomplete. The Armenian nobility were internally divided. The social pyramid of

3888-578: The offspring of the Armenian noble house of Artzruni became influential grandees at the Georgian court. The Georgian branch of the Armenian noble family of Bagratuni was enthroned as Bagrationi and became the reigning house in Georgia. An entire line of noblemen of Armenian descent reigned in Byzantium . As a result of dynastic marriages, the descendants of the Armenian royal house of Lusignan (Lusinian),

3960-475: The potential of the Armenian nobility. During this period the noble houses of Madatian (Madatov), Lazarian (Lazarev), Beybutian (Beybutov), Pirumyan (Pirumov), Loris-Melikian (Loris-Melikov) emerged. The aristocratic tradition in Armenia suffered another blow during the Bolshevik regime, when the nobility was dissolved as a social class and the noblemen underwent systematic oppression. Many representatives of

4032-402: The province after the sardar (governor). He was appointed directly by the shah and on some occasions dealt with him directly. The meliks of Yerevan accumulated great wealth from their properties and the tribute they received from all the Armenian villages of the province. The Aghamalian meliks had full administrative, legislative and judicial powers over the Armenians under their authority save for

4104-443: The provinces of Artsakh , Gardman , Syunik , Lori , Yerevan , Nakhichevan , Kashatagh , and Karadagh . Below is the incomplete list of some of the most prominent Armenian melik houses: (15th–19th centuries) The meliks of Karabagh and Syunik inspired the historical novel David Bek (1882) by Raffi , the opera David Bek (1950) by Armen Tigranian and the novel Mkhitar Sparapet (1961) by Sero Khanzadyan . In 1944,

4176-565: The royal court or the nation. Some Armenian Christian historians tend to derive certain Armenian noble houses from Mesopotamian or other roots. For example, in his History of Armenia , Movses Khorenatsi traces the family origins of his sponsor prince Sahak Bagratuni to non-Armenian roots. However, the historical sources prove the existence of the Bagratuni family in the oldest period of Armenian history and speak of them as aboriginal Armenians. The linguistic analysis also maintains that

4248-447: The saw themselves as the last bastion of Armenian independence in the region and sometimes claimed to speak on behalf of the entire Armenian people in their communications with foreign rulers. The meliks played an especially prominent role in Armenian political life from 1678 until the Russian annexation of Eastern Armenia in 1828. In 1678, Catholicos Hakob Jughayetsi called a secret meeting at Etchmiadzin with leading meliks and members of

4320-418: The semi-dependent princes (meliks) of Karabakh-Artsakh, also known as melikdoms of Khamsa (from Arabic word meaning "five principalities). These principalities preserved their status until the annexation of eastern Armenia into the Russian Empire. The Russian emperors either accepted the noble titles of the Armenian aristocracy or themselves elevated prominent representatives of Armenian origin in an effort to use

4392-517: The size of the troops that the noble houses were placing under the command of the king of Armenia in times of military campaigns. Unlike Zoranamak , Gahnamak listed the noble houses based on the criteria of political and economic importance of the houses, size of their estates, their wealth, as well as their connections and influence over the royal courts. Two other notions of the Armenian nobility related to Gahnamak and Zoranamak are those of bardz and pativ . Bardz literally means "cushion". It

SECTION 60

#1732772125183

4464-589: The tenth century under the Principality of Khachen . Khachen reached its peak in the thirteenth century under the Hasan-Jalalian family, although the principality was later broken up and weakened because of the attacks of foreign conquerors. In the mid-fifteenth century, the Qara Qoyunlu ruler Jahan Shah placed a number of territories along the northern frontier of his realm under the control of

4536-425: The term nakharar has changed its original meaning and gradually transformed into a generic equivalent of "aristocrat", "nobleman". Accordingly, the aristocratic families started to be called nakharar houses or nakharardoms. Along with this analysis, there is another interpretation of term nakharar, which is based on Armenian nakh and arar , i.e. "the first created" or "the first borne". The meaning of term nakharar

4608-763: The traditions of the Armenian nobility. In October 1992 the Union of the Armenian Noblemen (UAN) was created and registered in Armenia . On 27 July 2012, another nobility association – the Meliq Union – was registered by the Ministry of Justice of Armenia . Both associations are registered as a public non-governmental organization. Together, these nobility association have around 450 members representing aristocratic houses of Armenia. Membership in these unions

4680-438: The word azat literally means "one who is free", a "freeman." However, this term is likely derived from the older Indo-European word "yazata", meaning "the divine one", "offspring of gods", "the one who deserves to be worshipped". Armenian noble clans traced their origins either back to the gods of the old Armenian religion or to the heroes and patriarchs of the Armenian people or the origins of non-Armenian families. For example,

4752-441: The word tun (house) is very close to tohm (clan). Accordingly, tanuter meant "houselord" or "lord of the clan". Organizationally, the Armenian nobility was headed by the metz ishkhan ("great ishkhan ") or ishkhanats ishkhan (" ishkhan of ishkhan s") in Armenian, who in some historical chronicles is also called metzametz . He was the marshal of Armenian nobility and had special privileges and duties. For example, in case of

4824-624: Was Dyutsazn , meaning demigod, or of Hayk's descendants. It is quite common in all parts of the world for members of the nobility to purport to trace their ancestry back to gods, or legendary heroes. Besides that, according to legend the Bagratuni dynasty has origins in Judea , according to Movses Khorenatsi , as they transferred to Armenia in 6th century B.C. The Mamikonyan dynasty also had legends of coming from China. The early Armenian historians mention various Armenian noble houses during different periods of Armenian history. Sometimes their number

4896-466: Was also the crown prince and was called avag sepuh , had a particular role. In the case of king's death the avag sepuh automatically would inherit the crown, unless there were other prior arrangements. The second layer in the social division of the Armenian nobility was occupied by bdeshkh s . The four bdeshkh s were rulers of large borderland provinces of historical Greater Armenia. They were de facto viceroys and by their privileges were very close to

4968-426: Was evolving in parallel with consolidation of the noble houses' hereditary rights over counties of Great Armenia. For example, the county of Great Albak was traditionally inherited by the noble house of Artzruni , county of Taron by the house of Slkuni, and the county of Rshtuniq by the house of Rshtuni . Even prior to this consolidation the traditional aristocratic emblems and coat-of-arms emerge. The latter often

5040-714: Was ruled by the Tangians, Tatev and Ghapan by branches of the Parsadanians, and Kashatagh by the Haykazians (from which branched off the Israelians of Jraberd). To the north, near Lake Sevan (Gökche), there were the minor melikdoms of Gegham and Gardman. These two were ruled by branches of the Shahnazarian (originally Shahanshah or Ulubekian) family which later took over Varanda. The meliks of Karabagh and, to

5112-401: Was the seat that was occupied by the head of the noble house at the royal table, be it during council or during festivities. The word bardz derives from these cushions on which the lords of houses were seated on special occasions. Bardz – literally cushioned seats at the royal table but more broadly the actual status at the royal court – were distributed on the basis of pativ , i.e. literally

5184-679: Was the title of yuzbashi (from the Turkish officer rank, literally "lord of the hundred" warriors). With the annexation of eastern Armenia – i.e. Karabakh, Yerevan, Nakhichevan and Kars provinces – into the Russian Empire, the titles, traditions and social institutions of the Russian nobility become dominant among the Armenian aristocrats as they were integrated into the imperial nobility Russian style. Family name ( gavar -county, ashxarh -province) Incomplete list: Incomplete list: Incomplete list: Including Melik-Vardavantsi (Tutundjian de Vartavan, Tutundjian) from Vardavan[K], Baghk. A branch of

#182817