The Melikdoms of Karabakh: Armenia's Mountain Autonomy

The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History · Aug 28, 2026 · 7m · transcript

In the 18th century, while the Ottoman and Safavid empires carved up the Armenian plateau, five Armenian melikdoms—principalities—held on in the mountains of Karabakh. This episode traces their origins from the collapse of the Bagratuni kingdom to their heyday as semi-autonomous Christian enclaves under Muslim suzerainty. We look at the meliks' fortresses, their complex diplomacy with Persians and Ottomans, and their role in Armenian cultural survival—patronizing churches, schools, and manuscripts. The story follows the fall of the Safavids, the rise of Nader Shah, and the meliks&#x27…