Latest / The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History / Armenia Under the Mongols: Survival Between Khans and Sultans
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Armenia caught between Rome and Parthia, Byzantium and the Sassanids, but there's one empire that really reshaped the entire region in a way that's often overlooked: the Mongols. Luna: I think of the Mongols as more of a steppe phenomenon — how did they affect Armenia? Lucas: Well, by the 13th century, Armenia was split. Greater Armenia was under Seljuk and then Georgian control, while Cilician Armenia was a Crusader ally. Then the Mongols swept in. And here's the thing: the Armenian king of Cilicia, Hethum I, made a calculated decision to submit voluntarily to the Mongols rather than fight them. Lucas: He sent his brother, Smbat, to the Mongol court in 1247, and then went himself in 1254. Hethum traveled all the way to Karakorum, the Mongol capital in Mongolia, to meet Möngke Khan. That's a journey of thousands of miles. Luna: That's incredible. What did he get out of it? Lucas: He secured a treaty. In exchange for acknowledging Mongol suzerainty and providing troops, Hethum got protection from the Seljuks and the Mamluks. The Mongols also promised not to interfere with Christian churches. For a while, it worked brilliantly. Armenian soldiers fought alongside the Mongols in their campaigns. Lucas: In 1258, when the Mongols sacked Baghdad — ending the Abbasid Caliphate — there were Armenian units in the Mongol army. Hethum's son, Leo, was there. It was a shocking event for the Islamic world, but for Armenians, it seemed like the Mongols were potential allies against their common enemies. Luna: Wait, so the Mongols were seen as liberators? Lucas: Sort of. At least as the lesser evil. The Mongols were pagans at that point, and they were surprisingly tolerant. They exempted the Armenian church from taxes. But it didn't last. In 1260, the Mongols suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Ain Jalut against the Mamluks. That battle changed everything. Lucas: The Mongol general Kitbuqa, a Nestorian Christian, was captured and executed. After that, the Mongols never really advanced into Syria again. And the Mamluks, under Sultan Baibars, turned their attention to Cilician Armenia for its alliance with the Mongols. Luna: So the alliance backfired. Lucas: Absolutely. Baibars launched devastating raids into Cilicia. In 1266, the Mamluks sacked the capital, Sis, and Tarsus. Hethum's son, Leo, was captured. Hethum abdicated and became a monk. It was a catastrophe. Lucas: Meanwhile, in Greater Armenia, the Mongol Ilkhanate imposed heavy taxes. They introduced a system called the 'tamgha' — a commercial tax — and demanded tribute in gold, silk, and horses. Armenian villages were often stripped bare. Luna: What about the Armenian nobles, the nakharars? Lucas: Some collaborated, some resisted. The Orbelian dynasty in Syunik, for example, managed their lands under Mongol suzerainty. They even built churches and monasteries. But the burden on the peasantry was crushing. Many Armenians fled to Cilicia or into the mountains. Lucas: There's a famous story from the 1290s. The Mongol Ilkhan Ghazan converted to Islam. That changed the dynamic completely. Now the Mongols were no longer neutral pagans; they were Muslims. Christians, including Armenians, faced persecution. Churches were turned into mosques. Luna: So the alliance that Hethum built crumbled. Lucas: Yes. By the early 14th century, the Ilkhanate was fragmenting. In 1337, the last Ilkhan died, and the Mongols withdrew from the region. But their legacy in Armenia was profound. They had devastated the population, but they also connected Armenia to a vast trade network. Lucas: Armenian merchants traveled along the Silk Road under Mongol protection. Some even reached China. We see Mongol motifs in Armenian manuscripts from that period — dragons, phoenixes, cloud patterns. It's a strange cultural exchange born from subjugation. Luna: That's fascinating. So there was a silver lining. Lucas: A thin one. Ultimately, the Mongol period weakened Armenia. Greater Armenia never recovered its population. And Cilician Armenia, after a century of attacks, finally fell to the Mamluks in 1375. The last king, Levon V, died in exile in France. Luna: So the Mongol alliance, which started as a survival strategy, ended with the destruction of both Armenian states. Lucas: Exactly. It's a classic story of a small kingdom caught between two larger powers — the Mongols and the Mamluks — and being crushed in the middle. But it also shows Armenian resilience. Even under Mongol rule, they maintained their faith, their language, their distinct identity. Luna: And their manuscripts. Lucas: Yes. Some of the most beautiful Armenian illuminated manuscripts come from this period. The 'Glajor Gospel' and the 'Gospel of Queen Keran' — they have these incredible Mongol-style floral borders. It's a visual reminder of a time when Armenia was part of a Eurasian empire. Lucas: But that empire was brutal. And in the end, it left Armenia weaker than before. The void was eventually filled by the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia. But that's a story for another episode. Luna: I'm glad we covered this. I never really thought about Armenia's Mongol connection. Lucas: It's a crucial chapter. And it shows how even in defeat, Armenian culture adapted and survived. That's the through line of Armenian history, I think.