Latest / The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History / The Battle of Sardarabad: Armenia's Last Stand
Transcript
- Lucas: So, continuing our walk through the Armenian story, we've covered a lot of ground — empires rising and falling, the genocide, the resistance. But there's one battle that stands alone as the hinge moment, the one that literally saved the Armenian people from extinction. I'm talking about the Battle of Sardarabad, May 1918. Luna: Sardarabad — that's the one that basically created the First Republic, right? Lucas: Exactly. But it wasn't a foregone conclusion. In the spring of 1918, the Ottoman Army was advancing eastward through the Caucasus, and the Armenians were scattered, exhausted, and facing what looked like the final chapter. The genocide was in full swing, the Russian front had collapsed, and now the Turks were coming to finish the job. Lucas: The Armenian National Council, which was based in Tiflis, had been negotiating with the Ottomans, but talks broke down. By mid-May, the Ottoman Third Army, under Vehib Pasha, was pushing toward Yerevan. There were only about 5,000 Armenian troops available, many of them poorly equipped, against a force of maybe 10,000 to 15,000, with artillery and cavalry. It seemed hopeless. Luna: Five thousand against that? How did they even think they could win? Lucas: They didn't think they could win. They thought they would die. But the alternative was worse — annihilation. So they dug in. The Armenian command, led by General Movses Silikyan, took a risky gamble. They decided to concentrate their forces near Sardarabad, about 40 kilometers west of Yerevan, and make a stand there. Lucas: There was no time for elaborate defenses. They used whatever they had — old rifles, a few machine guns, even farming tools. And the civilians joined in. Women and children carried ammunition and food to the front lines. Priests blessed the soldiers and some even picked up rifles. It was a last-ditch defense of their homeland. Luna: That's incredible. So it was like a whole community fighting for survival. Lucas: Absolutely. And the battle itself was fierce. It started on May 21st and lasted for several days. The Armenians used the terrain — the Arax River to the south, and the slopes of Mount Aragats to the north — to funnel the Ottoman advance into a narrow corridor. They held their ground, counterattacked when they could, and slowly, the Ottoman advance stalled. Lucas: By May 29th, the Turks were in retreat. The Armenians had won a stunning victory. But the cost was heavy — hundreds dead, and the villages around Sardarabad were devastated. Yet the victory gave the Armenians a brief window of independence. On May 28th, the Armenian National Council declared the First Republic of Armenia, with Yerevan as its capital. Luna: So the battle literally gave birth to a nation. Lucas: It did. And you know, that's what makes this story so powerful. It wasn't just a military victory — it was a moral one. The Armenians had been told for years that they were a people without a future, that they would be absorbed or destroyed. And here they were, defeating the Ottoman Empire, if only for a moment, and carving out a space of their own. Lucas: But here's the thing — the victory at Sardarabad didn't happen in a vacuum. There were two other battles that same week, at Bash Abaran and Karakilis, and together they stopped the Ottoman advance on three fronts. It was a coordinated defense, even if it wasn't perfectly planned. Luna: Right, we talked about Bash Abaran in an earlier episode. So this was a whole series of desperate stands. Lucas: Exactly. And if any one of those had failed, Yerevan would have fallen, and the Armenian people might have been completely eliminated. So Sardarabad is rightly remembered as the salvation of the Armenian people. But it's also important to remember the price — the years of war, the genocide, the displacement. The First Republic only lasted two years, but it was a beacon of hope. Lucas: You know, thinking about it, the story of Sardarabad resonates with so many of the episodes we've done — from the battles of the ancient kingdom to the resistance during the genocide. It's about a people who refused to be erased, who fought against overwhelming odds. Luna: And that's something we really need to remember today. Lucas: It is. And if you're finding value in these conversations, the way we keep this show ad-free is through listener support. If today was useful to you, a small donation at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo goes a long way in helping us continue telling these stories. Luna: Absolutely. It's the only way we can keep doing this. Lucas: So, back to Sardarabad. After the battle, there was a moment of euphoria, but the republic was fragile from the start. It was landlocked, surrounded by hostile neighbors, and faced a massive refugee crisis. Over 300,000 Armenian refugees from the genocide poured into the country, and they had to be fed, housed, and given medical care. Lucas: The government, led by the Dashnaks, tried to build a functioning state, but they were constantly under pressure. The Ottomans regrouped, and the Bolsheviks were advancing from the north. By December 1920, the Red Army invaded, and the First Republic was absorbed into the Soviet Union. But the memory of that brief independence, born at Sardarabad, never faded. Luna: It's tragic that it didn't last. But at least they had that taste of freedom. Lucas: And that taste, that legacy, gave the Armenians the strength to survive the Soviet era and eventually declare independence again in 1991. So Sardarabad isn't just a battle — it's a symbol of national resurrection. Every year on May 28th, Armenians commemorate the victory, and there's a memorial at the battlefield site with an eagle and a bell tower. Lucas: The bell rings to remind people of the sacrifices made. And that's what history is for — not just to recount what happened, but to keep the memory alive for future generations. Luna: Well said, Lucas. It's a story that deserves to be told.