| Kingdom of Armenia | |||||
| Մեծ Հայք | |||||
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 Map of the Kingdom of Armenia at its height under Tigranes the Great.
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| Capital | Various, principally Tigranocerta | ||||
| Languages | Armenian | ||||
| Religion | Armenian Polytheism, Zoroastrianism | ||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||
| Historical Era | Classical Era | ||||
| • | Formation | 331 B.C. | |||
| • | Disestablished | 110 A.D. | |||
The Kingdom of Armenia was a major power that helped to end the Hellenic period of the Classical Era and was a major opponent and ally of Rome during its rise and expansion into Asia. In time, Rome would annex the country, ending its independence for centuries. Despite this, Armenia continued to exercise its influence across Europe and Asia, becoming one of the first cultures to adopt Christianity alongside Arabia, Egypt, and Syria.
History[]
Emergence[]
The kingdom of Armenia first emerged following the collapse of the Persian Achaemenid Empire and the establishment of the Macedonian Empire by Alexander the Great. The satrapy of Armenia, under the Orontid dynasty of rulers, managed to split off and maintain its independence, as Alexander and his successors were not directly interested with the region at first. The Orontid kings of the first few generations just watched as the Diadochi bled each other dry and were not interested in expanding beyond their borders, just with protecting their independence from both the Diadochi and raiding tribes from above and below the Caucasus Mountains.
Tigranes the Great[]
After long wars between the Hellenic Kings of the south, a powerful and ambitious new king succeeded to the throne. Tigranes II of Armenia saw the weakened states of the Ptolemies and Argeads as ripe for expansion, planning an Armenian empire from the Caucasus to the Nile. With a powerful army under his command, Tigranes II first defeated the Arsacid Persians, the greatest potential threat to Armenia, and formed a non-aggression pact with them. After his victories, he took northern Media, establishing a local client king to oversee this new possession. Turning towards the south, Tigranes II and his armies crossed into Syria.
The Ptolemaic Kingdom represented the greatest of the Diadochi Hellenic successors to Alexander the Great. Despite falling into internal decay and instability, the capital of Bucephala remained a great metropolis of art, culture, and trade. Not long before, the Arsacids seized Mesopotamia from them while the Nabataeans captured Damascus. If Tigranes II did not move quickly, the great wealth and potential power of Syria would be lost, perhaps forever. With his powerful army, the Ptolemies were not able to put up much resistance, capitulating in 83 B.C. Despite his Zoroastrian faith, Tigranes II, now known as the Great, prayed at the temple of Poseidon in Bucephala, the resting place of Alexander's horse Bucephalus, in tribute to his victory.
Wars with Rome[]
However, Armenia's height would not last. The forces of the Roman Republic began to encroach on Asia, especially after the First Cappadocian War. Cappadocia, rightly fearful of Rome's power, approached Tigranes for a mutually defensive alliance. Still concerned about possible Arsacid attacks, Tigranes accepted and continued to plan for his eventual invasion of Egypt. However, he never got the chance, as war with Rome broke out in the Second Cappadocian War of 74 B.C. and Armenia was dragged into it. In the aftermath, although Armenia was not conclusively beaten, Tigranes II was forced to cede his new Syrian provinces to Rome, giving the Republic a solid foothold in the Eastern Mediterranean. With Cappadocian power effectively gone and Arsacid power on the rise and Media undefended, Tigranes eagerly entered into an alliance with Rome.
However, this was not the end of Armenia's struggles with Rome. During the Triumvirate Civil War, Cappadocia engaged in one final attack against Rome, hoping to restore its position within Asia. Armenia aided them to no avail. Roman armies dispersed those of Cappadocia and Armenia, forcing both states to become client states of the Republic and soon afterwards the Empire. Unlike Cappadocia, Armenia was able to preserve its independence this way for another hundred years or so.
The Romano-Persian Wars[]
Armenia continued to be a largely loyal vassal state to the Roman Republic and its imperial successor. The further threat of Arsacid Persia made the Armenian nobility cautious and believed that siding with Rome would remain their best bet for survival and prosperity. Armenia provided crucial information for several Roman campaigns against the Parthians such as Carrhae and Tagrit during the Republican and Imperial periods. In 113 A.D. Armenia was ultimately annexed by the Roman Empire with the consent of the Armenian kings, who were permitted to retain their property and titles in compensation. Armenian forces were enrolled in some of the new legions raised by Emperor Gnaeus Sergius for the long campaign that defeated the Arsacid Persians.
Society[]
Religion[]
Armenia's upper society was dominated by Zoroastrianism while most of the lower classes remained loyal to the traditional Armenian polytheism. Overtime other religions began to infiltrate Armenian society, as Anatolian and Greco-Roman gods were worshipped alongside the original two faiths of the land. Not long after the rise of Christianity, Armenia had a large number of converts to the new faith, becoming one of the most Christian parts of the later Roman Empire. Local governors, aware of the religion's local power, were typically ambivalent and only rarely carried out orders from Roman emperors to persecute Christians.