| Battle of Vardanakert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Umayyad Caliphate |
 Bagratid Armenia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Ostikan of Arminiya |
Smbat VI Bagratuni | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,000 | 2,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 7,700 killed, 300 prisoners | 300 killed | ||||||
Battle of Vardanakert was fought between an Arab garrison and Armenians. The Armenian prince Smbat VI Bagratuni defeated the 5,000-strong Umayyad army from the garrison in Nakhichevan. Struck by a surprise attack, the remaining Arabs fled to the river Araxes and either drowned or froze to death. Smbat, chosen to rule by Byzantine commission, managed to re-conquer the majority of Armenia and drive the Arabs out of the country.
Aftermath
Despite this success, the Umayyad generals Muhammad ibn Marwan and Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik soon restored Armenia to subject status. Muslim control was secured by organizing a large-scale massacre of the princely families (nakharar) within the cathedral of Nakhchivan, which was burned, in 704.
Notes
- Macler states it was the Arab commander Qasim that invaded and reconquered Armenia.
References
- ^ Hoyland 2015, p. 155.
- ^ Macler 1923, p. 156.
Sources
- Hoyland, Robert G. (2015). In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. Oxford University Press.
- Macler, Frederic (1923). "Armenia". The Cambridge Medieval History. Vol. IV:The eastern Roman empire (717-1453). Cambridge at the University Press.
40°17′19″N 44°58′46″E / 40.2885°N 44.9795°E / 40.2885; 44.9795
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