History of Nagorno Karabakh

Antiquity

Nagorno Karabakh (historical name "Artsakh") occupies the eastern and southeastern mountainous regions of Caucasus Minor and forms the northeastern part of the Armenian Highlands. It stretches from the mountains of Lake Sevan to the east of the Araks River. The name Karabakh is comprised of two words, "kara" (meaning "black" in Turkic languages or "many, rich in") and "bagh" (meaning "garden" in Persian). Thus Karabakh means "black garden" or "rich in gardens."

6th - 1st Century B.C.

The territory of modern Nagorno Karabakh is mentioned for the first time as the region of Urtekhini (Artsakh) in the inscriptions of Sardur II, King of Urartu (763–734 BC), found in the village of Tsovk in Armenia.

In the middle of the 1st century B.C., Armenia became one of the most powerful states in the Near East. Armenian King Tigran the Great, attached great significance to Artsakh and built the town of Tigranakert in Artsakh. It was one of the four towns that carried his name. Today the ruins of this town are near Agdam (in the liberated territories of Nagorno Karabakh).

1st - 5th Century

In 66-428 A.D., Artsakh was a part of the Arshakids Armenian kingdom. After its collapse, and Armenia's first division between Persia and Byzantium, Artsakh was annexed to the Albanian kingdom, situated to the north of the Kura River. In 469 the kingdom was transformed into a Persian marzpanutyun (province) retaining the name Albania.

In the beginning of the 4th century A.D., Christianity was the dominant religion in Artsakh. The creation of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots in the early 5th century led to the cultural development in both Armenia and Artsakh. Mesrop Mashtots founded the first Armenian school in the monastery of Amaras in Artsakh.

In 451, Armenians waged a powerful revolt, known as the Vardanants War (Battle of Avarayr) in response to Persia's policy of conversion of Armenians to Zoroastrianism. Artsakh took part in the war, during which its cavalry distinguished itself. After the Persians suppressed the Armenian's rebellion, a considerable part of Armenian forces found shelter in the unreachable fortresses and dense forests of Artsakh to continue their struggle against the foreign Persian oppression.

6th - 10th Century

Starting from the beginning of the 7th century, noble houses of Khachen and Dizak gathered strength. The Prince of Khachen, Sahl Smbatian, and the Prince of Dizak, Yesayee Abu Mousseh, spearhead the struggle against Arabs. They, and later their successors, succeeded in making their borders unconquerable.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Artsakh and Khachen were subjected to the invasion of nomadic Seljuk Turks, but managed to maintain their independence.

11th - 15th Century

At the end of the 12th century and during the first half of the 13th century, Artsakh flourished. Valuable architectural structures such as the Hovhannes Mkrtich (John the Baptist) Church, the portico of Gandzasar Monastery (1216-1260), Dadivank (Dadi Monastery, 1214), and Gtichavank Monastery (1241-1248) were constructed. These churches are considered masterpieces of Armenian architectural heritage.

In 1230-1240 the Tatar-Mongols conquered Transcaucasia. Due to the efforts of Prince Hasan-Jalal, Artsakh was partially saved from destruction. However, after his death in 1261, Khachen was also destroyed by Tatar-Mongols. The situation deteriorated in the 14th century during the Turkic rule of Kara-Koyunlu and Agh-Koyunlu tribes, which replaced the Tatar-Mongols. In that period many monuments and architectural wonders were destroyed. This is the time period, when the area becomes known as Karabakh.

16th - 20th Century

In the 16th century, a number of administrative-political entities called meliqdoms (principalities) were formed in Karabakh. The rulers of those principalities were called Meliqs. Further principalities were united into five larger ones: Varand, Khachen, Dizaq, Jaraberd, and Gyulistan and became known as "Meliqutyuns of Khamsa" (Arabic word for five). In the 16-17th centuries, Artsakh Meliqs spearheaded the liberation struggle of the Armenians against the Shah of Persia and the Sultan of Turkey. Along with the armed struggle, the Meliqs of Artsakh sent representatives to Europe and Russia asking for help from the Christian West.

In the middle of the 18th century, Panakh, one of the leaders of a Turkic tribe took advantage of the feudal struggle among the Meliqs of Karabakh and found shelter in the Shushi fortress with the assistance of Varanda Melik Shahnazar II. He proclaimed Karabakh to be a khanate (a political entity ruled by a Khan) and himself - a khan. The Persian Court supported this move, and the rights of local Meliqs were restricted. Penetration of Artsakh by foreign ethnic elements began, which later led to the change of its ethnic composition.

In the late 18th - early 19th century, the Russian Empire began to play a more active role in the region. Following the Russian-Persian War of 1804-1813, Persia forever surrendered most of the Caucasus to Russia, including Karabakh. The Treaty of Gulistan was signed on October 12, 1813, in the Artsakh fortress of Gulistan; the signatories were Nikolai Fyodorovitch Rtischev (Russia) and Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi (Persia). However, this political status lasted only until the overthrow of the Russian monarchy during the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, and a local government was created in Karabakh.

The collapse of the Russian Empire paved the way for Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to form the Republics of Transcaucasia. It is at this juncture that the modern Nagorno-Karabakh conflict arose.