Director of SHIRAK CENTER FOR ARMENOLOGICAL STUDIES NAS RA
Gyumri, Republic of Armenia
Abstract
The report examines the eastern policy of the Byzantine Empire toward the South Caucasus in the 10th–11th centuries and the gradual incorporation of Armenian principalities into the Byzantine political system. The study is based primarily on Armenian narrative sources — including the works of Asoghik, Aristakes of Lastiver, Matthew of Edessa, Samuel of Ani, and Smbat Sparapet — which illuminate not only political developments, but also Armenian perceptions of Byzantine expansion. These accounts are comparatively analyzed alongside Byzantine and Arabic sources, particularly the writings of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, John Skylitzes, Cedrenus, and Ibn al-Athir.
The report focuses on the principalities of Taron, Vaspurakan, and the Bagratid Kingdom of Ani-Shirak. It argues that Byzantium pursued a multifaceted policy combining military pressure, diplomatic influence, dynastic intervention, economic privileges, and ideological instruments. Particular attention is devoted to the internal fragmentation of the Armenian political elite, which significantly facilitated Byzantine expansion and weakened the possibility of coordinated resistance.
The incorporation of Armenian territories cannot be regarded as an entirely peaceful or voluntary process. Armenian sources consistently portray Byzantine policy as a deliberate and gradual dismantling of Armenian statehood. The transfer of Taron, Vaspurakan, and ultimately Ani under Byzantine rule occurred amid political instability, external military threats, and sustained imperial pressure.
The report also addresses the broader geopolitical consequences of Byzantium’s eastern policy. The elimination of the Armenian states as a buffer zone weakened the empire’s eastern defensive system and contributed to the success of the Seljuk advance in the second half of the 11th century. Consequently, the Byzantine annexation of Armenia is interpreted not only as a turning point in Armenian history, but also as a strategic miscalculation that reshaped the balance of power in the Near East.
Keywords: Armenia, principalities, Taron, Vaspurakan, Ani, Byzantine Empire, Bagratids, Artsruni, annexation.