The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History

In April 1915, as the Ottoman Empire descended into war with Russia, the ancient city of Van became the stage for a desperate Armenian uprising. This episode reconstructs the siege of Van, where Armenian fedayeen, led by figures like Aram Manukian, held out against Ottoman forces and Kurdish irregulars for over a month. We explore the strategic importance of Van, the role of the Russian Caucasus A...

This episode explores the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia, a beacon of independence and culture from the 9th to 11th centuries. We focus on the reign of King Gagik I (989-1020), who oversaw the construction of the Cathedral of Ani, the 'city of 1001 churches.' Lucas and Luna discuss the delicate balance the Bagratids maintained between the Byzantine Empire and the rising Seljuk Turks, the role of the...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the history of Dvin, the capital of early medieval Armenia that flourished under Arab rule. After the fall of the Arshakuni dynasty, Dvin became the seat of the Armenian Catholicos and a vibrant center of trade and culture. Lucas discusses the city's foundation by King Khosrov III in the 4th century, its rise under the Marzbanate and later Arab governors, an...

Long before the kingdom of Armenia, the Armenian highlands were home to Urartu, a powerful Iron Age kingdom that rivaled Assyria and forged the cultural and political landscape of the region. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the rise and fall of Urartu, its fortified cities like Tushpa and Erebuni, its gods Haldi and Shivini, and its cuneiform inscriptions that survive to this day. They dis...

In 484 CE, a rebellion in Armenia changed the course of history. After the devastating Battle of Avarayr in 451, where Vardan Mamikonian fell, resistance against Sassanid forced Zoroastrian conversion didn't end. Under the leadership of Vahan Mamikonian, Vardan's nephew, the Armenians achieved what their martyrs could not: a treaty guaranteeing religious freedom. The Nvarsak Treaty, signed between...

This episode dives deep into the nakharar system, the unique Armenian feudal structure that governed Armenian society for over a millennium. Lucas and Luna explore how noble clans like the Bagratunis, Mamikonians, and Artsrunis wielded power, managed their domains, and balanced loyalty between Armenian kings and foreign empires—Rome, Parthia, Persia, Byzantium, and the Caliphate. They discuss how...

To understand the soul of Armenia, you must understand the Battle of Avarayr in 451 CE—a battle that Armenia lost but won. In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive deep into the life of Vardan Mamikonian, the sparapet (commander-in-chief) who led a desperate rebellion against the Sassanid Empire's forced conversion to Zoroastrianism. We explore the politics of the Sassanid shah Yazdegerd II, the inter...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the Mamikonian dynasty, a powerful noble family that led Armenian resistance against Sassanid Persian rule in the 5th century. They explore the pivotal Battle of Avarayr in 451 AD, where Vardan Mamikonian and his nakharars fought for religious freedom, the Nvarsak Treaty that followed, and the legacy of Vahan Mamikonian. The discussion also covers the rol...

In this episode of The Story of Armenia, Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic life and legacy of Nerses the Great, the fourth-century Catholicos who transformed the Armenian Church into a bulwark of national identity. Nerses clashed with King Pap over church autonomy, convened the Synod of Ashtishat to reform social and religious practices, and was allegedly poisoned by the king himself. The episod...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten Kingdom of Commagene, a Hellenistic-Armenian hybrid that bridged East and West for nearly two centuries. They discuss the dramatic mountain-top tomb-sanctuary of Nemrut Dağ, built by King Antiochus I Theos, who claimed descent from both Darius the Great and Alexander the Great. The conversation covers Commagene's strategic location on the Euphr...

In this episode of The Story of Armenia, Lucas and Luna travel to the first century BCE to explore the Kingdom of Commagene—a small but strategically vital Armenian-ruled state that blended Persian, Greek, and Armenian cultures. They focus on King Antiochus I Theos, who built the spectacular funerary sanctuary of Nemrut Dağ, a UNESCO World Heritage site adorned with colossal statues and a unique a...

Before the Bagratids, before the Rubenids, there was the Mamikonian dynasty — a princely house that for centuries was the sword of Armenia. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Mamikonians' legendary origins, their rivalry with the Sassanid Empire, and the heroic stand of Vardan Mamikonian at the Battle of Avarayr in 451 CE. They discuss the strategic importance of the nakharar system, the...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Arshakuni (Arsacid) dynasty that ruled Armenia for nearly four centuries. They begin with the pivotal moment in 66 AD when Tiridates I traveled to Rome to be crowned by Nero, a unique event that established Armenia as a buffer state between Rome and Parthia. Lucas explains how the Arsacids blended Iranian and Hellenistic traditions, introducing Zoroastri...

In the shadow of Rome and Parthia, the Arshakuni (Arsacid) dynasty ruled Armenia for nearly four centuries, from 54 AD to 428 AD. This episode explores how a cadet branch of the Parthian royal house navigated between two empires, fought off Sassanid aggression, and oversaw Armenia's conversion to Christianity. Lucas and Luna discuss the reign of Tiridates I, who was crowned by Emperor Nero in Rome...

Episode 35 of The Story of Armenia picks up where Episode 24 left off, diving into the final decades of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and its conquest by the Mamluk Sultanate. Lucas and Luna explore the internal divisions that weakened the kingdom, the role of the Mongol alliance, and the devastating Mamluk campaigns under Sultan Baibars and his successors. They discuss the treacherous surrender...

Long before Tigranes or Trdat, there was Hayk, the legendary patriarch who, according to Armenian tradition, founded the nation. This episode explores the myth of Hayk and his rebellion against the Assyrian Titan Bel, set around 2492 BC. We examine the earliest written sources, including Movses Khorenatsi's 5th-century History of Armenia, and discuss what the legend tells us about Armenian identit...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the creation of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots in the early 5th century. They discuss how Mashtots, a scholar and monk, sought to forge a unique script for the Armenian language, breaking free from the cultural dominance of Greek and Syriac. The episode delves into the collaboration with Catholicos Sahak Partev and King Vramshapuh, the establishmen...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable story of King Trdat III, the Armenian monarch who made Christianity the state religion in 301 AD — a full decade before Constantine's Edict of Milan. They examine how Trdat's upbringing in Rome, his alliance with the Sasanian Empire, and his eventual break with that empire set the stage for Armenia's unique Christian identity. The conversation...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the fascinating story of the Garni Temple, the only surviving Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia. Perched on a cliff edge, this temple was built by King Tiridates I in the 1st century CE, shortly after his journey to Rome for coronation by Emperor Nero. Lucas explains how the temple's construction combined Roman architectural techniques with local Ar...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral, a 7th-century Armenian architectural masterpiece that stood for just 300 years before collapsing. Built by Catholicos Nerses III the Builder, its circular design and massive stone-carved eagles once inspired even Byzantine Emperor Constans II. Lucas explains how Soviet-era excavations in the early 20th century uncovered the...

How did Armenia become the first state to adopt Christianity as a national religion, and why did it happen a decade before Constantine's vision? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the story of St. Gregory the Illuminator — a Parthian nobleman who endured 13 years in a snake pit for his faith and emerged to convert a king. They discuss the role of King Tiridates III, the pagan temple of Garni,...

In May 1918, as the Ottoman army advanced into the heart of the Caucasus, a desperate Armenian force made a final stand near the small town of Sardarabad. This episode of The Story of Armenia takes you to the crucial three-day battle that saved the Armenian nation from annihilation. We explore the unlikely coalition of regular soldiers, fedayi fighters, and ordinary villagers who held the line und...

After centuries of foreign domination, Armenia's Bagratid dynasty restored native rule in the 9th century, ushering in a cultural and political renaissance. This episode follows Ashot I's coronation by the Abbasid Caliphate in 885 AD, the construction of the magnificent city of Ani with its thousand and one churches, and the rise of rival Armenian princely houses like the Artsruni. We explore the...

On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire arrested hundreds of Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople, beginning a systematic campaign of deportation, massacre, and death marches that would claim 1.5 million lives. This episode traces the genocide from its ideological roots in Pan-Turkism and the Committee of Union and Progress, through the brutal implementation under Talaat Pasha, Enver Pasha, and...

Long before the Kingdom of Urartu or the Artaxiad dynasty, the Armenian Highlands were home to some of the earliest complex societies in the ancient Near East. This episode takes you back to the Bronze and Iron Ages, exploring the Trialeti-Vanadzor culture, the mysterious Hayasa-Azzi confederation, and the Nairi tribal lands that eventually gave rise to Urartu. We look at the archaeological eviden...