Shahinyan, Arsen Karapeti. The Armenian and Albanian Church Mission in the Grand Principality of Huns in 682–685

Section: Commentarii

Posted in Commentarii

Title of the article	The Armenian and Albanian Church Mission in the Grand Principality of Huns in 682–685
Authors	Shahinyan, Arsen Karapeti – Doctor of History, Professor, Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint-Peresburg, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., OrcID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8992-6464, SPIN-код 3271-6062, AuthorID 476392
In the section	Commentarii / Articles
Year	2013	Issue	2	Pages	3-13
Type of article	RAR	Index UDK	94(395.5); 94(369.1)	Index BBK	63.3(0=Армения)4
Abstract	In 631 there was formed the Khazar Khanate in the South-East of Europe and Northern Caucasus, and under its suzerainty, in the territory of Daghestan – the Grand Principality of Huns with Varachan as its capital. The pagan Huns and Khazars were carried out frequent raids to the Christian principalities of Albania and Armenia, waddling through the Great Caucasus mountain range. That’s why the Prince of neighboring Albania Jewansher (636/7–681) in 664 agreed to recognize the suzerainty of the Great Prince of the Huns Alp-Ilitver and to marry his daughter. The peace was violated by the Huns after when Jewansher had fallen victim to a conspiracy in 681 and Varaz-Trdat had been elected as a new prince. Alp-Ilitver with the aim to avenge the murder of his son in-law had led a huge army. Albanian Catholicos Eliazar (681–687) had to justify himself that Varaz-Trdat is not a usurper of princely power; only then Alp-Ilitver went back to Varachan. There also had arrived in February 9, 682 an Albanian embassy headed by Bishop Israyel, which was received with great honors. His political and spiritual mission to the pagan country, this Albanian bishop had to pre-negotiate with the Armenian Catholicos Sahak III (677–704) and the Prince Grigor Mamikonean (662–685), because the Albanian Church was un-der the church and canonic jurisdiction of the Armenian Catholicosate. In the course of Israyel’s public sermons the Huns were baptized; at the Easter Eve day, which fell in 682 on March 29, was solemnly consecrated the Cross which had been installed at the princely court by Israyel. Moreover, Alp-Ilitver decided to establish a patriarchal throne in Varachan headed by Israyel to get an ideological weapon, it seems, in the face of Christianity in the struggle for full national independence from the Pagan Khazars. That’s why he appealed to the rulers and the Catholicoses of Armenia and Albania to appoint Israyel as a pontiff of Huns. But they agreed only to appoint him by a part-time to exclude, it seems, the possibility of full confessional independence of the new Church of Huns. Political objectives pursued by the Grand Prince of Huns, have led to a punitive expedition of the Khan of Khazars in August of 685. As a result, the conquered Huns were to return to paganism and to accompany their suzerain in his future campaign against the Christian principalities of Albania and Armenia.
Keywords	the Armenian Principality of 7th Century, Early Medieval Armenian Church, Caucasian Albania, the Albanian Church, Grand Principality of the Huns, the Khazar Khaganate.
	Full text version of the article			Article language	russian
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Tags: Armenian Principality, Early Medieval Armenian Church, Caucasian Albania, Albanian Church, Grand Principality of the Huns, Khazar Khaganate

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