History
The history of the Armenian folk goes back to the year 2500 B.C. Different tribes and tribe alliances came together to form one nation. The three most important tribes were Urartu, Nairi and Haias. Researcher especially point out the tribe Haias, which they trace back to the denomination of the Armenians as "HAY" and the country name „HAYASTAN”.
860 B.C. – The Urartu-Empire
860 B.C. the Urartu-Empire with the capital Tuschpa (today Van) arises. 700 B.C., an Indo-Germanic ethnic group, later called "Armeniya" by Persian and Greek scribes, immigrates to the high valleys between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and mixes with the resident tribes of the Urartu-Empire to the Armenian nation.
200 B.C. – The Path to the Armenian Empire
200 B.C., two independent principalities, reigned by Armenian rulers, develop: Great Armenia, under the rule of Artaxias I. and Small Armenia, in the west of the Euphrat, under the rule of Zariadris; in the first century B.C. the Artaxian Tigranes II (95-55 B.C.) unites these two principalities to one great empire, which extends for a short time from the Mediterranean Sea in the southwest up to the Caspian Sea in the east. This is the greatest expansion of the Armenian empire. In 69 B.C., Armenia gets under roman sovereignty. After age-long fights between Romans and Persians for the predominance in southwest Asia, in 238 AD., again, most part of Armenia comes under the domination of the Persians (Sassanids). With the aid of the Romans, the Armenian King Tirdates III succeeds to banish the Sassanids from Armenia in the third century AD.
4. Century – 1. Christian State
After that King Tirdates III. was cured from a severe illness by a prisoner named Gregory, who was reared with Christian beliefs and who was kept imprisoned by the King in Chorwirab („Deep hole), Tirdates III. announces Christianity as the new state religion of Armenia in 301 AD. Therefore Gregory is also called “Gregory the Illuminator”. Thus, the Armenian kingdom is the first country of the world in which Christianity was established as the state religion. The Armenian-apostolic church is one of the old-oriental orthodoxies – together with the Egyptian Copts, the Syrian-orthodox and the Indian Thomas Christians. The Armenian Church survived in spite of repeated attempts of the Islamic neighbour countries to force Armenia to the Islam.
5. Century – The Armenian Alphabet
In 406 AD., the Christian monk Mesrop Maschtots develops the Armenian alphabet consisting of 36 symbols (later, three more symbols were added) and translated the Bible into the Armenian language. Still today the Armenians celebrate the Tarkmantschatz Ton (Day for the celebration of the translation of the Bible into the Armenian language).
9. Century – A new boom and a new decay
With the approval of the Arabs and the Byzantines, the Armenian Aschot I. establishes the Bagrationi Dynasty in 885 AD., and the independent Armenian kingdom - it is about ten times larger than the contemporary Armenia and contains also the east of the contemporary Turkey - again, experiences an economical and cultural period of boom. In the following time the great empire falls apart after alternating occupations through the Ottomans and Persians. Only due to their strong belief and their language, the Armenians maintain a part of their independence even in times of occupation, which leads to the foundation of an independent kingdom coastal to the Mediterranean Sea in the southwest, named Cilicia, in 1071.
1828 - The Conquest through the Russians
These see-saw changes between Persians and Ottomans end in 1828, when the Russian czar Nikolaus I. conquers the Persian-occupied part of the historical Armenia. But the situation of the population did not improve: Armenian churches and schools are closed and the Armenian language is forbidden. At the end of the war between Russia and Turkey the northwest of Armenia (until then in Turkish occupancy) also falls to Russia.
1894 – Begin of the Independence Efforts
In 1894, the first massacres, committed on the Armenian population by Ottoman troops, begin due to the independence attempts of the Christian Armenians in the Turkish-occupied regions where 300.000 people lost their lives.
1915 – The Armenian Genocide
This hit its peak in 1915, when the Young Turks organized the genocide committed on the Armenians, in which 1, 6 million people were killed. The Turkish government today still denies this historical course of events.
1918 – Declaration of 1. Republic of Armenia
During the First World War (1914-1918), almost the entire Trans-Caucasus and wide parts of the Turkish Eastern Anatoly came under the control of the Russian troops, thus, further assaults of the Turks on the Armenians were prevented. According to the "Declaration on the rights of the nations of Russia" (contains the self-determination and the right for independence), penned after the Russian "October revolution", Armenia declares itself independent and establishes the 1st Republic of Armenia on 28.Mai 1918. The national territory included the contemporary Armenia as well as wide parts of Eastern Anatoly. Despite the treaty of peace, which was signed by Sultan Mehmed VI and which contained concessions for the Armenians, the Turkish General Mustafa Kemal Atatürk starts an inconsiderate banishment of the Armenians from Eastern Anatoly, where, again, hundreds of thousands of Armenians loose their lives. Atatuerk advances with his troops till the Capital Yerevan. Simultaneously, Soviet troops of the „Red Army” again march in from north at Josef Stalin’s command. In March 1921, the Turks and the Soviet Union sign a treaty of peace through which Armenia, again, is split up between the two powers.
1922 – Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic
In 1922 Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan are forced to merge to the "Trans-Caucasian Socialist Federal Soviet republic" within the newly founded "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" (Soviet Union/USSR). Revolts of the Armenians against the "Sovietisation" are knocked down bloodily by the "Red army". Thousands of Armenians subsequently become victims of the political mass persecution of Dictator Josef Stalin. In 1936, the "Trans-Caucasian Socialist Federal Soviet republic” is redivided into the independent Soviet republics Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, whereas Armenia vainly attempts to affiliate to its national territory the regions Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Arzakh) in the southeast, where Armenians mainly live, and Nachitschewan in the southwest, which Moscow both affiliated to Azerbaijan in 1923.
1990 – Independence of the Republic of Armenia
On 23 August 1990, the Republic of Armenia proclaims its independence from the USSR. After a referendum, the independence comes into force on 21 September 1991. At the beginning of 1992 an open war starts between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is mainly settled by Armenians. Nagorno-Karabakh unilaterally announced its sovereignty in December 1991. Armenia officially does not acknowledge this sovereignty. With Armenian aid the troops in Karabakh succeed in taking the region under their control. Because of intermediations of the United Nations it comes to an armistice in May 1994. Since then, Armenia and Azerbaijan attempt to find a peaceful solution.
2001 – Armenia and Europe
In 2001 Armenia is admitted in the Council of Europe which now counts 43 members. In September 2001 the 1700-year-celebration of the adoption of Christianity as the state religion in Armenia was celebrated in Etschmiadsin.