BY REV. DR. VAHAN H. TOOTIKIAN
The Vartanantz War, waged in 451 A.D., is one of the heroic pages in the history of the Armenian nation. Under the leadership of St. Vartan Mamigonian, 66,000 Armenian soldiers fought against 300,000 Persians for their faith and freedom, in the Plain of Avarayr (modern Maku, in the northwestern corner of Iran), at the banks of Dghmud, a tributary of the River Arax.
The war was a daring stance by the Armenian people against an imperial ultimatum. The circumstances were as follows:
In the fifth century, Armenia was under the rule of two rival empires: The Byzantine and the Persian (Sasanid) empires. The larger part of Armenia was controlled by the Persian Empire, which had ambitions toward world domination. It wanted to occupy Mesopotamia, reach Asia Minor and eventually defeat the Byzantine Empire and be the super power. To reach that goal, it planned to convert all neighboring peoples to Zoroastrianism (a Perso-Iranian national religion, whose modern version is Parseeism) and gradually, assimilate them into the Persian people.
Because the Armenians shared the same religion as the Christian Byzantines, the Persians regarded this as a major obstacle to their empire’s expansionist plans. The fanatical Zoroastrian emperor of the day, Hazgerd (Yesdegerd) II, issued an edict that the Armenians under his domination should give up their Christian faith and embrace Zoroastrianism. He exerted all kinds of pressures to achieve his goal but did not succeed.
After all his coercions, when Hazgerd found out that he was not able to influence Armenians to change their religion, he finally sent an ultimatum to them threatening their lives. This was a critical moment in the history of the Armenian nation. Armenians had to make a decision between Christianity and Zoroastrianism. Retaining their Christian faith was going to be very costly. There were those, like Vassak-Siuny, the Persians-appointed Armenian Governor, who in the name of political realism, advocated compromise and acceptance of Zoroastrianism. His strategy was that Armenians should use political expediency and should tell what the Persians wanted to hear, accept their faith, buy some time, form a plan, and later strike back against the Persians. The majority of Armenians, however, did not share this view thinking this would be duplicity and treason. They wanted to retain their Christian faith at any cost.
Catholicos Hovsep of Armenia summoned a meeting of the clergy and nobility of the Armenian people. The response to the Persian Emperor was: “From this faith [i.e. Christianity] no power can move us. Neither angels nor men. Neither sword nor fire, nor water, nor any deadly punishment.”
Thereupon, Hazgerd decided to stamp out Christianity from Armenia by brutal force. His army marched on Armenia, and on May 26, 451, on the day of Pentecost, the Armenian and Persian armies collided. The outnumbered Armenians lost the battle, partly because of the defection of Vassak and partly because the Persian army was reinforced by squadrons of elephants, the military “tanks” of the day. The Battle of Avarayr lasted only one day. General Vartan Mamigonian and some of his comrades, altogether 1036 fighters, were killed. Yes, the Armenians indeed lost the battle, but the war did not yet end. Although they suffered a military defeat on the battlefield of Avarayr, their relentlessness eventually scored them a crucial victory. Indeed, following the Battle of Avarayr, over the next 33 years, brave and bold Armenian souls, inspired by the memory of their martyrs, regrouped in the mountains and forests, and carried on their resistance. They dared the forces of the mighty Persian Empire.
Eventually, Vahan Mamigonian, the son of Vartan’s brother Hmayak, successfully led and won a guerilla war against the Persians. Tired of this continuous resistance, the Persians signed a treaty with the Armenians in 484, the famousTreaty of Nvarsak, whereby the Persian King Vagharsh granted Armenians religious freedom and cultural autonomy.
The heroic efforts and martyrdom of Vartan Mamigonian and his comrades, Vartanank, were justly rewarded by this victory. Their struggle for the freedom of conscience prevailed over the Persian tyranny. Because they dared to defend their Christian faith, as well as their freedom, and human rights, the Armenians remained a Christian nation and preserved their national identity. Because they dared, we are what we are today.
For many centuries Armenians observe the Feast of Vartanantz, in honor of the Vartan Mamigonian and his comrades, Vartanank. It was in the late Middle Ages when the Armenian Church Fathers moved the observance of Vartanantz War from May 26 to the Thursday preceding Lent. By celebrating Vartanantz, we, Armenians celebrate the spirit of St. Vartan and Vartanank and are challenged to rededicate our efforts to the Christian legacy which Vartanantz has preserved and handed down to us. They provided us an inspiration that circumstances should not decide our fate.
Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian is the Minister Emeritus of the Armenian Congregational Church of Greater Detroit and the Executive Director of the Armenian Evangelical World Council.
