At the time of the waning of the rule
of the Arsacids in the land of Armenia [i Hayastan
ashxarhi] [when] the rule of king Vramshapuh was done away
with, there ruled over Armenia the people of the Kark'edovmayets'i
principality. [The latter], with the unity of the venemous, grandee
mages [metsamets k'awdeits'n] and
all the principal naxarars (lords) of [the ruler's] kingdom
[naxararawk'n t'agaworut'ean
iwroy "with the naxarars of his kingdom"]
adopted an awesome and frightful plan: to eliminate the fruits
of piety (Christianity) in the land of Armenia. But nothing availed
[the Iranian shah in his plan] , rather, he was damaged
[usti och' inch' awgtets'aw, ayl
yoyzh vnasets'aw]. And [Christian] piety more than
ever blossomed and sparkled.
Now others have written about [all of
the following events], as that very same History points
out: [Ayn amenayn i dzerhn aylots'
grets'aw, orpes ts'uts'ane
noyn isk patmut'iwnn] regarding [2]
the days of wicked [king] Yazkert's reign, how he wanted to destroy
the divine orders (the clergy); how the brave naxarars
of Armenia and the zealot of God, the nahapet Vardan called
"Karmir" ("the Red") of the Mamikonean House
with a brigade of armed comrades, their friends and troops [handerdz
miagund sparazen nizakakits' enkerawk'n
ew zawrawk'n iwreants' ] organized and armed
for war. [They] took in hand the shield of Faith and zeal for
the divine Word clothed them like [g22] armor of security and
truly before their very eyes you might say they saw their halos
descend to them. Thus did they scorn death, considering it better
to die on the Divine Path. [The History alluded to above
also tells] how the Iranian troops came against them with severe
violence and how, when they clashed [the Vardaneank'] received
martyrdom and how the blessed witnesses of Christ who had been
captured by the pagans underwent martyrdom at Apr Shahr, close
to the city of Niwshapuh, at a place called T'eark'uni.
But I wished to concisely write down
and narrate to you [information] about all the following [events]:
all the evil which transpired in Peroz' time; Vardan's rebellion
against Xosrov; the rebellion of the Iranian troops from Ormizd;
Ormizd's death and the enthronement of Xosrov; Maurice's death
and the reign of Phocas; the taking of Egypt; [3] the destruction
of Alexandria; the appeal of Heraclius to the king of the T'eatalats'ik'
in the Northern parts and the sending of countless multitudes
of peoples [in response to Heraclius' appeal]; the Byzantines'
raiding in Atrpatakan, the loot and booty; the return via P'aytakaran;
the coming of Iranian troops from the east to strike at him; the
war which occurred in the land of [Caucasian] Aghbania; the emperor's
turn to the city of Naxchewan and the fight at Archish; the emperor's
departure thence to his own borders; the other attack on Xosrov;
the warfare which occurred at Ninue; the raid upon the city of
Ctesiphon (Tisbon); the return to Atrpatakan; Xosrov's death;
the enthronement of Kawad; the reconciliation which occurred between
the two kingdoms [Byzantium and Iran]; then the ceding of borders
to the Byzantines; the return of the divine Cross to the Holy
City. [Then I shall describe] the arousal of fathomless [divine]
anger and the final disasters [brought on] by the marauders from
the Southern parts (the Arabs); how the armies of the Ishmaelites
unexpectedly moved forth and, in a moment's time, overthrowing
the might of both kings, seized [territories extending] from Egypt
to this side of the great Euphrates river and to the border of
the Armenians [ts' sahman Hayastaneayts'],
from the shores of the great sea in the West (= the Atlantic)
to the gate/court of the Iranian kingdom [minch'ew
i durhn t'agaworut'eann Parsits'],
[taking] all the [4] cities of Mesopotamia of the Syrians, and
Ctesiphon, Veh Artashir, Marand, Hamatan as far as the city of
Gandzak, and the great Hrat which is located in the district of
Atrpatakan.
Vahan's rebellion from Peroz, the seizure
of authority and triumph in battle. Peroz' death, the enthronement
of Kawad, and the honoring of Vahan with the marzpanate.
Kawad's death and the enthronement of Xosrov called Anush Eruan
(Anushirvan). The rebellion of Vardan and service to the Byzantines.
The war and defeat of Xosrov.
During the years of Peroz, king of Iran
[A.D. 45934], the suppression [bardzumn] of all principalities,
and orders and laws of Christianity and such danger of persecutions
and contempt were visited upon the princes that they threw off
the yoke of service. Vahan Mamikonean rebelled, persecuted the
Iranians, and seized authority by force.
Then king Peroz released upon him many
Hun troops, commanding that the rebels be killed with great severity
and that all males be put to the sword. Sparapet Vahan
hastened against this [army] with 30,000 select armed men. They
massed in order, brigade against brigade, front against [5] front,
and with all possible speed they attacked each other, to the sound
of trumpets, in the plain of Geran.
The Word of God came to aid [the Armenians]
stirring up the wind and pouring upon the Iranian troops a dust
storm which in midday enveloped them like a dark eclipse. There
was enormous destruction on both sides and it was impossible to
distinguish Iranian from Armenian among the [g24] corpses. However,
eventually the army of the Armenians drove back the army of Iranians,
making fugitives of the remainder and pursuing them. They turned
back from this with great triumph.
Vahan both collected the taxes of the
land of Armenia and also [ re]built the very great churches which
the Iranians had ruined in the city of Vagharshapat, in Dwin,
in Mzur [ i Mzrays], and in many places in the land
of Armenia. Building the country up, he again renewed it.
Now despite the fact that the Iranian
king Peroz wanted to mass troops against Armenia again, he had
no opportunity since news of [the coming of] enemies forced him
to go to the Kushan area because it was from that very border
that the [6] king of the Kushans himself was coming against [Peroz]
with a large army.
Assembling his troops, IPeroz] went
against [the Kushan king] with great haste, saying: "First
I shall expel him, then, having nothing further to do, I shall
go to Armenia once more and shall spare neither man nor woman
from my sword".
When [Peroz] arrived, he quickly went
to face the enemy in the East. An intense battle took place and
[the Kushans] struck at and destroyed the multitude of Iranian
troops, so much so that none was left alive to flee. King Peroz
and seven of his sons died in the battle.
Then [Peroz'] son Kawad ruled the land
of Iran [48897, 499531]. Because the strength of the
multitude of his troops had been shattered, he did not want to
make war with anyone; rather, he made peace on all sides [including]
reconciliation with the Armenians. He summoned Vahan to court
[ew koch'e zVahan i durhn]
and exalted him with great honor. He gave him the marzpanate
of the land [of Armenia] and the lordship of the Mamikonean [House].
He promised much in service and benevolently sent [Vahan] back
to his country [Ew tay nma zmarzpanut'iwn
ashxarhin ew zMamikoneats' terut'iwn,
ew erdum ar bazum i tsarhayut'iwn,ew
ardzake bareaw yerkir iwr].
After Vahan, authority was wielded by
his brother Vard Patrik [who ruled] for a short time [505-509,
or 510-514], and died. After him came Iranian marzpans.
The Armenians were [g25] unable to rebel, and remained in obedience
until [the time of] the marzpan Suren and Vardan, lord
of the Mamikoneans.
In the 41st year of the reign of Kawad's
son Xosrov, Vardan rebelled with all Armenia united behind him
and stopped serving the Iranian king. [They] killed the marzpan
Suren unexpectedly in the city of Dwin, took much loot, and
went in service to the Byzantines.
Prior to this rebellion the prince of
the land of Siwnik' named Vahan broke away from the Armenians.
He requested of the Iranian king Xosrov that they take the diwan
of the land of Siwnik' from Dwin to the city of P'aytakaran, and
that the city be ranked in the Atrpatakan Shahrmar, so
that the name "Armenia/Armenian" no longer be applied
to them. [Xosrov] so ordered.
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