Kingdom of Armenia (Middle Ages)

Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia Բագրատունիների թագավորություն
Kingdom
880s–1045
Bagratuni Armenia circa 1000
Capital		Bagaran (885–890) Shirakavan (890–929) Kars (929–961) Ani (961–1045)
Languages		Armenian
Religion		Armenian Apostolic
Government		Monarchy
Bagratuni Dynasty
•	885–890	Ashot I of Armenia
•	890–914	Smbat I
•	914–928	Ashot II
•	928–953	Abas I
•	953–977	Ashot III
•	977–989	Smbat II
•	989–1020	Gagik I
•	1020–1040 (1021–1039)	Hovhannes-Smbat III Ashot IV (concurrently)
•	1042–1045	Gagik II
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Established	880s
•	Disestablished	1045
Area
•	1000	140,000 km² (54,054 sq mi)
Currency		Hyperpyron Abbasid Dinar
Preceded by Succeeded by Arminiya Byzantine Empire Kingdom of Artsakh
Today part of		Armenia  Azerbaijan  Georgia  Iran  Turkey

The Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia (Armenian: Բագրատունիների թագավորություն, Bagratunineri t’agavorut’yun), also known as Bagratid Armenia (Armenian: Բագրատունյաց Հայաստան Bagratunyats Hayastan), was an independent state established by Ashot I Bagratuni in the early 880s following nearly two centuries of foreign domination of Greater Armenia under Arab Umayyad and Abbasid rule. With the two contemporary powers in the region, the Abbasids and Byzantines, too preoccupied to concentrate their forces in subjugating the people of the region and the dissipation of several of the Armenian nakharar noble families, Ashot was able to assert himself as the leading figure of a movement to dislodge the Arabs from Armenia.

Ashot's prestige rose as he was courted by both Byzantine and Arab leaders eager to maintain a buffer state near their frontiers. The Caliphate recognized Ashot as "prince of princes" in 862 and, later on, king in 884 or 885. The establishment of the Bagratuni kingdom later led to the founding of several other Armenian principalities and kingdoms: Taron, Vaspurakan, Kars, Khachen and Syunik. Unity among all these states was sometimes difficult to maintain while the Byzantines and Arabs lost no time in exploiting the kingdom's situation to their own gains. Under the reign of Ashot III, Ani became the kingdom's capital and grew into a thriving economic and cultural center.