Nvarsak Treaty
The Nvarsak Treaty was signed between the Armenian general Vahan Mamikonian and the representatives of the Sassanian Persian king Balash at Nvarsak in 484.[1]
Overview
The Nvarsak Treaty was concluded after king Peroz I was killed by the Hepthalites[2] amid the 30-year Armenian guerrilla efforts.[3] An account also cited that the Battle of Avarayr and the Armenian resistance to paganism contributed to the agreement.[3] This treaty ensured religious freedom and autonomy for Armenians.[4]
The conditions of the treaty were as follows:
- 1. All existing fire-altars in Armenia should be destroyed and no new ones should be constructed.[5]
- 2. Christians in Armenia should have freedom of worship and conversions to Zoroastrianism should be stopped.[6]
- 3. Land should not be allotted to people who convert to Zoroastrianism
- 4. The Persian King should, in person, administer Armenia and through the aid of Governors or deputies.[7]
Following the treaty, Vahan Mamikonian was appointed governor of the Persian province of Armenia.
The treaty, however, was breached when, in 572, the Persian king, Chosroes I, built a Zoroastrian fire-temple in Armenia. It was part of the conflict between Persia and Byzantium, with the former demanding that Armenians abjure their faith.[8] The move incited a new Armenian rebellion.
References
- A. Hacikyan, Nourhan Ouzounian, Edward S. Franchuk, Gabriel Basmajian, The Heritage of Armenian Literature, Vol.1, (Wayne State University Press, 2000), 259.
- Nicholson, Oliver (2018). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 9780198662778.
- JWD. "Feast of Vardanats on Thursday March 7, 2019 | Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem". Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- Razmik Panossian, The Armenians: From Kings And Priests to Merchants And Commissars, (Columbia University Press, 2006), 48.
- The Political History of Iran under the Sasanians, R.N. Frye, The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol.3, Ed. Yarshater, 149.
- The Political History of Iran under the Sasanians, R.N. Frye, 149.
- The Political History of Iran under the Sasanians, R.N. Frye, 149.
- Byfield, Ted; Byfield, Michael; Byfield, Virginia; Demmon, Calvin (2004). The Sword of Islam: A.D. 565 to 740 : the Muslim Onslaught All But Destroys Christendom. Christian History Project. p. 261. ISBN 0968987346.