The Annals of the Yervanduni Dynasty: A Haikakan AAR

[Epimetheus]

The Annals of the Yervanduni Dynasty

A Haikakan ARR

Prologue: At the Edge of Empires

The kingdom of Metz Hayk', or Greater Armenia as it is known in foreign tongues, drifted quietly along for centuries on the periphery of the great empires of Asia. Since the destruction of the kingdom of Ararat, the land of Hayk' had been intermittently ruled by the Yervanduni (Orontid) dynasty. Initially they held the title of Arkah, or king, but they became the region's satraps when the land was subjugated by the Medes, and later, the Achaemenid Persians. Regardless of who nominally ruled the land, the Hayk always managed to maintain a strong degree of local autonomy. This was due in part to their strong system of feudal nobility. Most of the power was concentrated in the hands of the local nakharars, rather than the king or satrap. While this system protected their local autonomy, it prevented the formation of a strong, centralized government. While the Yervanduni rulers had little direct power over their subjects, they proved themselves to be quite shrewd with the influence and power their position granted them in the royal Persian court. They married into the Persian royal family, and at one point had enough influence in the court to pardon themselves for a rebellion.

When Alexander of Makedon destroyed the Achaemenid Persian empire, he also slew Yervand II, the satrap of Hayk', at the battle of Gaugamela, and replaced him with his relative Mithranes, formerly the satrap of Lydia, who had surrendered to Alexander after the battle of the Granicus. After Alexander's death, Mithranes was replaced by an Epirote Greek, Neoptolemus, who only ruled for three years before being slain in the First Diadochi War. He was in turn replaced by a Persian noble, Mihran. However, he died soon after his appointment. He was succeeded by another Yervanduni, Yervand. He is sometimes listed as Yervand III, however, because of his vague and distant connection to earlier Yervanduni rulers, and him being the first independent Arkah of the Hai in centuries, he is more frequently known as Yervand I, founder of the second Yervanduni dynasty.

Shortly after being appointed, he took advantage of the chaos caused by the Second Diadochi War, and rebelled against the Makedonians. He managed to avoid becoming involved any further in the Diadochi Wars, and for this he was much beloved by his people. In the 37th year of his reign[280 BC], after the death of Seleukos I Nikator, Yervand helped Ariarathes II, king of Kappadokia, achieve his independence from the new Seleukid king, Antiochos I, and together they defeated the Seleukid general, Amyntas, who was sent to reestablish the Seleukid king's authority in Hayk' and Kappadokia.

The next eight years of Yervand's reign were relatively peaceful, aside from occasional skirmishes with the Kartli and Egrisi tribes to the north. Yervand spent a great deal of time and effort trying to improve the northern regions of Metz Hayk', building roads to allow traders to come up from the south, as well as construct a basic sanitation system for the capital city of Armavir. Had things continued this way uninterrupted, the Hayk may have remained little more than a persistent footnote on the pages of history. However, all of this changed, when Antiochos decided to involve them in the Syrian War during the 45th year of Yervand's reign [272 BC].


(Yervand, just prior to Metz Hayk's involvement in the Syrian War)

Next: The Syrian War

EDIT: For some reason the post didn't all show the first time. Oops

[Mediolanicus]

Welcome to the org!!!

Great and interesting beginning!

Only one question: you speak of 280BC and then of 272BC. And in between you say :"The next twelve years of Yervand's reign"...?

[Epimetheus]

Thanks for the welcome, and my bad, looks like I made a simple math error. It should be eight, I'll fix that right away. Trying to come up with any sort of coherent, plausible version of Armenian chronology at the game's start gave me quite headache, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[Mediolanicus]

Thanks for the welcome, and my bad, looks like I made a simple math error. It should be eight, I'll fix that right away. Trying to come up with any sort of coherent, plausible version of Armenian chronology at the game's start gave me quite headache, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Well apart from that little thingy you have certainly reached your goal

[the man with no name]

[Epimetheus]

Chapter I: The Syrian War

After Ptolemaios (II) Philadelphos had recaptured most of southern Anatolia from Antiochos during the first half of the Syrian War, his armies marched north, threatening the inland Seleukid holdings in Lydia and Phrygia. With the Kilikian Gate and other major roads into Anatolia cut off, and the Ptolemaic feet dominating the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Antiochos decided to have his army march into Anatolia the long way, via the Haikakan Plateau, to confront Ptolemaios. His forces swiftly marched through the southern region of Hayk', known as Dsopk', or Sophene to foreigners.



The local nobles were unable to offer more than a token resistance at the city of Karkathiokerta, which soon fell. Following the capture of the city, The Seleukid general ordered city sacked and the city's garrison slaughtered, as well as any of the local lords who had resisted him. One of these lords, Samus, of the Dsopk' branch of the Yervanduni, managed to escape, along with his wife and two young children



After several weeks of brutal pillaging, the Seleukids marched on into Kappadokia, leaving a small garrison behind in the city. Samus fled north, to the ancient citadel of Van. He then sent word to Yervand, the now aging Arkah, for assistance. Upon learning of the invasion, Yervand sent an emissary with a brief but famous message to Antiochos, which read:

"O you who would be king of kings, know that the smallest of things are often the most poisonous. You would do well to take care in what you try to devour."


[Asia at the height of the Syrian War]

Despite being over sixty years old by then, Yervand personally marched out of Armavir with his royal cavalry. He tried to muster support from the local Nakharars to help him reclaim Karkathiokerta and Dsopk', but few were willing to support him. While the capital of Metz Hayk' was at Armavir in the north, most of the kingdom's income came from the mines and trade in Dsopk' to the south. This greater wealth also meant a greater amount of foreign influence, both of which often meant that the Nakharars of Dsopk' and Metz Hayk' proper often did not see eye to eye. Only Samus' cousin, Artavazd, was willing to offer him aid. Many of the common people, the shinakans, however, as well as a number of the lesser Azat nobles, eagerly rallied to his cause. The Arkah met up with Samus and Artavazd at Van and, after a few months, they managed to muster a decent sized force of about seven thousand men, though aside from the royal cavalry, it was mostly made up of poorly armed levies.



Under most circumstances, it would have been suicidal to attack an empire as large and poweful as the Arche Seleukeia with such a force. However, despite the Seleukid victories against the kingdom of Kappadokia, and in the battle with the Ptolemaic army advancing on Phrygia, their forces were devastated by a third force. Mithridates I Ktistes, king of Kappadokia Pontika, had allied himself with the Galatians against Antiochos, and together they crushed the Seleukid army in central Anatolia. The Syrian War would likely have ended immediately after, had Yervand not been involved. He sent an emissary to Mithridates, proposing an alliance and joint attack against Antiochos in return for exclusive trade rights with the Hayk, which Mithridates eagerly accepted. With Mithridates on his side, he was able to convince Ptolmaios Philadelphos to lend his support. Yervand had no great love for either Ptolemaios or Mithridates, and despite his words, he had no real desire to fight Antiochos either. His plan was to play them all against each other for a little longer in order to grant him the opportunity to reclaim his lost territory.

All of this diplomatic maneuvering took several months to arrange, all the while Yervand, Samus, and Artavazd planned their attack. Aside from a few corrupt nobles who had been bribed by the Seleukids, most of the population of Dsopk' deeply resented the Seleukid occupation. Yervand secretly communicated with the dissidents around the region in order to coordinate his attack. He made the unorthodox decision to attack shortly after the beginning of winter. While this would make things hard for his men, it would make it even harder for the occupiers, who weren't used to fighting in the frigid winters of the Taurus Mountains.



Soon after the first snows fell, Yervand ordered his troops to march. Dionytas, the Seleukid commander of Karkathiokerta's garrison, was caught surprised by Yervand's sudden off-season attack, but despite being badly outnumbered, he remained confident that the city walls would hold him off until reinforcements could arrive.



As Yervand's forces approached the city, his plan took action. When the citizens heard the sound of Yervand's great war horn, they took up arms against their oppressors. In the chaos, the rioters managed to open the gates, and before Dionytas could figure out what was going on, The Haikakan royal cavalry was thundering through the gates, followed quickly by the rest of Yervand's men. Upon seeing that Yervand had personally led the charge through the city streets, the citizens rejoiced and shouted in jubilation, "The Arkah! The Arkah has come!"



The battle was over very quickly. Yervand's forces managed to kill half the Seleukid garrison with only a few hundred casualties. Dionytas, while he still had nearly two thousand men in the city, realized that the situation was hopeless once Yervand captured the city center, and quickly surrendered.



The enemy soldiers were rounded up in the square at the center of town. They pleaded to Yervand for mercy, to which he responded,

"Why should I treat you any different than you have treated my people? After all you have done, why should I spare your lives?"

The Seleukid soldiers said nothing. The Arkah stepped forward and drew his sword, and with one quick slice, he cut Dionytas' bonds, also severing the man's right hand in the process. Dionytas collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain. Yervand then ordered his men to cut off the right hand of every enemy captive, and escort them out of the Haikakan lands.

"Let this, then, be my mercy. I shall spare your lives, but none of you will ever wield a spear, nor draw a bow against me or my people ever again. Return to your homes and suffer in shame for all that you have done. Aramazd will not be as lenient as I in the judgement of your souls."

Thanks to Ptolemaios' offensive, Antiochos was unable to divert troops to Sophene retake it. On top of that, Mithridates was had captured the city of Mazaka, thus uniting all of Kappadokia, from the Taurus Mountains to the Pontos Euxienos, under his rule. Things did not go so well for Ptolemaios, however. His army was so thoroughly crushed in Syria that he was forced to sue for peace. Antiochos managed to negotiate the return of Kilikia to Seleukid hands in return. With the Kilikian Gate back under Seleukid control, there was no longer as much strategic, or economic value to retaking Sophene and Kappadokia. Antiochos negotiated a ceasefire with Mithridates, and knowing that there was no way he could fight Antiochos alone, Yervand also requested a truce, along with a restoration of trade rights.



And so, during the spring of the 46th year of Yervand's reign [271 BC], the Syrian War came to an end. For the most part, the borders remained unchanged from it's start so many years before, with the exception of the now unified kingdom of Kappadokia under Mithridates I Ktistes.


(The political boundaries of Asia at the end of the Syrian War[271 BC])

Next: Uniting the Lands of Hayk'
AN: Added the character page for Yervand to the prologue.

[the man with no name]

Good update. I've never read a Hayasadan AAR before so good luck.

[schlappi]

The rodent jumps at the lions throat - bravely done!

[Epimetheus]

Chapter II: Uniting the Lands of Hayk'

After the end of the Syrian War, Yervand returned to Armavir, leaving Samus and Artavazd in charge of the garrison of Karkathiokerta. It had been decided by the Arkah, and the remaining Dsopk' Nakharars that a larger regional force was required in order to protect the region in the future. The men who had been levied to liberate the city returned home, and were replaced by new local recruits, in addition, both Samus and Artavazd were given command contingents of the royal cavalry. Soon after he had returned to Armavir, however, the Arkah fell ill. As Yervand had no children, and had not chosen an heir, many people had been concerned for some time that their small kingdom would fall apart should he pass away, and now, these fears were brought to the forefront.

Though Yervand managed to recover, he was never quite the same afterwards. Mindful of the concerns about his succession, the Arkah summoned Samus to the capital and offered to adopt him as his son and heir. While none of Samus' abilities were stellar, Yervand had seen a great deal of promise in the man during the Syrian war. Samus' cousin Artavazd was a more proven administrator, and Yervand's young nephew, Vahagn, was more popular. But of all his relatives, he felt that Samus would be the most capable of defending Metz Hayk' against outside aggression. Samus accepted, and he and his family moved to Armavir. He was officially coronated as the Avag Sepuh, the crown prince, on the summer solstice of that year. A great festival was thrown in his honor, and the people rejoiced at their new prince. The response from the Nakharars was more mixed, however. The lords of Dsopk' were overjoyed that the next Arkah would come from their ranks. However, the northern Nakharars were less than thrilled. They saw him as practically being a foreigner because of his southern heritage.

It was partly because of this regional division that Yervand had chosen Samus as his heir. Ever since the collapse of the Persian Empire, the Hai people, particularly the nobles, had begun to fight among themselves. The divide between the more conservative and traditional North and the more affluent and Hellenized South was threatening to tear the small kingdom apart. It had already happened once before. The western regions of Hayk' had broken away during the reign of Neoptolemos as satrap, forming the kingdom of Pokr Hayk', or Lesser Armenia, and had remained independent since. Yervand had worked hard to help heal the tensions between North and South. The roads he had had built prior to the Syrian War had partly been built for that purpose. By appointing a southerner as his heir, Yervand hoped to finally heal some of these divides, or at least, force them into the open.

Due to Yervand's age and poor health, Samus soon began to adopt many of his duties, but he was opposed at nearly every turn by the northern Nakharars. To the point where he had practically no authority outside of Armavir. Still, he did manage to accomplish some things, perhaps the most important of which was the appointment of a Marzpahak, or regional protector, for Dsopk'. The Syrian War had shown the weakness of relying on the regional lords to defend the country, and the Arkah could not be relied on to protect the entire kingdom personally. So Samus suggested appointing a representative of the king to defend Dsopk' on his behalf, much like the satraps of the Persian kings had done.



The Nakharars, even the southern ones, protested loudly at this suggestion, claiming that that it would undermine their authority and supersede the traditional feudal hierarchy. Samus, frustrated with their opposition to his every action, came up with a way to do just that. He managed to come convince Yervand to adopt his cousin, Artavazd as his second son. As a Sepuh, as a royal prince, Artavazd would inherently be above the structure of the noble hierarchy, and could act on the behalf of the king unfettered. Many nobles were angered by this, but there was little they could do about it.

With Dsopk' under the protection of Artavazd, Samus turned his attention to other concerns. At around the third year after the end of the Syrian War, or the 48th year of Yervand's reign [269 BC], the new king of Kappadokia, Mithradates I Ktistes son, Ariobarzanes, sent an emissary to Yervand requesting his assistance. After the unification of Kappadokia, Armen, the Arkah of Pokr Hayk' had attacked Ariobarzanes. Though the invasion had failed catastrophically, Pokr Hayk' was still launching occasional raids into Kappadokia. With the Kappadokian army caught up in a brutal war with the Galatians, Ariobarzanes petitioned that Yervand honor their mutual alliance, and pacify Pokr Hayk' in order to stop these raids.



Yervand was initially reluctant to oblige. The thought of going to war against his own people did not sit well with him, and he feared that Metz Hayk's small military was already stretched too thin. And there was no way that the already restless Nakharars would support such a move. Samus, however, jumped on the opportunity, and ardently supported the idea, asking Yervand to leave the matter to him.

"Allow me to take up the sword in your name, great Arkah, to unite all of the Hai under one banner. This chance may not come again, with Armen's army destroyed we have a grand opportunity. This is something I must do without your aid, nor that of the Nakharars. I must show our people that I can win the day alone if need be. Such a deed would silence all doubts of my worthiness to the throne, and of your decision to adopt me as your heir, With all the Hai under our rule, we would be able to stand against any foe who dared to test us."

And so, Yervand finally consented. Samus began to gather together a small force, mostly made up of levy troops. Only one of the Nakharars volunteered to aid him, Yervand's popular young nephew, Vahagn. However, Vahagn was not a warrior, and could not stand the sight of blood, thus he had little that he could offer Samus in support, other than his popularity among the people.



During the spring of the next year [268 BC], Samus launched his attack, with a force of about five-thousand men. His men marched swiftly, and encountered little resistance. He soon reached the great city of Aramazd, Ani-Kamakh, the capital of Pokr Hayk'. He stood before the city gates and challenged Armen to come out and face him on the open field of battle, a challenge which Armen accepted.



Their forces were roughly equally matched, although Armen outnumbered Samus slightly. Armen had hired roughly a thousand Kartli mercenary swordsmen to augment his garrison. However, Armen's hatred for outsiders negated this advantage. He ordered them to charge out of the city alone in order to by his men enough time to form up outside the city walls. Despite this nearly suicidal order, the valiant Kartli swordsmen followed it without question.



Samus, seeing this, ordered his men to open fire on them, but they were undaunted by the barrage of arrows flying at them. As they approached Samus' battle line, his skirmishers let loose a hail of javelins at them.



Faced with this deadly barrage of missiles, even the brave Karli swordsmen were forced to fall back. This caused a great deal of confusion among Armen's more poorly disciplined troops, who were just forming up outside the city walls. Some charged at Samus, while others panicked and fled, all the while under fire from Samus' archers.



One unit of spearmen that had charged ahead of the others engaged Samus' battle line, but were quickly flanked by Samus and his contigent of the royal cavalry, and were swiftly broken. Samus charged them down as they fled, causing the men behind them to break as well.



At this point, Armen personally led his own cavalry against Samus, attempting to rally his forces. He managed to regain order among his troops, but not for long.



Samus fell back and blew his great horn, signaling for his infantry to advance. On seeing Samus' troops coming, Armen's forces broke completely. Samus' men killed nearly all of them before they could get back inside the city walls, Only Armen's cavalry made it back inside, pursued closely by Samus.



As his men were being slaughtered outside, Armen made his final stand in the town square.



With Armen's death, what little remained of his men surrendered. Samus' men were shocked at the ease and totality of their victory. They had seen Samus rout nearly rout the enemy army on his own, and were greatly impressed by his feats of valor.



Samus treated the soldiers who surrendered well, and many of them then joined him. He made certain that his own men were well behaved toward the citizens, and he treated the local Nakharars with respect. Samus summoned Vahagn from the capital, and appointed him as the interim governor. Vahagn might not have been a great warrior, however, his popularity, his abhorrence of violence, and and his shrewd financial skills were exactly what was needed to pacify Pokr Hayk'. Samus then sent a message to Yervand to convince him to adopt Vahagn as his third son, granting him the same authority over Pokr Hayk' that Artavazd held over Dsopk'. The families of Samus, Artavazd, and Vahagn thus became the three royal houses of Hayk', and all later Arkahs would come from their ranks.




(Asia following the death of Armen[268 BC])

Next: A Time of Prosperity

[artavazd]

very nice. Minor correction Dskopk should be Dsopk

[Epimetheus]

Oops, too many k's. It's fixed now, thanks for that.

[Epimetheus]

Chapter III: A Time of Prosperity

Despite his victory over Armen, not all of Pokr Hayk' had yet been conquered. Samus decided to build on this victory by marching north and taking the coastal regions that were dominated by the Greek colonies of Kotyora, Kerasos, and Trapezous. While these Greek cities controlled the coastal territory, and most of the local population was of Georgian decent, many Hayor also lived there, and the region had, until recently, been under the control of the kingdom of Pokr Hayk'. That was all the justification that Samus felt he needed to march against them. But it was economic concerns that truly motivated him. With these cities, particularly Trapezous, under Metz Hayk's control, they would finally have their own sea ports with which to trade their goods, allowing them to bypass the costly taxes imposed by the Seleukid and Kappadokian kings on overland trade.

Samus was very quickly able to recoup his losses with men from Armen's army, but by the time he finished establishing Vahagn as the Marzpahak of Pokr Hayk', winter had already come again. In many ways, the region of Pokr Hayk' was even more remote and undeveloped than the northern parts of Metz Hayk', particularly in terms of transportation. There were no real roads through the region, and thus no way he could possibly, travel, much less march an army, during the bitter Caucasian winter. It was not until the spring of the next year[267 BC], that he was able to march North out of Ani-Kamakh.

The cities of Kotyora and Kerasos put up no resistance to Samus and his army. Most of their soldiers had been sent to assist the recently formed Koinon Hellenon in their war against Antigonos Gonatas in Greece. Only the Tyrant of Trapezous, a man named Neoptolemos dared to resist him, but he was quickly crushed.



The Greek league swiftly denounced Samus and the kingdom of Metz Hayk, but were they were too tied up in their own affairs to actually do anything. After their surrender, Samus granted the Greek cities nearly complete local autonomy. He had little interest in ruling foreigners, and swore to the people of the Greek cities that as long as they paid tribute to the kings of Hayk', and allowed Haikakan traders to use their ports, that the kingdom of Metz Hayk' protect them from raiders and pirates, and would not interfere in any of their internal affairs.



After nearly two years away, Samus finally returned triumphantly to the capital. Word of his heroic victorys had spread like wildfire, and the people of Armavir greeted him with a grand festival in his honor, as well as in honor the fiftieth year of Yervand's reign, and of their independence. Even the most of the Nakharars (albeit grudgingly) showed him the respect he was due. As he had predicted, the unification of Hayk' had dispelled any doubts as to his worthiness to be the next Arkah.


(Asia after the unification of Hayk'[267 BC])

Despite Samus and Yervand's popularity, they still held very little actual authority. They were charged with the protection of the kingdom, as well as various religous duties, but did very little in the way of actual governance. While the appointment of Artavazd and Vahagn as Marzpahaks had increased royal authority somewhat, most of the day to day governance was still done by the many Nakharars. However, Samus still found ways to get what he wanted from them. Using his newfound popularity, as well as money from the royal treasury, he was usually able to get what he wanted

One of the first things he did upon returning to the capital was to convince the nobles to construct a new system of simple roads from Armavir, through Ani-Kamakh, then north to Kotyora, Kerasos, and Trapezous, and trade soon began flowing through the region. During the construction of the roads through Pokr Hayk', a large silver vein was discovered. Samus quickly granted money to the local Nakharars to fund the excavating of some new mines, even though he had to nearly empty the royal treasury in order to do it. However, within two years the investment paid off. When the mines were completed, a large amount of money began flowing into the kingdom.



Perhaps the most important development during this period was the minting of the first Haikakan coinage in Karkathiokerta. Prior to Samus' unification of Hayk', gold and silver were mainly traded as ingots. With the newfound wealth and trade, it quickly became necessary to mint royal coinage in order to compete with the Hellenistic kingdoms, not only as a matter of practicality, but of prestige.

The population of Pokr Hayk', and the city of Ani-Kamah grew quickly, as a result of the newfound wealth and trade. In fact, the region was quickly becoming as wealthy as Dsopk' to the south. The formerly destitute situation of Pokr Hayk' meant that both their nobles and commoners alike were very grateful to Samus for his efforts to improve their country.



As more wealth began to flow through the kingdom, Samus and Yervand were able to further encourage further development and growth. Samus would sponsor the enlargement of the temples of Anahit in Armavir and Karkathiokerta. All this public spending gave him a reputation for being mildly extravagant. His influence grew so powerful that even the most conservative elements of Haikakan culture were willing to go along with his decisions. While some might lament the loss of traditional values, but no one could deny that Samus had greatly improved the overall quality of life. But not all of Samus' projects were cultural or economic in nature. He also spent a great deal of money on defensive projects. He had the ancient earthwork fortifications of Armavir and Karkathiokerta replaced with strong stone walls, and began increasing militia training in all Metz Hayk's major cities. While peace had reigned since the end of the Syrian War, it was an uneasy one, and conflict threatened to break out again at any time.



For the most part, Yervand, while still technically Arkah, had effectively retired. His age and illness prevented him from doing much. Samus attended to nearly all of his duties, excepting occasional religious festivals. His health had been declining steadily since the Syrian War. It is generally assumed that it was his decision to retake Dsopk' during winter that had sparked his decline. During the winter of the 56th year of his reign[261 BC], he finally passed away, at the age of 72.



Next: A Changing World

[Mediolanicus]

This is a great AAR, Epithemus. I really like your writing style.

Keep it up!

[Hax]

I like this as well. Keep it up!

[Epimetheus]

Thanks a lot. The format is inspired a little bit by MAA's huge Makedonian AAR(which I wish I could read all the way through, but he has too many big pictures for my slow internet). One of the things I decided to do is always write one or two chapters ahead of what I post, which helps a lot in structuring the thing.

More is coming soon. The next chapter was one of the funnest to write so far, even though it's mostly just an overview of the world at the time of Yervand's death.

[J.R.M]

Hello there! cool AAR, ill follow this. The Yervanduni are COMING!

[Epimetheus]

Chapter IV: A Changing World

Yervand's death truly marked the end of an era. Nearly everyone living in the the lands of Hayk' had been born under his rule. When he had won his independence from the Makedonians, the lands of Hayk' had been poor, impoverished, and, in comparison to other nations, relatively backward. Before his reign, Hayk' was little more than a collection of tribes and clans, and yet Yervand had thrice defied the Makedonians, and defeated them handily every time. By the time of his death, Metz Hayk' had become a small, but strong and relatively prosperous kingdom. But it was not only the lands of Hayk' that had changed during his reign.


(The known world after Yervand's death[260 BC])

In central Anatolia, Mithridates I Ktistes had founded the Kingdom of Kappadokia Pontika with only himself and six horsemen in the 15th year of Yervand's reign[302 BC], and yet he was able to unite all of Kappadokia under his rule before his death at the hands of the Galatians, two years after the end of the Syrian War[270 BC]. His son, Ariobarzanes, avenged his father by conquering the Galatians, as well as the great Greek city of Sinope on the shores of the Pontos Euxienos. At the time of Yervand's death[260 BC], he was embroiled in a bitter war with the newly founded Antigonid kingdom of Pergamon.



Western Anatolia had switched hands many times during the Diadochi wars. By the time of the end of the Syrian War, it was mostly controlled by the Seleukid Dynasty, with the southern coastal regions being held by the Ptolemaioi. Most of the Seleukid territory had been under the rule of Philetairos, the governor of Pergamon. In the 51st year of Yervand's reign[266 BC], shortly after Samus had united all of Hayk' and Ariobarzanes of Kappadokia had defeated the Galatians, Philetairos was slain by Antigonos II Gonatas, the former king of Makedon.



Antigonos had fought a long guerilla war against Pyrrhos, the king of Epeiros, and the newly formed Koinon Hellenon, but was eventually driven out of Greece completely and forced to abandon his claim to the Makedonian throne. He, the few surviving members of his family, and what was left of his army fled to the island of Lesbos. His grandfather, Antigonos I Monophthalmos had been satrap of Greater Phrygia under Megas Alexandros, and after his death, had ruled over most of Anatolia. Using this as his justification, he led his army in an attack on Pergamon. Despite being well into his fifties, and the ragged state of his soldiers, he managed to take the city. He used the vast treasury of Pergamon to quickly form a new, powerful army, and swiftly captured the other Seleukid holdings in Anatolia. Despite this, he managed to remain on decent terms with Antiochos I Soter, and was able to negotiate peace with him after he drove out the Ptolemaioi from Karia and Pamphylia. Antigonos then marched north and conquered the small kingdom of Bithynia, sparking the war between Pergamon and Kappadokia. Pergamon also became one of Metz Hayk's first over-seas trading partners after the capture of the Greek cities of Pokr Hayk', due to the boycot of Haikakan goods by the Greek League. When the Bithynian War broke out, this would end up straining relations between Hayk' and Kappadokia.

In Greece, Makedonia had been absorbed into the Kingdom of Epeiros. Pyrrhos had claimed the title of King of Makedon in the 43rd year of Yervand's reign[274 BC] after his failed wars in Italy and Sicily. However, despite losing most his territory, Antigonos Gonatas refused to relinquish the title of king. After two years of fighting Antigonos' guerilla war, he grew weary of the conflict, and was tempted by an offer to assist Cleonymos in taking the throne of Sparta. However, it is said that Megas Alexanderos came to him in a dream, warning him that just as there could be no pretender to the throne of Asia, there could also be no pretender to the throne of Makedonia. Likewise, he should not throw his lot in with a pretender to the throne of Sparta either.



Pyrrhos refused Cleonymos' offer, and had him executed. He then sent an emissary to Areus, the legitimate king of Sparta, informing him of the plot against him, and requested his aid in defeating Antigonos Gonatas. Under Pyrrhos' sponsorship, Areus formed an alliance with the city of Athens, forming the Koinon Hellenon, or Greek League, in order to drive out the Antigonids. Over the next five years, Pyrrhos and Areus worked in tandem. Pyrrhos pacifying Makedonia and Thessalia, while Areus liberated Korinthos and Euboia from Antigonos' control. Then, in the 51st year of Yervand's reign[266 BC], Antigonos surrendered, and abandoned all claims to the throne of Makedon and the cities of Greece.

With Makedonia finally secure, Pyrrhos sent his sons to fight wars on all fronts. By the time of Yervand's death[260 BC], his sons had expanded his kingdom to include Thrace and a great deal of Illyria. Pyrrhos himself was busy fighting against his former allies, the Koinon Hellenon, in the Aitolian War. Pyrrhos had captured the oracle at Delphi, an act that had infuriated the united cities of the Greek League, now led by Areus' son, Akrotatos, to the point of war.



Far to the west, the Republics of Rome and Carthage been expanding their power bases, which often led to bitter diplomatic arguments. During the 53rd year of Yervand's reign[264 BC], this animosity almost broke out into war in Sicily, however, both Carthage and Rome were suddenly distracted by events elsewhere. In Africa, the Numidians had begun to raid the Punic countryside, forcing Carthage to launch an expedition deep into the desert to root them out. In the North, the Roman Senate received a plea for aid from the friendly Greek colony of Massalia, which had recently been overrun by Gauls. Seeing the Carthaginian threat as negated for the time being, the Senate decided to launched an invasion of Gaul in order to rescue Massalia.

In comparison, the large Hellenistic empires of the east remained relatively quiet. The Syrian border between the Seleukids and the Ptolemaioi remained tense, but peaceful. They fought a proxy war, expanding the border into Arabia, with Antiochos capturing Palmyra, and Ptolemaios conquering the kingdom of Nabatea. The Ptolemaioi had lost all of their holdings in Anatolia, but managed to capture the island of Rhodos, and had expanded their influence into Libya.



The Seleukids had also lost all their holdings in Anatolia west of Kilikia by the time Yervand died. Rather than attempt to retake them, Antiochos' first son, Seleukos II Eupator, convinced his father to instead strengthened their hold on the East, and moved the capital was moved from Antiocheia on the Orontes to Seleukeia on the Tigris. Antiochos Soter's second son, Antiochos had attempted to frame his brother for treason, but his deception was revealed, and he was put to death in the 51st year year of Yervand's reign[266 BC]. Sakae and Dahae nomads frequently raided the Northeastern border, but had so far been driven out every time. One year before Yervand's death[261 BC], Antiochos I Soter passed away. After succeeding his father, Seleukos Eupator launched his Anabasis, re-conquering their lost territories all the way to the Hindu Kush.



As a result, many in the kingdom of Hayk' worried that the Seleukids might set their sights again on the land of Hayk'. To the North, the Sarmatians had begun to launch raids across the Caucasus, into the Georgian kingdoms. The Aghvan, or Caucasian Albanians, had already submitted to the great Sarmatian king, Äluton, and it seemed likely that before long he would mount a real invasion of the Caucasus. But despite these growing threats, most were confident in Samus' ability to defend their kingdom. That confidence would soon be put to the test.

Next: An Unlikely Alliance

[vartan]

I'm loving it already. Barov es yekel.

-Vartan

[J.R.M]

Ok nice update, seems those Epirots and Romans wiill meet again soon.
An wacth out for those Sauromataes!

[the man with no name]

Nice world history chapter. Can't wait for more.

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

Yeah just started a Hai campaign today though I did it a bit differently. Ignored Seleukids and instead took the Caucasian provinces though this will surely provoke the Sauromatae. Only about 5 years in and I now own 4 provinces, moving to take Atropatene currently though no doubt this will cause the Seleucids to invade. Oh well, I need an excuse to invade anyway.

Oh, and from past experience from an older Hai campaign which I accidently saved over....Sauromatae are tough. Their archers outrange yours and your lightly armed spearmen will be slaughtered in droves. Build stone walls if they start raiding. Thats really all you can do actually...

[Epimetheus]

Ignoring the Seleukids as Hayasdan is a much safer way to go usually, but this time I wanted to try something a bit different. I am genuinely surprised, though, how little attention the Seleukids have been paying to me since the ceasefire in 271. Over a decade in and they haven't really bothered me yet. They extort money from me every now and then, but little else so far. The Sauromatae are part of why it's taking so long for the next update, but it should be ready in a day or so.

[Epimetheus]

Chapter V: An Unlikely Alliance



Samus was coronated soon after his foster-father's death, just after the new year began[260 BC]. Almost immediately he was confronted with a host of problems. Seleukos II Eupator, having returned from his Anabasis, was massing his troops along Hayk's eastern border. Then, just when they looked as though they were going to invade, as though by the grace of Anahit, his army turned back. Ptolemaios Philadelphos had once again invaded Syria, sparking the second Syrian War. This forced Seleukos Eupator to give up on all expansionist objectives for the time being.



Despite this stroke of good fortune, Samus did not let his guard down. He knew all to well that the kingdom of Metz Hayk' could easily get drawn into the conflict. Samus decided to establish permanent town garrisons in Metz Hayk' and Dsopk' in order to better protect them in case of Seleukid attack, and to allay the fears of the citizens. Ordinarily, the Nakharars would have balked at the suggestion permanent garrisons under the Arkah's control, however, most of them understood the necessity of them, and assumed that they would be disbanded once the danger had passed.



The greatest threat to the Caucasus, however, came not from the South, but from the North. The Sarmatian tribes of the steppes had united under the banner of their great king, Äluton. Less than a year after Samus assumed the throne[259 BC], Äluton led a massive army over the Caucasus.



The ancient Georgian kingdom of Kolkhis fell first. However, Kartli, which had only recently united under their first king, Pharnavaz, put up a much fiercer resistance. Samus debated with the nobles about whether to send them aid or not. The consensus was against the Georgians. They had allied themselves with the Seleukids many years ago, and had often fought border skirmishes with the Hayk'. In fact, many would have been quite glad if the Sarmatians wiped them out. Samus himself was in favor of sending aid. Being from Dsopk', he did not have as much of a personal grudge against them, and was for more concerned with what Äluton would do once he conquered Kartli. However, in the end he conceded to the judgement of the nobles.



Samus doubted that Äluton would be content with just a foothold in the Caucasus. Samus could deal with Georgians, he could even deal with his hated foes, the Seleukids, but Äluton was another matter. He had heard rumors of the man from Greek traders. Supposedly he had massacred the Greek colonies of Tanais and Olbia on the northern shores of the Pontos Euxeinos. He had so far ignored the Bosporan Kingdom, and it was said that Pairisades, the Bosporan king, was paying inordinate amounts of tribute to Äluton, hoping to buy him off, and so far, it had worked. Because of this, many Haikakan nobles believed that he could be bought off, but Samus had knew better. While prosperity had indeed come to Hayk', true riches had not. And even if they had, throwing meat to a wolf would only make him hungry for more.



After several months of bitter guerilla warfare, Pharnavaz finally fell to Äluton in battle, and Kartli was taken. Without even stopping for breath, Äluton's army continued it's march South, ignoring any and all attempts at negotiation. Within days, he would reach the Haikakan capital of Armavir. As Samus did what he could to ready the city's defenses, reinforcements arrived from a surprising source. Pharnavaz's 16 year old son, Saurmag, who had fled Kartli with about three thousand men, what was left of his fathers army.



As the bulk of his men waited outside the city, Saurmag was brought before Samus in his small palace. To everyone's surprise he kneeled before Samus' throne with his face pressed to the floor, an ancient gesture once given to the Persian king of kings. It is said that Samus was so shocked by this display of humility that it took several moments before realized that he had to tell Saurmag to raise his head.

"O Samus, great Arkah of the Hai. For many years the sons of Kartlos and Hayk have fought each other. Your people have always fought valiantly and well, and I was raised on tales of heroic battles fought by our forefathers against each other. I have heard tales of the brave Yervand, who won your people's freedom and twice defeated the armies of Antiochos, and of you, Samus, and your deeds of valor in uniting your people. While we may have been foes, I have always held the greatest respect for you and your late father.

We have been attacked by the savage nomads to the North, and now, my father, Pharnavaz, king of Kartli, and my grandfather, Kuji, lord of Egrisi, have both fallen, and our kingdom is lost. We have forsaken our honor and fled our lands in the hope that together with you, great Arkah, we might end this scourge in the Caucasus, and so that I might avenge my family. I ask for nothing more than to allow me to fight beside you."

Samus is then said to have stood up and walked over to the man, who was little more than a boy, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Rise, son of Pharnavaz. No prince as noble as you, who has gone through such hardship and suffered such dishonor so young, should bow before me. I have done nothing to be worthy of such praise from you. I did not send you aid when your father was attacked, as I should have. Having met you, I know that I will carry the burden of that shame until the end of my days. If you will fight by my side in the coming battle, then I swear by Mihr that I will do everything in my power to free your people and restore your throne. And if we are victorious, then let there never again be another war between our peoples. Let sword of Kartlos always be ready to fight for the Hai, and let the bow of Hayk forever serve in defense of the Vir."



It is said that Saurmag's humility and respect won over not only Samus, but most of the Hai nobles present as well. While a few remained antagonistic towards him, the bulk of them, following the Arkah's example, offered Saurmag their condolences and support, and some began speaking of a new era of peace and prosperity across the Caucasus. Samus reminded them that such a dream could not be realized until Äluton was defeated and the Sarmatians driven back to the steppes. Until that day came, he said they should have no other thoughts in their mind, save achieving that victory, for Äluton was coming, and all hands were needed to fight the oncoming scourge.



Next: The Iberian War

[artavazd]

very nice. FUN FACT: The Pathriarch of Georgians who is Kartlos, and the Pathriarch of Armenians who is Hayk/Haik are brothers. They are sons of Torgom. Mythology/fable and science actualy connect on this one, because geneticaly Armenians and Georgians are very close


Haik (Հայք) - first son of Togarmah, inherited Mount Ararat and founded the Armenian nation.
Kartlos (ქართლოსი) - settled in north-east from Ararat, founder of Kartli (Sa'kartvelo) who united other brothers and founded the Georgian nation.
Bardos
Movakos (Movkans)
Lekos (Lek) - settled in Caucasus Mountains
Heros (Herans)- settled in the eastern part of Ararat
Caucas (Kovkases) - settled beyond the Caucasus Range
Egros (Egers) - settled between the Black Sea and Likhi Range. (western Georgia)

[Epimetheus]

During the research I've been doing for this AAR, I did come across the "sons of Torgom" fable. I'm thinking about referencing it whenever I get around to having the "Pan-Caucasus Empire Reform" kick in.

[NickTheGreek]

Nice AAR, it's always good to see one of the smaller factions get an AAR. Can't wait for the next chapter

[artavazd]

Is this AAR still going?

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

Hopefully. Its only been a week.

I wish I'd started an AAR for my Hai campaign. Samus Yeravundi became Arkah and decided it was his destiny to die in Persepolis as the next Persian Emperor. He finished uniting the Caucasus, quickly raided Ekbatana and Susa. Returned home for reinforcements, then raided Arbela and south to Seleukia and from there marched east to capture Persepolis where he died soon thereafter. Unfortunately his desire to die there overstretched my budding empire so much that his successor Aram is having a hard time keeping things together. He has been mostly successful so far but lost Persepolis back to the Arche.

[Epimetheus]

I guess it's kind of on hiatus. I have a couple versions of of a few more updates, but I'm not really pleased with any of them.

I've kind of played myself into a corner at the moment. The only way I can possibly survive right now is by cheating heavily. Right as I was in the middle of driving the several Sauromatae half-stacks out of Georgia, the Seleukids finally decided to invade, with veteran fullstacks. I could handle one of them at a time, with my crappy troops, but not both. Those Sarmatian bodyguards are practically invincible (seriously, it takes two of my generals and a halfstack of levies over fifteen minutes of melee combat to kill one unit of those bastards), and I can't recruit any horse-archers to deal with those accursed phalangitai right now either.

I've already been using teleportation and force_diplomacy pretty heavily to shape the AI expansion, and I suppose I could use them to get me out of this mess. But the cheating I've been doing already has kind of taken some of the fun out of it, and I really don't want to do any more than I already am.

So, I'm taking a break for the time being and playing a different campaign (KH as Taras on southern Italy). Hopefully I'll be able to get back into the Hai campaign sometime soon, but if I don't, or I get too into the game I'm playing now, then I apologize to those who have been reading it.

[J.R.M]

Glad to hear this isn't dead, don't worry man take your time, we apreciate what you are doing here.