Principality of Hamamshen

This article is about the medieval principality. For the modern city in Turkey, see Hemşin.

Principality of Hamamshen Համամշէն
790–1486
Capital	Hamamshen
Common languages	Armenian
Government	Principality
Prince
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Established	790
• Disestablished	1486
Preceded by Succeeded by Emirate of Armenia Ottoman Empire

History of Armenia
Etymology Timeline Traditional Urheimat
Prehistory Stone and Copper Age Shulaveri-Shomu culture c. 6500–3400 BCE Areni-1 Cave Complex Kura–Araxes culture c. 3400–2000 BCE Legend of Hayk (?) 2492 BCE Bronze and Iron Age Hayasa-Azzi c. 1500–1290 BCE Arme-Shupria c. 1300s–1190 BCE Mushki Ararat/Urartu Nairi Tribes 1114–860 BCE Kingdom of Van 860–590 BCE Scythian and Mede invasions 6th cen. BCE
Antiquity Achaemenid period Satrapy of Armina 549–331 BCE Orontid Dynasty Kingdom of Armenia Armenia Minor 331–72 BCE Kingdom of Armenia 321 BCE–428 CE Artaxiad dynasty 189 BCE–12 CE Empire 84–34 BCE Arsacid dynasty 52–428 CE Roman–Parthian War 58–63 CE Roman Province of Armenia 114–118 CE Christianization 301 CE Kingdom of Sophene c.200–94 BCE Kingdom of Commagene 163 BCE–72 CE Marzpanate period Byzantine Armenia 387–536 Persian Armenia 428–646 Mamikonian dynasty Battle of Avarayr 451 Muslim conquest of Armenia 645
Middle Ages Arabic period Emirate of Armenia 653–884 Hamamshen 700s–1300s Amatuni Dynasty Kingdom of Armenia Bagratid Armenia 884–1045 Bagratid dynasty 861–1118 Sajid dynasty 889–929 Kingdom of Vaspurakan 908–1021 Artsruni dynasty Sallarid dynasty 919–1062 Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget 979–1118 Kingdom of Syunik 987–1170 Kingdom of Artsakh 1000–1261 House of Hasan-Jalalyan Battle of Manzikert 1071 Cilician and Turko-Mongol Period Seljuk Empire 1071–1201 Kingdom of Georgia Georgian Armenia 1118–1466 Principality of Khachen 1261–15th cen. Mongol Empire & Ilkhanate Mongol Armenia 1236–1335 Turkomania 14th—15th cen. Timurid Empire 15th cen. Kingdom of Cilicia 1198–1375 Rubenid dynasty 1000–1261 Hethumid dynasty 1226–1373 Lusignan dynasty 1341–1375
Early modern age Perso-Ottoman period Safavid and Qajar rule 1502–1828 Five Melikdoms 15th cen.—1822 Shah Abbas I's deportation 1606 Russo-Persian War 1804–13 Treaty of Gulistan 1813 Russo-Persian War 1826–1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay 1828 Ottoman Empire 1548–1915 Armenian Millet Russo-Turkish War 1877–1878 Armenian Question Six Vilayets 1878 Hamidian massacres 1895–1896 Adana massacre 1909 Armenian Genocide 1909–1918 Confiscation of Armenian properties Russian period Russian rule 1828–1918 Armenian Oblast 1828–1840 Western Armenia 1915–1918 Caucasus Campaign 1914–1918 National Liberation Movement Armenakan 1885 S.D. Hunchakian Party 1887 ARF (Dashnaktsutyun) 1890
Modern age Independence First Republic of Armenia 1918–1920 War with Azerbaijan 1918–1920 War with Georgia 1918 Treaty of Sèvres 1920 Wilsonian Armenia 1920 War with Turkey 1920 Treaty of Alexandropol 1920 Soviet period Armenian S.S.R. 1920–1991 February Uprising 1921 Republic of Mountainous Armenia 1921 Treaty of Moscow 1921 Treaty of Kars 1921 Soviet Claims in Turkey 1945–1953 Nagorno-Karabakh A.O. 1923–1991 Diaspora Armenian diaspora Hidden Armenians Repatriation Contemporary Armenia Republic of Armenia since 1991 Post-Soviet transition 1991–1995 Modern era since 1995 Republic of Artsakh since 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War 1989–1994
Armenia portal

The Principality of Hamamshen was a small principality established in about 790 century by Armenians who fled the Arab invasions of Armenia and the creation of the Muslim Arab ruled state of Arminiya.

History

Prior to the 8th Century, the entire region was populated by Laz and was part of the Abkhazian Kingdom of Abasgoi until the later part of the century when Prince Hamam, his father Prince Shapuh Amatuni and 12,000 of their subjects migrated North to the Black Sea region in order to escape incoming Arab invasions of Vaspurakan, the land of their origin. They settled in the ruined city of Tambur and its surrounding villages. Prince Hamam rebuilt the city and named it Hamamshen, meaning "Hamam's hamlet" in Armenian. It is north of the historic Armenian region of Tayk.

Establishment to Decline

The Amatuni dynasty became the Nakharar of the principality, and originated in the Artaz region in Vaspurakan and specialized in agriculture and architectural engineering. the medieval line of princes recorded from the last prince David II. Were Arakel d.1400, David I d.1425, Vart d.1440 , Veke d.1460.

The Principality of Hamamshen was surrounded by foreign states, but they preserved their autonomy and even assimilated various numbers of Laz. As an indirect result of the fall of the Empire of Trebizond in 1461 to the Ottomans and the breakup of a greater Christian power in the region: Between 1480-1486, the region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.

The last prince of Hamamshen, Baron David II was exiled to Ispir by the Ottomans following the conquest of Trebizond. Khachkar(now Kaçkar), which was the center of the principality was demolished by the Ottomans. Der Hovhannes Hamshentsi d.1497 was a prominent monk, philosopher, and orator during this time..

After the fall of the Principality, the Hamshentsi Armenians were scattered throughout the Black Sea region in the Trabzon Eyalet establishing communities in towns and villages from Samsun in the west to Hopa in the east. During Ottoman rule taxation and Islamization of the Laz people pressured some Hamshen communities to converting to Islam to have equality and avoid harassment from their Muslim neighbors, many others fled to remote regions in mountains and forests to avoid taxation and oppression, notably a man named Husep who led a group into Sera Dere to found the hidden village of Cevizlik where they remained hidden for 30 years.

Legacy

Further information: Hemshin peoples

After several centuries, the name Hamamshen evolved into Hamshen in the Armenian language, and Hemshin in the Turkish language. The Armenians of Hamamshen were cut off from the rest of the Armenian social and cultural world and developed their own distinct ethnic identity. Those who converted to islam also lost their Millet Armenian identity and were Ottomanized ethnically and forgot their Armenian roots. While those who remained Gregorian Christians retained their Armenian identity and later fled to Abkhazia under the Russian Empire

See also

• Hemshin peoples
• Hemşin
• Lazistan
• Emirate of Armenia
• Empire of Trebizond
• Pontus