The Great Secret of Ayrudzi
The history of the mankind is predominantly the history of wars. The
world’s armies march across the pages of history textbooks; fighting
battles while constantly advancing their weapons technology and fighting
tactics. We have a profound understanding of Greek and Roman military
arts, but the history of the Armenian armed forces of the remote past
remains untold.
The oldest known Armenian armed
divisions were comprised of archers. The qualities of this tactical unit
were so high that they were distinguished from others by Armenian as
well as foreign historians. The bow and arrow as a component of Armenian
military arts has a history grounded in the battle of 2492 B.C., when
Bel, the leader of Babylonians, was shot by Haik’s own arrow. This
battle was also the first reported use of the “wedge” as a form of
front-line tactics. Haik positioned himself at the top of the “wedge.”
According to the Armenian historian Khorenatsi, Armenian bows were long
(up to 2 meters) and the arrows had three-feathered ends which lead to
high precision and long range. Later, the structure of the arrows was
improved by attaching one of the feathered wings loosely. When this
improved arrow struck the enemy, it would break with any attempt to
dislodge it. The loose wing was designed to remain in the wound, causing
infection and death. These arrows were so long that when they reached
the rival army unbroken, they were used as short spears. All
well-equipped ancient armies used archery to support their main troops;
in this tactic the early Armenian warriors were not unique. The main
force was made up of heavily armed warriors. In the case of the ancient
Armenians, war chariots were the main tactical unit as early as1000
B.C.
Metal was an essential part of effective weaponry. A special
metal-working technology was developed for war chariots and other
high-quality weaponry. The Armenian Plateau can justifiably be
considered as the cradle of metallurgy in the ancient world. Our
ancestors developed the most widely-used process of smelting mineral ore
to produce iron between 1200 and 1000 BCE. Early metal weapons were
found in archeological sites, particularly at the Metsamor metallurgical
complex. They were also mentioned in Khetkhian and Assyrian chronicles.
We can reconstruct the structure and usage of ancient weapons with
reasonable approximation with the fragments of chariots found in
Lchashen, Karmir-Blour, Toprakh-Kale and others sites. The front and the
sides of the chariots were protected by the metal plates over 50
centimeters height. The chariots were equipped with quivers with bows,
spears, and other weapons. These war chariots were positioned on the
flanks of the unit and their swift attacks caused panic and disorder in
the front lines of the opponents. This allowed the Armenian infantry to
defeat the disarrayed lines of the enemy with ease. That said, the
chariots had a significant disadvantage – they were practically useless
over broken ground, and could have been used only in open fields. The
Greek infantry lines had the same problem; although a deadly force in
head-on attacks, they were not able to maneuver on broken ground. In
such cases, the Greek phalanx scattered, becoming an easy targets for
their opponents. The Romans solved this problem by breaking their
legions into separately controlled subdivisions – maniples.
It is
notable that the Romans won their battles predominantly by using their
infantry. The Roman cavalry was short in numbers and did not have a
decisive role. This was true for all ancient world combats. Alexander
the Great was the only one who used the cavalry, albeit one small in
relative number, in combination with phalanxes, which immediately led to
his winning outcomes. Some historians are prone to see the general
ineffectiveness of the ancient cavalry as caused by absence of a
stirrup. Indeed, it would have been difficult to ride a galloping horse
wearing armor and carrying weapons, or fight with a sword while hanging
low from a horse, if one did not have the support of stirrups. The lack
of stirrups also made jumping over obstacles while on horseback. Even
when throwing a spear, a horseman needed stirrups for balance. These
reasons presage the fact that centuries later, with the widespread use
of the stirrup, mounted warriors were ever more significant in battle
outcomes. Although rare in the ancient world, there was at least one
army that used the cavalry as their main shock force – the Armenians.
Another possible cause of the limited use of the cavalry in Greek and
Roman battle units was simple – a cavalry needs horses, and generally a
great many of them. Tens of thousands of riders (the number in the
Armenian cavalry) needed tens of thousands horses of a special breed.
Moreover, these numbers needed constant replenishing. Armenia, in
contrast to other countries of the ancient world, had a well-developed
horse-breeding trade, and had no problem keeping their riders
well-mounted. Horse breeding in Armenia had a strategic significance and
was under the protection of the state. Since the Kingdom of Urarty
there were complex structures with stables, racetracks, riding-halls,
and washing facilities for the horses. When Armenia fell under control
of Akhmenidian Persia, it paid its dues not only in silver and gold, but
also by large numbers of the best-bred horses and mules. This
information comes to us from the inscriptions on the Bekhistounian Rock.
This inscribed stone had a list of all regions that paid their dues to
Persia following the orders of King Darius. Armenia was the only country
from those listed that paid its dues in horses –animals that were
valued as highly as gold and silver.
Beginning in 1000 B.C. the
chariots of the Armenian army were gradually replaced by a more flexible
and dynamic tactical unit – the cavalry; which in Armenian is called
“ayrudzi” (“ayr” u “dzi” means “man” and a “horse”). Ayrudzi brought
glory to the Armenian armies of the past; and even after Armenia had
lost its independence, it was highly valued and had an important
strategic significance for the region. The core of the Armenian army was
the heavy cavalry. The soldier and his mount were securely encased in
armor. The main weapons of this era were spears and heavy swords. The
heavy cavalry was the strike force of the army -- it attacked in closed
ranks, most commonly in the form of a “wedge.” The swift attacks of
multi-thousand close-ordered rows had a devastating effect on the
infantry as well as the cavalry of the opponents. The armored horde
simply shattered the enemy- it scattered their lines and trampled the
enemy so that the other units had only to finish them off.
The next
tactical unit of the Ayrudzi was the light cavalry – to ensure its high
mobility it was not armored. The horses were chosen accordingly – light,
swift, and short in conformation. The main weapons of light cavalry
units were the bow and arrow and swords. The light cavalry ensured the
battle formation of the whole army, carried out the reconnaissance
operations, supported the actions of the main fighting units, pursued
and destroyed the enemy, and prevented the enemy from regrouping. As a
rule, the light cavalry attacked in scattered lines, maneuvering and
refraining from close combat. Many centuries later the same tactics were
successfully used by the Mongolians.
The Ayrudzi units, both heavy
and light, consisted predominantly of nobility, whose upbringing
necessarily included horse riding. During the full-scale combat
operations the army recruited horsemen from lower classes of society –
“ramik ayrudzi.” The royalty consistently supported and sponsored
ayrudzi. All cavalry was under direct control of members of the royal
family who personally oversaw the training and parades of the cavalry.
The army in general was the core of the state, its primary formation.
The high position of the “sparapet” (commander-in-chief) was passed
along patrilineal hereditary lines and belonged to the Mamikonian
dynasty. The unique document “Zoranamak” about the classification and
the size of the Armenian army also presents evidence about the special
attention of the government towards its military forces.
Ayrudzi
confirmed its fame as an unbeatable military unit through its numerous
victories in battle. For example, in the battle of Gaugamela on October
1, 331 B.C. the Armenian cavalry was the most heavily armed unit among
Darius’ many troops. It was stationed in front of the other cavalry
units and fought valiantly, crashing through the front lines, ending up
in the rear of the Macedonian troops. The left flank of Alexander of
Macedon, the army of Parmenion, was forced into retreat by the
Armenians. If at the opposite side of the battlefront, Darius had not
broken and the Persians had not fallen into disarray, the victorious
history of Alexander the Great would have ended that day. Additionally,
in 68 B.C., at the battle at the River Artaxata, Tigran fought against
the Roman legions of Luccullus, using only the cavalry – unprecedented
strategy in the history of war. The heavy cavalry scattered the front
lines of the Romans, and the light cavalry completed the task.
The
international role and the influence of the Armenian cavalry was so
significant that during the Roman-Parthian War and later, during the
Persian- Byzantine War, the opposing enemy states competed to attract
the Armenian cavalry to their side. Incidentally, the failure of the
Eastern campaign of Crassus and Anthony was attributed by Roman
historians to the lack of the powerful support from the Armenian
cavalry.
It is interesting that after the fall of the Arshakid’s
dynasty in the 5th century B.C. the Persian and Byzantine royal courts
continued hiring the ayrudzi and paying generously for their military
services. Later, out of security concerns, the Persian royal court cut
down the number of the Armenian horsemen to 30,000, a number that was
reduced to 15,000 during the Arab governance. One might ask: what was
its number before that? It is known that during the reign of Pap (IV
century B.C.) the Armenian cavalry consisted of up to 90,000 horsemen.
Its size and prowess presented a truly considerable threat for
neighboring armies.
From the dawn of the Byzantine Empire, all
Byzantine emperors hired only Armenians as their personal bodyguards and
royal court guards. Later, when the throne was passed to the
descendants of the Armenian royal clans, that tendency strengthened. The
Armenian warriors, particularly cavalrymen, were very well accepted.
The commanders were granted high military rank and position, and the
soldiers were generously rewarded. The Byzantine emperors positioned
large Armenian divisions in their capitol city and in the Eastern
provinces as well as Italy and Sicily. During the reign of Justinian I
several armies were comprised exclusively of Armenians. These armies
liberated Italy from the Goths, and Nerses (a.k.a Narses) their
commander-in-chief, became the governor of that Western province. The
Armenian warriors were also highly respected in Bulgaria and Northern
Africa. Legends were told about their bravery. During the period of
Byzantine Empire more than a hundred Armenian chief officers became
distinguished military commanders. However, there is no army that can
exist forever without its homeland and without its own government. After
the defeat of the Byzantine army at Manazkert by the Turks in 1071, the
Armenian cavalry divisions, which also included Russian units, moved to
the East.
The Egyptian Caliphs-Fatimids tried to prevent the
Turkish expansion and invited the Armenian troops to join in an attempt
to restore the control and order in their country. The Armenian troops
took over Cairo and Alexandria and suppressed the rebellion of the
Bedouins in Upper Egypt. Moreover, their commander, supported by his
powerful military force, took over the position of the vizier of the
Caliphate and successfully ruled the country for many years.
The
last known mission of the Armenian cavalry was during the Cilician
Armenian Kingdom, after the fall of which it disappeared from historical
accounts; although revealing itself from time to time in the armies of
various countries. In particular, the Armenian horsemen participated in
one of the greatest battles of medieval Europe, the Battle of Grunwald
(or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) on the side of the united
Russian-Polish-Lithuanian forces against the Knights of the Teutonic
Order. Later the Armenian cavalry was recalled by Peter the Great, who
formed the “Armenian Squadron” which consisted predominantly of warriors
from Artsakh. It fought in battles in Caucasian and Caspian regions
during the Russian-Turkish and Russian-Swedish wars. The bravery of the
Armenian horsemen was highly recognized. After the discharge of the
squadron in 1764, those who did not continue their service in other
regiments, received a full acting soldier’s salary for life by a special
order of the royal court
Today the deeds of the Armenian horsemen
can be found only in historical documents. Information about the
Armenian army and its weaponry is not included in European illustrated
catalogues. But there is such a thing as a succession of generations.
Observing the Armenian army of today, one rightly thinks: “These are the
worthy heirs of the heroes of the past.”
Yerevan Magazine, Summer, N1, 2008
appunto vicino alla suddetta Chiesa ("iuxsta
Sanctam Mariam de Armeniis").
appunto vicino alla suddetta Chiesa ("iuxsta
Sanctam Mariam de Armeniis").
Le notizie risalenti all'inizio del
nostro secolo sono state raccolte attraverso i racconti delle persone più
anziane del paese e i brevi cenni trovati nel libro di Padre Emilio Giugno:
"Forenza: usi - costumi - leggende". Abbiamo, così, appreso che
la campanella, sovrastante la facciata
anteriore, è stata prelevata dall'arciprete: don Michele Basile e portata al
cimitero.
