THE POLITICAL POWER OF THE MEDIEVAL ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITIES AND THE MAMLUK-ILKHANATE WARFARE BETWEEN 1284 AND 1304: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH AND THE ASSYRIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH IN CILICIAN ARMENIA AND ILKHANATE
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Date
2021-06
Authors
Saduakassov, Aidar
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nazarbayev University School of Sciences and Humanities
Abstract
The modern history often avoids researching the marginalized medieval Christian
religious institutions due to the lack of their political significance. However, the medieval
accounts present the information about their significant role in the Mongol conquest of the
Mamluk Sultanate. From the one hand, the study of the ecclesiastical representatives of the
Assyrian Apostolic Church in the Mongol court is one of the underexplored topics in the
medieval history of Central Asia and Middle East. Morgan and Grousset explored the
significance of the Nestorian authorities in the court as a matter of the personal favorability of
khans, however, the effect of the Mongol conquest to the power of Christians in Ilkhanate was
undefined. Russell tried to examine this connection; however, her paradigm lacks scientific
proofs and proper methods of analysis. On the other hand, the studies of the Armenian
Apostolic Church were better developed. Ghazarian analyzed the effects of the Latin-Armenian
encounters to the Armenian domestic politics. Dashdonbog explored how the Mongol Armenian relationships affected the institutional power of the Armenian Church. However, the
authors fail to examine the question of why the Armenian Church became one of the most
significant religious entity among marginalized Christian religions in the Middle East. This
comparative study explores the relationships between the Mamluk-Ilkhanate warfare during
1284 and 1304 and the political power of the Nestorian and Armenian clergies in Ilkhanate and
Cilician Armenia. The main argument is that the political power of the Nestorian and Armenian
ecclesiastical authorities was damaged by the Mongol-Mamluk warfare between 1284 and
1304. In particular, apart the military damages of the warfare, the consequences of Islamization
of ilkhans and reciprocity with Catholics became significant factors that explain the downward
trend in political power of the Christian clergies in Cilician Armenia and Ilkhanate. Mainly,
these factors were the intentional discourses to stimulate the military capabilities of the
Armenians and Mongols through the attraction of the domestic and foreign alliances against vii
Mamluks. Furthermore, the study will also prove that the political ties between Armenian kings
and ecclesiastical authorities affected the survival of the Armenian Church and localization of
the Nestorian clergy. Hereby, the institutional power, political positions in the courts, patronage
and social status as well as repressions and institutional devastations are the main variables that
determine the political power of the ecclesiastical authorities in Ilkhanate and Cilician
Armenia. The thesis mainly explores the periods of Lewon II and Hetum II reigns in Cilician
Armenia; and simultaneously evaluates the period from Arghun khan’s reign to Ghazan khan’s
rule in Ilkhanate. The study uses content and linguistic-political discourse analyses as major
methodological tools. The research is based on Syriac, Latin, Armenian and Persian primary
sources that were conducted between 13th and 16th centuries. In particular, the diplomatic
reports, correspondences between rulers, ecclesiastical and Islamic chronicles will be evaluated
throughout the study. Hopefully, this paper will contribute to the political, military and
religious history of the medieval Middle East, Ciscaucasia and Central Asia
Description
Keywords
Type of access: Open Access, Mamluk Sultanate, Assyrian Apostolic Church, Mongol court, Cilician Armenia, Ilkhanate
Citation
Saduakassov, A. (2021). The political power of the medieval ecclesiastical authorities and the Mamluk-Ilkhanate warfare between 1284 and 1304: comparative study of the Armenian apostolic church and the Assyrian apostolic church in Cilician Armenia and Ilkhanate (Unpublished master`s thesis). Nazarbayev University, Nur-sultan, Kazakhstan