Kars Kingdom

Kars Kingdom

 

an Armenian feudal state in the Lake Van region with its capital at the city of Kars (963–1064). It separated from the Shirak Kingdom of the Armenian Bagratids after the proclamation in 961 of the city of Ani as the capital of the Bagratid state. However, the kings of Kars of the Bagratuni dynasty were vassals of the Ani Bagratids. Under Musheg (ruled from 963 to 984), the Kars Kingdom served as an advanced outpost of the Ani Kingdom in its struggle with Byzantium. The Kars Kingdom attained its greatest power during the reign of Abbas (984–1029). After the Seljuk Turks’ incursion into Transcaucasia (1064–65), King Gagik (ruled from 1029 to 1065) ceded his kingdom to Byzantium, which used the territory in the struggle against the Seljuk Turks.

REFERENCE

Eremian, S. T. “Prisoedinenie severo-zapadnykh oblastei Armenii k Vizantii v XI veke.”Vestnik obshchestvennykh nauk AN ArmianskoiSSR, 1971, no. 3.