Movses Khorenatsi, in his “History of Armenia,” narrates about the warrior-king Aram: “A man who loves his country and homeland, ready to die for the Motherland rather than see foreign sons trampling the native lands, ruling over his blood relatives.” Pavstos Buzand, in the “History of Armenia,” presents the personal virtues and merits of Mushegh Mamikonian, reflecting the professional value system of Armenian warriors. He lists the main obligations towards the state and nation undertaken by the Armenian warrior. Based on these invaluable insights, let’s outline the main provisions of the Armenian warrior code of honor as detailed by Buzand in order of their importance and priority:
- Loyalty and unwavering service to the independent and mighty Armenian “world,” country, and kingdom.
- Preservation of knightly honor and reputation (valiant name) in its purity — if necessary, even at the cost of life.
- Loyalty and selfless service to the most important institution of the Armenian state system — the King of Armenia (“true sovereigns” of the Arshakuni dynasty).
- Loyalty and selfless service to the people of Armenia, to all its inhabitants without exception — regardless of their social origin and status.
- Pious attitude towards the Christian faith and the national church, selfless protection of both.
- Dedication to family.
- Dedication to the clan.
- Loyalty to comrades-in-arms, brothers in arms.
Let’s note two important points. Firstly, violating the requirements of the Armenian warrior code of honor entailed severe punishment. For example, when the traitor Databen Bznuni, a nakharar and commander, was caught, “he was brought to the great King Khosrov and was stoned to death as a man who betrayed his homeland, his regiment, and the troops of his sovereign.”
The professional value system of Armenian warriors, fully and clearly captured by Pavstos, includes the most important elements of the state ideology implemented and propagated in Armenia during the Arshakuni era. These ideological and moral-psychological values were meant to primarily educate young men joining the officer corps.
These values were so deeply ingrained in the consciousness and behavior of Armenian warriors that they remained unchanged for centuries. On April 25, 775, Armenian warriors, engaging in an unequal battle near the village of Ardzni against Arab forces six times their size, once again demonstrated their commitment to the familiar demands of the traditional code of honor. According to the chronicler Ghevond, they encouraged each other with words like: “Let us die bravely for our country and our nation, and may our eyes not see the desecration and pollution of our sanctuaries and places of praise of our Lord, let us meet the enemy’s sword first, and then let what they wish happen.”
Some elements of the Armenian warrior code of honor bear noticeable similarities to the elements found in the codes of honor of European knights and Japanese samurai. For instance, Yamamoto Tsunetomo, in his work “Hagakure” (“Hidden in Leaves”, 1716), presenting and meticulously processing the samurai code of honor “Bushido” (“The Way of the Warrior”), also emphasizes the necessity for a warrior to be ready for self-sacrifice:
“Bushido — the way of the warrior — means death. When there are two paths to choose from, choose the one that leads to death. Do not think! Direct your mind to the path you have chosen, and go! Inevitably, the question arises: ‘Why should I die when it is unprofitable? Why should I pay with my life for nothing?’ These are the usual thoughts of selfish people. When it is necessary to make a choice, do not let thoughts of profit sway your mind. Think of the dishonor awaiting you when you, seeking profit, make a mistake. Think of the miserable fate of the man who failed to achieve his goal and continues to live. Remember, your death does not disgrace your honor. Death does not dishonor… Duty must be fulfilled flawlessly, and your name must remain unstained. I vow to fulfill four tasks: 1. Never retreat when fulfilling duty. 2. Be useful to your lord. 3. Be respectful to your parents. 4. Be great in mercy.”
It is particularly noteworthy that the codes of honor of Armenian warriors of the Arshakuni era and Japanese samurai contain the same requirement: honor and faithful service to the suzerain, the sovereign, is more precious than life. Pavstos provides several testimonies on this subject. One relates to an incident in Persia: “One day, it happened that the Armenian king Arshak went for a walk in one of the Persian king’s stables, and the chief groom of the Persian king was sitting in the stable. Seeing the king, he paid no attention to him, showed no respect or honor, and mocked and insulted him in Persian: ‘King of Armenian goats, go sit on this haystack.’ Hearing these words, the commander and sparapet of Greater Armenia Vasak of the Mamikonian clan got terribly angry and furious, drew his sword hanging at his side, and cut off the chief groom’s head right there in the stable, for he could not bear the insult inflicted on his king. He considered it far better to accept death than to hear any insults and dishonor directed at his sovereign.”
The calls of the author of “Hagakure” not to fear death and to maintain the purity of one’s reputation as a brave warrior are almost literally reproduced by sparapet Manvel in the partially quoted commandment: “He ordered him to be obedient and submissive to King Arshak, to be faithful, to strive and work, to fight for the Armenian country. ‘Gladly accept death for the country like your brave ancestors. For,’ he said, ‘it is a just and God-pleasing deed, and if you do so, God will not abandon you. On earth, leave the name of a brave man, and dedicate your righteousness to heaven. Do not fear death at all, but trust in the One who created and established everything. Stay away from deceit, vice, and evil, and serve the Lord God with a pure heart and fidelity. Courageously die for the pious land of Armenia, for it is a death for God, for His churches, and for the believers, for the born sovereigns of this land — the Arshakuni dynasty.'”
This fragment clearly shows how skillfully Armenian commanders used Christian teachings as an ideology in the practically unending wars for the freedom of Armenia. “Death for Armenia is death for God,” asserted sparapet Manvel, as undoubtedly did other Armenian commanders of the 4th century. By doing so, they created the necessary harmony between the code of military honor (in particular, its main thesis of self-sacrifice for the sake of the Motherland), formed in a much more ancient period and sanctified in countless battles, and the relatively recently acquired Christian faith and religious feelings. With the conviction that death for the Homeland is a God-pleasing deed, Armenian Christian warriors fought in all subsequent centuries.
However, the most interesting aspect is that points 1 and 4 of the Armenian warrior code of honor have no analogs in the European and Japanese military-feudal codes known to us; for antiquity and the Middle Ages, they are truly unusual. So: a) according to the first requirement, the primary and main duty assumed by the Armenian warrior was to serve the Armenian kingdom and “World”; b) according to the fourth requirement, the noble Armenian warrior, no matter how surprising it may seem, considered service and protection of the Armenian people (including all its classes and estates) more important and paramount than fulfilling the obligations enshrined in the code to family, clan, comrades-in-arms, and even the Christian faith and church. In other words, family, clan, comrades-in-arms, church — all this was encompassed in the concept of the Armenian nation — the people. Moreover, the Christians of Armenia and the Armenian people were identified, and the church was perceived as an Armenian national structure. Let us repeat: the value systems of the Japanese samurai and the European knight did not know such priorities.
