Rethinking Armenia in the Middle Ages

Exploring a Christian Frontier and its Neighbouring Peoples

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Extent: 237 pages

Publisher: Wiley-VCH

Subjects: Medieval Studies

Series: Borders, Boundaries, Landscapes

Language: English

Hardback (Forthcoming)

(January 2027)

ISBN: 9782503622385

Price: $119.00

During the medieval period, Armenia occupied a distinctive position at the crossroads of major empires — Byzantine, Arab, Mongol, and Persian. Rather than pursuing territorial expansion, Armenian society developed a civilizational strategy grounded in cultural resilience and intellectual creativity. Through Christianization, the invention of a unique alphabet, and extensive translation movements, Armenians fashioned themselves into a learned culture capable of mediating between competing political and cultural worlds. This volume explores how Armenia navigated life on the borders of successive empires by deploying what may be described as soft power avant la lettre — mobilizing religious identity, literacy, and cultural production as a means of survival and influence. The collected essays examine three interconnected themes: Armenian self-understanding at the margins of empire; the ways in which imperial centres perceived and engaged with Armenian difference; and comparative perspectives on Armenia alongside other frontier societies confronting similar historical pressures.


During the medieval period, Armenia occupied a distinctive position at the crossroads of major empires — Byzantine, Arab, Mongol, and Persian. Rather than pursuing territorial expansion, Armenian society developed a civilizational strategy grounded in cultural resilience and intellectual creativity. Through Christianization, the invention of a unique alphabet, and extensive translation movements, Armenians fashioned themselves into a learned culture capable of mediating between competing political and cultural worlds. This volume explores how Armenia navigated life on the borders of successive empires by deploying what may be described as soft power avant la lettre — mobilizing religious identity, literacy, and cultural production as a means of survival and influence. The collected essays examine three interconnected themes: Armenian self-understanding at the margins of empire; the ways in which imperial centres perceived and engaged with Armenian difference; and comparative perspectives on Armenia alongside other frontier societies confronting similar historical pressures.