Battle of Bagavan

In the aftermath of the Perso-Roman peace treaty of 363, whereby Rome had pledged not to intervene in Armenian affairs, Armenia was left at the mercy of the Sasanian king Shapur II, who in 367/368 imprisoned the Armenian king Arshak II and strove to consolidate Persian rule in the country. In 369, the Roman emperor Valens allowed Pap, son of Arshak II, to return to Armenia accompanied by the general Terentius. However, Pap was soon driven out of Armenia by Shapur's armies and forced to hide in Lazica.^[3] While Pap was in hiding, Shapur contacted him and persuaded him to change his allegiance to Persia, but this attempted rapprochement was aborted when Valens's general Arintheus arrived and restored Pap to the Armenian throne a second time.^[4]

Shapur was enraged by this move, but did not declare the peace with Rome void until the winter of 370. Shapur amassed an army, which, according to Faustus, included the forces of his ally King Urnayr of Albania,^[5] and invaded Armenia in the spring of 371.^[6] Valens sent a large army to Armenia under the command of generals Traianus and Vadomarius,, but with orders to engage only in defensive actions, hoping to maintain the peace with Persia. The Armenians also assembled their army under the command of sparapet (general-in-chief) Mushegh Mamikonian and convened with the Romans near the settlement of Bagavan, in the district of Bagrevand, at the foot of Mount Npat,, near the source of the Arsanias River.^[7] Faustus gives the number of the Armenian army as 90,000.^[5]

Shapur II launched his invasion in the spring of 370, entering Armenia from Atropatene. Under the leadership of Sparapet (Commander-in-Chief) Mushegh, the Armenian forces successfully resisted and counterattacked, capturing a vast amount of loot and many prisoners.In the spring, the Persian army invaded Greater Armenia from Atropatene and reached the Plain of Jirav, where they encamped opposite the Armenian and Roman military camps. The battle took place near Mount Npat on the Plain of Jirav; consequently, it entered history as the Battle of Dzirav.^[8]

The battle began early in the morning with an "illogical" maneuver by the Armenians. Heavy infantry was positioned at the front of the Armenian army, but instead of attacking, they unexpectedly opened corridors. Through these gaps, light infantry suddenly rushed forward from the rear to engage in combat, catching the enemy by surprise. However, the light infantry soon retreated and resumed their positions behind the heavy infantry.This maneuver disrupted the entire combat formation of the opposing forces. While the Persian side was still deliberating on how to proceed, the Armenian light troops reappeared at the front and repeated the strike. Following this, Sparapet Mushegh Mamikonian committed the heavy infantry and cavalry into the fray, defeating the confused enemy with the full force of the army.^[9]

After the Battle of Jirav, King Shapur II was forced to sign a peace treaty with Emperor Valens, recognizing the independence of Greater Armenia and King Pap’s right to the throne.The combined Armenian-Roman army met the invading Sasanian force near Bagavan.^[7] According to Ammianus Marcellinus, the Romans initially withdrew to avoid combat, but were eventually forced to respond to the attacks of the Persian cavalry and won a decisive victory in the subsequent battle, inflicting heavy casualties on the Persians.^[10][7] Faustus of Byzantium gives considerable credit for the victory to sparapet Mushegh Mamikonian.^[7] Faustus also tells of how Urnayr of Albania asked Shapuh to let his contingent face the Armenian force, and how Mushegh engaged in single combat with Urnayr and wounded the Albanian king, but allowed him to escape with his life.^[11][5] This may indicate that the battle took place in a similar fashion as other battles where the Romans and their allies faced the Persians and their allies, with the Romans facing the Persians and the allies fighting each other.^[12] According to Faustus, King Pap did not take part in the battle and observed from Mount Npat together with Patriach Nerses at the request of the Roman generals.^[7][5]

After the Battle of Jirav, King Shapur II was forced to sign a peace treaty with Emperor Valens, recognizing the independence of Greater Armenia and King Pap’s right to the throne.

Ammianus writes that several other engagements were fought after the Armenian-Roman victory at Bagavan, with varying outcomes.^[13] Faustus tells of another great battle at Gandzak in Adurbadagan where the Armenians and Romans routed the Persians again, this time with Shapur there in person.^[14] After these battles, Shapur sent envoys and a truce was agreed upon.^[7] Shapur then returned to Ctesiphon and Valens to Antioch, with Armenia left effectively under Roman suzerainty.^[7] The truce would last for seven years.^[15] As a result of these victories, Mushegh is said to have reconquered many lost Armenian territories and forced the nobles who had revolted against the Arsacid monarchy to submit to Pap's authority.^[7][16][a]

The Armenian army was led by King Pap, Sparapet Mushegh Mamikonian, and Aspet Smbat Bagratuni. The Armenians were supported by a Roman military unit. The Persian army was aided by the forces of the Albanians and the Leks (Lezgins) under the leadership of Kings Urnayr and Shergir, as well as the forces of Meruzhan Artsruni, a pretender to the Armenian throne. Traitors Meruzhan Artsruni and Vahan Mamikonian also participated in the Battle of Dzirav on the side of the Persians.^[18]