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Nakharar was the Vaspurakaner word for warrior-princes. They were a kind of noblemen who ruled small fiefdoms in Vaspurakan. They tried their best to save their country from bigger neighbours like Videssos and Makuran, who wanted the country for its many resources and men. Nakharar were also like clan leaders and can be described as the Vaspurakaner version of the Makuraner domain-owners.

Gagik Bagratouni is a notable example of a nakharar. Like some of his people, he lived in Videssos due to the Yezda invasion. He lost his property in Amorion due to anti-Vaspurakaner pogroms led by the virulent priest Zemarkhos. Yet he faithfully served the Empire with Marcus Scaurus and his legion of "Ronams".

Literary Comment[]

Nakharar was a hereditary title of the highest order given to houses of the ancient and medieval Armenian nobility.

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