The economic landscape of Bagratid Armenia and foundations of Byzantium's Eastward expansion (949-1045)

The Armenian Bagratid Kingdom operated as a prominent political, religious, and economic force in Eastern Anatolia between 884 and 1045. This thesis, focusing on the aforementioned period, is structured into two main sections. The first section investigates the sources of the region's prosperity by focusing on the Bagratid Kingdom, other Armenian principalities, and Arab emirates. Topics covered include the economic geography, topographical features, natural resources, production, and commercial routes and centers used for exports. The second section examines Byzantine expansion eastward, beginning with the capture of the city of Theodosiopolis in 949 and continuing through the annexations of Taron, Tayk, Vaspurakan, and Ani. It also seeks to answer the question of whether there was an economic motive behind Byzantine expansion. Even though the economic and commercial potential to exploit was not the primary factor, internal rebellions during Basil II's reign had significantly weakened central authority and impacted the empire economically. The primary rationale behind the annexation of Armenian territories and the resettlement of Armenians into the interior of Anatolia was to balance the power of local aristocratic families. This policy probably aimed to indirectly prevent potential future aristocratic rebellions and to indirectly mitigate economic strain on the empire that would be caused by such rebellions. Considering the circumstances before 1071, such actions should be evaluated as a politically prudent and beneficial move for the Byzantine Empire in terms of cost-benefit analysis.