ity, and made his peace with Joseph,
the patriarch. He then called the people to arms, and in a short time
collected a force of a hundred thousand men. Three armies were formed,
to act separately under different generals. One watched Azerbijan, or
Media Atropatene, whence it was expected that their main attack would be
made by the Persians; another, under Vartan, proceeded to the relief
of Albania, where proceedings were going on similar to those which
had driven Armenia into rebellion; the third, under Vasag, occupied a
central position in Armenia, and was intended to move wherever danger
should threaten. An attempt was at the same time made to induce the
Roman emperor, Marcian, to espouse the cause of the rebels, and send
troops to their assistance; but this attempt was unsuccessful. Marcian
had but recently ascended the throne, and was, perhaps, scarcely fixed
in his seat. He was advanced in years, and naturally unenterprising.
Moreover, the position of affairs in Western Europe was such that
Marcian might expect at any moment to be attacked by an overwhelming
force of northern barbarians, cruel, warlike, and unsparing. Attila was
in A.D. 451 at the height of his power; he had not yet been worsted
at Chalons; and the terrible Huns, whom he led, might in a few months
destroy the Western, and be ready to fall upon the Eastern empire.
Armenia, consequently, was left to her own resources, and had to combat
the Persians single-handed. Even so, she might probably have succeeded,
have maintained her Christianity, or even recovered her independence,
had her people been of one mind, and had no defection from the national
cause manifested itself. But Vasag, the Marzpan, had always been
half-hearted in the quarrel; and, now that the crisis was come, he
determined on going wholly over to the Persians. He was able to carry
with him the army which he commanded; and thus Armenia was divided
against itself; and the chance of victory was well-nigh lost before the
struggle had begun. When the Persians took the field they found half
Armenia ranged upon their side; and, though a long and bloody contest
followed, the end was certain from the beginning. After much desultory
warfare, a great battle was fought in the sixteenth year of Isdigerd
(A.D. 455 or 456) between the Christian Armenians on the one side, and
the Persians, with their Armenian abettors, on the other. The Persians
were victorious; Vartan, and his brother, Hemaiiag, were amo