Loyalty and Lineage Beyond the Borders: The Role of Armenian Feudal Families in the Periphery of Byzantium (4th–7th centuries)

This paper investigates the political and social roles of Armenian noble families (naxarars) in the eastern periphery of the Byzantine world between the 4th and 7th centuries. By focusing on key dynasties such as the Arsacids and the Mamikoneans, Bagratids, it explores how these families navigated between imperial powers—Rome/Byzantium and Persia—and how their local authority, titles, and networks of loyalty functioned within a distinctively Armenian model of aristocracy. The study aims to show that Armenian feudal structures developed as both a reflection of and a response to imperial competition, serving as a lens through which we can examine Byzantium beyond its traditional frontiers.