Abstract: This article examines the position of Armenia in the conditions of Byzantine–Sasanian War of 571-591. On the example of activity of Armenian dukes, the author trace the stance of Armenians on the developed conflicts, defines the role and degree of participation of Armenians in military expeditions on the side of belligerent powers. The subject of this research is activity of the representatives of Armenian ducal families in the conditions of Byzantine–Sasanian conflict. The object is the records of the Syriac historian of the VI century John of Ephesus, Armenian historical of the VII century Sebeos, and Byzantine historical of the late VIII century Theophanes the Confessor. The main conclusion of the conducted research consists in inability of Armenian Nakharar to create an independent Armenian Kingdom. Despite the favorable external conditions, caused by the Byzantine–Sasanian War, there were multiple contradictions between the Nakharar that impeded the achievement of common goal. Byzantine emperors and Persian monarchs use the lack of unity between the Armenian dukes for reaching the own goals and retention of leading positions in the region. The scientific novelty consist in comprehensive analysis of the activity of Nakharars in Western and Eastern Armenia based on the Byzantine and Armenian sources.

Abstract: The subject of this article is the cultural activity of Armenians in the V century aimed at preservation of national unity in the conditions of loss of statehood and exacerbated situation of population of the Eastern and Western Armenia. The object of this article is the Armenian leaders of the V century who impacted cultural development of the region of that time. Detailed analysis is conducted on such aspects of topic, as creation of national witting system, proliferation of education and emergence of national literature, development of architectural thought. Special attention is paid to the role of the Church in cultural development, as well as the appeared momocanons, which became the legal framework for the secular and ecclesiastical life. The scientific novelty of this research is defined by a new trend in historical science related to the study of ethnic identity. In medieval studies, this topic is of special importance, since peoples and states of that time often experienced the loss of sovereignty and statehood, which complicates the processes of ethnic self-identification of population. The work analyses the sources that describe cultural development of Eastern and Western Armenia, which allows speaking of the degree of preservation of national identity of the people, their unity against the threat of assimilation and loss of uniqueness. The made conclusions underline the significance of cultural development for the formation, preservation and development of ethnic identity of the people under a threat of assimilation or mandatory integration.