Armenia's First Republic: The Battle of Sardarabad and National Survival

In May 1918, as the Ottoman army advanced on Yerevan, a ragtag Armenian force of barely 10,000 men—mostly civilians, deserters, and priests—stood between the nascent Republic and annihilation. This episode tells the story of the Battle of Sardarabad, the desperate three-day fight that saved Armenian statehood. We follow commander Movses Silikyan's tactical gambit, the role of Catholicos George V who blessed the troops from Etchmiadzin, and the critical arrival of reinforcements from the vanished Russian front. We also explore the bitter aftermath: how the Treaty of Batum forced Armenia to cede Kars and Alexandropol, and why Sardarabad remains a national holiday despite the compromise. Lucas and Luna discuss the forgotten role of Armenian women who dug trenches under fire, and the controversy over why Soviet historography downplayed the battle. This is the untold story of how Armenia's first modern republic was born in blood and dust. #Sardarabad #MovsesSilikyan #ArmenianFirstRepublic #OttomanEmpire #BattleOfSardarabad #CatholicosGeorgeV #TreatyOfBatum #Dashnaktsutyun #AramManukian #Yerevan #Etchmiadzin #Kars #Alexandropol #WorldWarI #CaucasusFront #ArmenianGenocide #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo