Explanation: The Roman Empire and Persian (Parthian/Sassanid era) Empire often quarreled over who was RIGHTLY entitled to LORDSHIP over the RIGHTFUL VASSAL ARMENIA, and would engage in long, fruitless wars on the matter of who was going to appoint the next king, with Armenians conscripted for both sides to be tossed in the meat grinder.
… Armenia, sandwiched between the two powers, was rarely consulted as to its wishes.
For Rome, at least, that was their MO for non-hostile neighbors - make a neighboring polity a client state until they were dependent enough (and with the appropriate legal pretext) to annex entirely. The issue is that nowhere else did they have to 'play ball' with another power of similar strength who kept interrupting their attempts to install generations of pro-Roman elites into the extant society and its institutions. Bloody Persians!
Egypt, for example, was effectively a client kingdom for almost a hundred years before annexation.
2 Comments
PugJesus@piefed.social · 4 pts · 72d
Explanation: The Roman Empire and Persian (Parthian/Sassanid era) Empire often quarreled over who was RIGHTLY entitled to LORDSHIP over the RIGHTFUL VASSAL ARMENIA, and would engage in long, fruitless wars on the matter of who was going to appoint the next king, with Armenians conscripted for both sides to be tossed in the meat grinder.
… Armenia, sandwiched between the two powers, was rarely consulted as to its wishes.
lvxferre@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 72d
PugJesus@piefed.social · 2 pts · 72d
For Rome, at least, that was their MO for non-hostile neighbors - make a neighboring polity a client state until they were dependent enough (and with the appropriate legal pretext) to annex entirely. The issue is that nowhere else did they have to 'play ball' with another power of similar strength who kept interrupting their attempts to install generations of pro-Roman elites into the extant society and its institutions. Bloody Persians!
Egypt, for example, was effectively a client kingdom for almost a hundred years before annexation.