ARMENIAN KING VACHAGAN III THE PIOUS: RESTORATION OF THE ARMENIAN KINGDOM IN THE “EASTERN LAND OF ARMENIA” AND THE ARMENIAN CONSTITUTION […] In 480s, an Armenian king by the name of Vachagan III, restored the Armenian Kingdom on the territory of the Armenian provinces of Artsakh, Utik and Paytakaran, or “the Eastern Land of Armenia.” The capital of Vachagan III was Giwtakan. During his reign, around 500 AD, king Vachagan the Pius called an Ašxarhažołov (the Supreme Council of Ancient Armenia which included representatives from all classes of society) which put together the first Armenian Constitution made up of 21 articles. This unique document was put together more than 1,500 years ago. The Constitution was in many ways adopted through the means of a direct democracy. The draft of the Constitution was sent to different counties throughout the nation, where special councils and discussions were held, the people’s councils gave their consent, and subsequently the king convened the Ašxarhažołov, which agreed to adopt the Constitution through a referendum. What is interesting, that the Ašxarhažołov was chaired not by the king, but by a military commander, who was held in high regard by the people due to his heroism and patriotism that he displayed on the battlefield. […] The 19th century writer and historian, Abbasgulu Bakikhanov, who is credited for writing the modern history of what is today known as “Azerbaijan” (but historically never was, since it encompasses the historic Caucasian Albania and Armenia, while historic Azerbaijan is an Iranian province which never extended north of the Araxes river) noted that “the right banks of the Kur river all the way to its confluence with Araxes river compromise the land of Armenia.” North of the Kur river was inhabited by different tribes, extending all the way to the Caucasus mountains. Even after the forceful incorporation of the Armenian provinces of Artsakh, Utik and Paytakaran into the administrative division of the Albanian Marzpanate of the Sassanian Empire, the population of this land remained overwhelmingly Armenian as is attested by countless monuments, inscriptions and documents from throughout the Middle Ages all the way to the modern era. […]