Degik was a canton of the province of

Sophene Sophene ( or , ; ) was a province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, located in the south-west of the kingdom, and of the Roman Empire. The region lies in what is now southeastern Turkey. History The region that was to become Sophene was part ...

in the ancient Kingdom of Armenia. It was located between the

Euphrates river The Euphrates ( ; see below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originating in Turkey, the Euphrates flows through S ...

and the town of

Çemişgezek Çemişgezek (; ) is a municipality (belde) and seat of Çemişgezek District of Tunceli Province, Turkey. The mayor is Levent Metin Yıldız ( AKP). The town had a population of 3,009 in 2021 and is populated by both Kurds and Turks. The tow ...

. It had three prominent fortified settlements, Qruik, Mok, and Krni. It passed from Armenian rule to the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

, then to Arab-ruled

Arminiya Arminiya, also known as the Ostikanate of Arminiya (, ''Hayastani ostikanut'yun'') or the Emirate of Armenia (, ''imārat armīniya''), was a political and geographic designation given by the Muslim Arabs to the lands of Greater Armenia, Cauca ...

. The local Armenian prince Manuel handed Degik over to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

emperor

Leo VI Leo VI (or Leon VI, notably in Greek) may refer to : * Leo VI the Wise Leo VI, also known as Leo the Wise (; 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his paren ...

() and was gifted land in the Pontic region. A number of the Armenian villages in the region united with the Byzantine church and became

Chalcedonian Chalcedonian Christianity is the branches of Christianity that accept and uphold theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council, held in AD 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Christological Definitio ...

, adopting the

Byzantine rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...

while still using the Armenian language for their liturgy. Their descendants became the

Hayhurum Hayhurum (; ) is the name given to Armenian-speaking Christians who are members of the Greek Orthodox Church. Their exact ethnicity has been a source of debate. Some (''although not all'') of these Armenian speakers living in the vicinity of th ...

of the

region. The region then passed on to

Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

rule, under Ottoman rule the region experienced Islamization.

References

Sophene Early medieval Armenian regions Provinces of the Byzantine Empire {{Armenia-geo-stub