One of my early memories is hearing the story of St. Vartan and his soldiers, martyred resisting Iranian attempts to extirpate Christianity in Armenia, the first Christian nation. The Armenian Church remembers Vartan the Brave and the battle of Avarayr on the Thursday before Lent, though the Armenians in Iran, for obvious reasons, keep their heads down on that day.
When did all this happen? 451 A.D.