Hazirlayanlar

490

HOŞGÖRÜ TOPLUMUNDA ERMENİLER

tures of Armenians and Ottomans. The Ottomans may be’ an inexhaustible 

race’ but they made their presence felt universally since sixth century and 

in Eurasia at least for six centuries. As conquerors, state builders, lawgiv-

ers, administrators, policy makers, they proved to be most effective specie 

in the human world. They were not only men of sword but proved their 

worth as men of pen also.Their attitude towards their Christian compatriots 

was very clearly defi ned.Thomas Coryat had jotted down in his travelogue 

in 1613 that the “Turkes will not suffer these three things to be medled 

withal by a Christian or Jew, viz, his Religion, his Women, his slave “Abu 

Talib Isfahani though conscious of his country’s somewhat cold relations 

with Turks was discreet enough to acknowledge that the Turks were gal-

lant enough to respect their women—a rare sight in the region. The Turks 

were not in favour of killing or shedding blood. Thomas Coryat had em-

phasized the fact that “The true Musulman will scarce kill a louse if he fi nd 

him in his apparelle, but throwes him away affi rming, that it is contrary 

to the rules of charitie to kill him, or any thing else, that they kill for their 

sustenance. (13). The Turco Mongol method of Yarghu Pursidan seems to 

be an extension of the same conviction. 

 There is one very curious feature about the Ottoman- Armenian rela-

tions in the socio-religious sphere. The coreligionists were zealously en-

gaged in undertaking Ghazawat (Holy wars) in.Central Asia, Persia,Turkey 

against each other(----funnily enough justifi ed by the fatwas extracted from 

the religious supremos over strange pretexts and such events are certifi ed 

by the sources). In medieval age, religion served as the best motivating and 

mobilizing force -- being used as another name or form for nationalism. 

The situation was no different in case of Armenians and their Christian fel-

low followers. Contrarily, harmony was the keyword in Ottoman- Arme-

nian relations as there was no bone of contention between the two different 

people. Adherents of Armenian Churches ‘fi gured among the subjects and 

were recognized by the Ottoman authorities’ (14). Breezes of messages of 

love and peace through the impact of sufi  thought also infl uenced some.

Many of the Christians were the disciples of Rumi also. In the sphere of 

fi ne arts, the glimpses of Ottoman -Armenian infl uence on each other’s 

crafts also seem to fl icker (15) exhibiting the sinews of cultural connec-

tions.. Armenians seem to be more cordially inclined towards Turks as 

compared to their own European communities. Toynbee wrote:” To most 

people, the Armenians remained a name and when we read of their suffer-

ings or traditions they made little impressions than the doings of Hittites 

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491

Prof. Mansure HAİDAR

and Assyrians, who made across the same Near Eastern amphitheatre sev-

eral millennium ago. We had no living contacts, no natural relations with 

Armenians in our personal or even in our political life.” Toynbee’s com-

ment is not surprising and seems to be quite in conformity with what we 

fi nd in European travelogues. A detailed description of Armenians is also 

found in ancient and medieval European sources.Purchas included “a de-

scription of all the European Christian communities including, Armenians, 

There is a separate discussion on the Armenian Christians giving details 

about their beliefs and faith, particularly “Touching the Properties of their 

Religion” which had certain distinct features carrying somewhat different 

practices (if not points of view) from that of other Christians. Elsewhere 

again some rich information about the advance of the Papal monarchy and 

diverse sects of Christians in the East in 1625 is found. The Armenians 

are said to be “divided from all other Christians in Rites; having a primate 

of their owne whom they call Catholicon, observed by all of them as an-

other pope. They have letters and language proper and liturgies -----. At 

Christmases they fast and at twelf-day they solemniz our Lords Baptisme, 

and his spiritual. Nativities, as they improperly speaks. Lent they fast so 

strictly, that they not only abstain from fl esh, egges, white meates, but also 

from fi sh oyle, and wine, yet fast not but eat fruites and as often as they 

please. On some fridays they eate fl esh. They mix no water with wine in 

the sacrament.” There are no doubt some medieval notions of unhappi-

ness too. The complaint is however registered in the following words:“The 

Armenians promised obedience to the Pope, when their king received of 

Henry the Emperor his land, and the crown of the Archbishop of Mentz; 

but retayne their old Rites notwithstanding”.(16)

On the basis of the available historical raw material, it can safely be 

surmised that living together had given rise to the composite Eurasian cul-

ture which engulfed the region. This heterogeneity of population and mul-

tiplicity of religions had been emphasized time and again.While discussing 

the rise and decay of Christian religion, it is emphasised that excepting 

Georgia, Libanus in Syria and “Turkes Dominian, there is not any region in 

all Asia where Christians live several, without mixture, either of Moham-

etans or of pagans”. Although Vitriacus – a man well experienced in some 

parts of the Orient (as being Bishop fo Acon and the papes Legate in the 

East” hath left registered, that the Christians of the Easterlie parts of Asia, 

exceeded in multitude the Christians of the Greeks and Latin churches, Yet 

in his time (for the writ almost four hundred years age), Christianitie began 

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