Armenia

The Republic of Armenia, or Armenia (Armenian:

History

In AD 301, Armenia became the first state to adopt Christianity as its official state religion, twelve years before the Roman Empire granted Christianity official toleration under Galerius, and some 30-40 years before Constantine was baptised. There had been various pagan communities before Christianity, but they were converted by an influx of Christian missionaries.

Related Topics:
301 - Christianity - State religion - Galerius - Pagan

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Having changed between various dynasties -- including Parthian (Iranian), Roman, Arab, Mongol and Persian occupations -- Armenian identity was at a loss. The Armenians were under Turkish rule in the following years, with the nomad Turks occupying Anatolia from 1071 AD. While under the Turkish Empire's rule, Armenians were given unique privileges such as freedom of religion, exclusion from military service, and rights to administrative positions normally obtained through military service. They had been referred to as Millet-i Sidika (Trustworthy People) by the Ottoman Empire.

Related Topics:
Parthian - Roman - Arab - Mongol - Persian - Ottoman Empire

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In 1813 and 1828, present-day Armenia (consisting of the Erivan and Karabakh khanates) was temporarily incorporated into the Russian Empire. After the war between the Ottoman Empire and Russia from 1877 to 1878, when the Reform Law deprived Armenians of their advantageous position (the law gave Muslims and non-Muslims equal rights), Armenians demanded that Russia withdraw from their invaded lands, give sovereignty to Armenia and enact reforms to improve the position of the Armenians.

Related Topics:
1813 - 1828 - Erivan - Karabakh - Khanate - Russian Empire - 1877 - 1878

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After a short-lived independent republic established after the Bolshevik Revolution in Petrograd, Armenia was incorporated into the USSR, between 1922 to 1936 as the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (with Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan), and from 1936 to 1991 as the Armenian SSR.

Related Topics:
Bolshevik Revolution - Petrograd - USSR - 1922 - 1936 - Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic - Armenian SSR

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During the final years of the Ottoman Empire (1915-1922), a large proportion of Armenians living in Anatolia perished as a result of what is termed the Armenian Genocide, regarded by Armenians and many Western historians to have been state-sponsored mass killings. The Turkish side, however, maintains that the deaths were a result of a civil war coupled with disease and famine, with casualties incurred by both sides. Most estimates for the number of Armenians killed in the event range from 600,000 to 1,500,000, and their death is traditionally commemorated on April 24. Armenians and many other countries worldwide have been campaigning for official recognition of the events as genocide.

Related Topics:
Ottoman Empire - 1915 - 1922 - Anatolia - Armenian Genocide - Civil war - Famine - 600,000 to 1,500,000 - April 24

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Armenian leaders remained preoccupied by a long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated enclave that Stalin had placed in Soviet Azerbaijan. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the enclave in 1988 and the struggle escalated after both countries gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces controlled not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also the surrounding districts of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to achieve a peaceful resolution.

Related Topics:
Azerbaijan - Nagorno-Karabakh - Enclave - Stalin - 1988 - 1991 - 1994 - Cease-fire

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