Regulation of the Armenian Nation
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The Armenian National Constitution ( hy, Հայ ազգային սահմանադրութիւն ''Hay azkayin sahmanatroutioun''; french: Constitution nationale arménienne) or Regulation of the Armenian Nation ( ota, Nizâmnâme-i Millet-i Ermeniyân, نظامنامهٔ ملّت ارمنیان) was the 1863 Ottoman Empire-approved form of the "Code of Regulations" composed of 150 articles which define the powers of Patriarch (position in Ottoman
Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
) and newly formed " Armenian National Assembly".Richard G. (EDT) Hovannisian "The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times", page 198 This code is still active among Armenian Church in diaspora. The Ottoman Turkish version was published in the Düstur.
info page on book
at Martin Luther University) - Cited: p. 37 (PDF p. 39)
The document itself was called a "constitution" in Armenian, while the Ottoman Turkish version was instead called a "regulation" on the
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
.


History

Hatt-ı Hümayun Hatt-i humayun ( ota, خط همايون , plural , ), also known as hatt-i sharif ( , plural , ), was the diplomatics term for a document or handwritten note of an official nature composed by an Ottoman sultan. These notes were commonly written ...
's (1856) organisation to bring equality among millets also brought the discontent of the Armenian Patriarchate.Mekerditch-B. Dadian, "La société arménienne contemporaine", ''
Revue des deux Mondes The ''Revue des deux Mondes'' (, ''Review of the Two Worlds'') is a monthly French-language literary, cultural and current affairs magazine that has been published in Paris since 1829. According to its website, "it is today the place for debates a ...
'', June 1867, pp. 903-928, read online
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Before the Hatt-ı Hümayun, the
Armenian Patriarch Armenian patriarch is a term that may be used to describe: Legendary Armenian figures * Hayk, legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation * Aram, a descendant of Hayk, from whom the name of Armenia may derive * ''History of Armenia'', an ...
was not only the spiritual leader of the community, but its secular leader (of all Armenians - the Armenian nation) as well. The Patriarch could at will dismiss the Bishops and his jurisdiction extended to 50 areas. The revolutionary Armenians wanted to abolish what they saw as oppression by the nobility, drawing up a new `National Regulation'. The "Code of Regulations" (1860) was drafted by members of the Armenian intelligentsia (Dr. Nahabet Rusinian, Dr.
Servichen Serovpe (Servitchen) Vitchenian (born Constantinople, Ottoman Empire 1815 died 1897) was a prominent Ottoman Armenian physician, educator, journalist, writer, and politician. He was the founder of the first Ottoman medical journal. He was also a ...
, Nigoghos Balian, Krikor Odian and
Krikor Margosian Krikor is a Western Armenian given name, equivalent to Eastern Armenian given name Grigor and the English equivalent Gregory and its variants in different languages. A diminutive of the name is Koko. Notable people with the name include: Religio ...
). They primarily sought to define the powers of Patriarch. Finally the Council accepted the draft regulation on May 24, 1860, and presented it to the Sublime Porte (Bâb-ı Âli). The government of
Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Abdülaziz Abdulaziz ( ota, عبد العزيز, ʿAbdü'l-ʿAzîz; tr, Abdülaziz; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the 32nd List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and reigned from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was 187 ...
ratified it (with some minor changes) by a
firman A firman ( fa, , translit=farmân; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods they were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The word firman com ...
on March 17, 1863, and made it effective. The Armenian National Constitution (Ottoman Turkish:"Nizâmnâme-i Millet-i Ermeniyân") was Ottoman Empire approved form of the "Code of Regulations" composed of 150 articles which defined the powers of Patriarch (his position in Ottoman Millet) and newly formed "Armenian National Assembly". The Armenian Patriarch began to share his powers with the Armenian National Assembly and limited by the Armenian National Constitution. He perceived the changes as erosion of his community. It defined the condition of Armenians within the state, but also it had regulations defining the authority of the Patriarch. The constitution of Armenian National Assembly seen as a milestone by progressive Armenians. It attempted to define Armenia as a modern nation. The reforms which resulted in the Armenian National Assembly came about as individual Armenians and pressure group complained frequently for assistance against injustices perpetuated by the Kurds (seen as feudal) and corrupt officialdom. At the beginning the relations were positive but in the 1860s, the Ottomans, having crushed Kurdish resistance, no longer needed Armenian support, and the Empire became less responsive to Armenian claims. Harry Finnis Blosse Lynch, author of ''Armenia, Travels and Studies'', wrote in the second volume, published in 1901, that the Armenian National Constitution was "practically in
abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...
owing to the strained relations at present existing between the
Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
and the Armenians."Lynch, Vol. II, p. 467.


References

* (PDF p. 573-595/644)


Notes


Further reading

Copies of the Armenian constitution: * * Dustur, Constantinople (Istanbul), 1289, II, pp. 938-961. - Ottoman Turkish version * - Copies of the Ottoman constitution in Armenian and Armeno-Turkish are in the appendix * (PDF p. 573-595/644) - English translation of the Armenian constitution * - French translation *


External links

* {{Ottoman Empire Ottoman period in Armenia Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman law Law of Armenia Reform in the Ottoman Empire