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Throughout history,
hundreds, thousands...millions of people lived on these lands.
At times, their existence was marked by battles, and at others,
peace reigned over them. The Armenians too, were among the
inhabitants of these lands. They were ruled by the Persians,
the Macedonians, the Seleucids, the Romans, Partians, Byzantines
and Arabs...were constantly exiled from one region to the
other, and were accorded third-class citizenship until the
Turks gained sovereignty over Anatolia, in 1071. After this
date, fighting gradually diminished and Byzantine persecution
left its place to the just, tolerant, humanitarian and unifying
beliefs and traditions of the Seljuks. The years of peace
and calm enjoyed by Armenians under the hegemony of the Seljuks
reached a climax under the rule of the Ottomans...a period
that can be defined as the 'Golden Age'... Sultan Mehmed the
Conqueror, who put an end to Byzantine rule, allowed the foundation
of the Armenian Patriarchate, an unprecedented move for the
Armenians to whom he granted freedom of conscience and faith.
The transformation of the Armenian Episcopate in Western Anatolia
to the Istanbul Patriarchate, following a decree he issued
in 1461, is clear evidence of the vision and tolerance displayed
by Mehmed and of the subsequent Ottoman Sultans toward other
faiths.
As a matter of fact, the present day Armenian Patriarch Mesrob
II was according due rights to those who in turn had taken
a similar stand toward the Armenians throughout their 'Golden
Age' by saying: " We can duely grasp the significance
of tolerance between different religions and cultures, as
well as the value of this incident dating back to 538 years,
by taking into account the tensions witnessed throughout the
world on the threshold of a new millennium, the ongoing wars
beyond our borders in particular."
Following the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, Turco-Armenian
relations continued excellently until the end of the 19th
century. In fact, Armenians were by far, the greatest beneficiaries
of the opportunities offered by the Ottoman Empire to all
industrious, efficient, honest and productive subjects of
the non-muslim communities. Being exempted from the military
service and to a great extent from taxation, the Armenians
had the opportunity to make headway in trade, agriculture,
craftsmanship and administration, and by reason of their loyalty
to the Empire, as well as their ability to intermingle with
other subjects, they had duely attained the title of 'loyal
people'.
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