Between the Shah, the Tsar, and the Sultan: The Turbulent Years of Armenian Holy See of Etchmiadzin (1700-1725)
Ensar KöseThe focus of this study is Holy See (Catholicosate) of Etchmiadzin, which is the highest spiritual authority of Armenian community and society. Etcmiadzin was called Üçkilise by the Ottomans. The heads of the clergy (catholicos and patriarchs) led the Armenian community during the times when the Armenians lacked political unity. Therefore, it can be argued that their activities were not limited to religious rituals but also had political implications. Indeed, this study has revealed that the catholicos of Etchmiadzin, whether willingly or not, were involved in political and military events, and even took an active role from time to time. In the timeframe of this research, the political and military events in the Caucasus were relatively notable. The return of the Armenian nationalist Israel Ori from Europe to the Caucasus in 1699 on a –unity– mission excited the Armenian community. The expansionist policy of the Russian Tsar Peter the Great toward the region and the famous Caucasian (Caspian) campaign in 1722 added to this excitement and expectations of the Armenians. At this time, the Safavids were on the verge of collapse due to the Afghan rebellion, and even though Sultan Ahmed III sat on the Ottoman throne, it was his son-in-law, the Grand Vizier İbrahim Pasha of Nevşehir, who ruled the empire. Although their foreign policy was –in principle– peaceful, it was not possible to continue this policy in new conjuncture that emerged in the Caucasus. In the struggle between these great powers neighboring the region, the Armenian community in Revan and the Etchmiadzin clergy were forced by these powers to take sides. This study also considers how and to what extent the rivalry, even hostility, between the Armenian spiritual centers (the Catholicosates of Etchmiyadzin and Gandzasar and the Patriarchate of Constantinople) affected the political and military developments. The main sources of the study are mostly documents and other records in Turkish and Russian archives. In addition, a few chronicles and contemporary research works of that period were used.
Şah, Çar ve Sultan Arasında: Ermeni Kutsal Makamı Eçmiyadzin’in Çalkantılı Yılları (1700-1725)
Ensar KöseBu çalışmanın odağında, Ermeni cemaati ve toplumunun en üst kutsal makamı olan Eçmiyadzin Katogikosluğu vardır. Osmanlılar buraya, Üçkilise demişlerdir. Ermenilerin siyasi birlikten yoksun olduğu tarihlerde, ruhban zümresinin başları (katogikoslar ve patrikler), bir bakıma topluma liderlik etmişlerdir. Dolayısıyla onların faaliyeti, salt dinî ritüellerden ibaret değildir. Nitekim araştırma boyunca Eçmiyadzin katogikoslarının, isteyerek veya değil, siyasi ve askerî olaylara müdahil oldukları, hatta zaman zaman etkin rol almaktan çekinmedikleri görülmektedir. Araştırmanın zaman aralığı, genel olarak Kafkasların hareketli yıllarıdır. Ermeni milliyetçisi Israel Ori’nin, “birlik” misyonuyla 1699’da Avrupa’dan Kafkasya’ya dönmesi, Ermeni toplumunda heyecana neden olmuştur. Dönemin Rus Çarı Büyük Petro’nun, bölgeye yönelik genişlemeci siyaseti ve 1722’deki meşhur Kafkas (Hazar) seferi, bu heyecanın dalga boyunu yükselttiği gibi, Ermeni toplumunun beklentisini de arttırmıştır. Bu tarihlerde, Afganların çıkardığı isyan ateşiyle kavrulan Safevî Devleti ise inkırazın eşiğindedir. Nihayet Osmanlı tahtında oturan Sultan III. Ahmed ve damadı Nevşehirli İbrahim Paşa’nın, “ilkesel” olarak yürüttüğü barışçıl siyaseti sürdürmek, Kafkaslarda ortaya çıkan bu yeni konjonktürde mümkün olamayacaktır. Bölgeye komşu bu büyük güçlerin kavgasında, Revan’daki Ermeni toplumu ve Eçmiyadzin ruhbanı, bir şekilde taraf olmaya zorlanmıştır. İşte bu araştırmada, Ermeni ruhanî merkezleri (Eçmiyadzin ve Gandzasar Katogikosluğu ile İstanbul Patrikliği) arasındaki rekâbetin, hatta husumetin, siyasi ve askerî gelişmelerin seyrini ne yönde etkilediğine de kafa yorulmuştur. Araştırmanın temel kaynakları, büyük ölçüde, Türk ve Rus arşivindeki belge ve diğer kayıtlardır. Ayrıca dönemin şâhidi kronik yazarlarının eserlerinden ve ikincil kaynaklardan da istifade edilmiştir.
In this study, the topic was examined under four sub-headings. In the first chapter, entitled “Armenian Holy See: Etchmiadzin Catholicosate,” the Etchmiadzin Monastery and its catholicosate are briefly introduced. This monastery is the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the supreme Holy See of the Armenian community. In the Ottoman archival documents of the period, it is called “Üç Kilise nam-ı dîğer Eçmiyadzin” (the Three Churches or Etchmiadzin in other words). Likewise, it is referred to as the Üç Kilise in the orders of the Safavid shahs.
There are two main reasons for the superiority of the Etchmiadzin Catholicosate over the Armenian clergy and community: The first is that it has the authority of Episcopal consecration; the other is that the holy oil (called miwron or holy chrism) used in the rites of the Armenian community is prepared only in this location and distributed from there. The consecration of the bishops was performed on occasion, and the preparation and distribution of the holy oil took place every three or five years. In this section, the history of the Etchmiadzin Catholicosate is briefly reviewed. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Yerevan and its surroundings were under the rule of the Safavid Shah. Therefore, the authority to approve the newly elected kathogiko was the hands of the Shah.
The title of the second section of the article is “the Political Fight of the Spirits: the Etchmiadzin–Gandzasar Enmity.” In this section, first of all, the issue of creating unity in the Armenian community and the emergence of the idea of independence are discussed. In this context, the activities of the Armenian nationalist Israel Ori after his arrival in the Caucasus in 1699 are emphasized. The Ori had the support of the Russian Tsar Peter the Great. Also, the Catholicos of Gandzasar Esayi fully supported him. In contrast, the Etchmiadzin Catholicosate was distant and wary of Ori’s plan. His activities until his unexpected death in Astrakhan in 1711 exposed the differences of opinion between the Armenian churches in the Caucasus.
Another issue of disagreement between the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin and Gandzasar was the issue of fundraising for the churches. Armenians in Ganja, Shirvan, and Shemahi used to pay their nuirak dues to Gandzasar. However, personal conflicts and differences of opinion between the Etchmiadzin Cathogicos Astuatsatur and Gandzasar Catholicos Esayi made the issue of fundraising and paying dues a serious problem.
The Caucasus (Caspian) expedition of Russian Tsar Peter the Great in 1722 further increased the differences of opinion between the Armenian spiritual centers in the region. While Gandzasar Catholicos Esayi supported this expedition unconditionally, Etchmiadzin Catholicos Astuatsatur maintained a distant attitude toward the events. Also in this section, relations between the Etchmiadzin and Gandzasar cathogicosates and the Safavid Shahdom are also discussed. Economic issues dominated relations between the Armenian community and the Shah. Additionally, until 1724, the authority to approve the cathogicos chosen by the Armenian clergy belonged to the Safavid Shah.
In the third chapter entitled “Yerevan’s Conquest and Etchmiadzin’s Pragmatic Preference,” first, the conquest of Revan by the Ottoman Empire on 3–4th October 1724 is discussed. When the Ottoman army besieged Yerevan, the Etchmiadzin Catholicos Astuatsatur was with the Safavid Shah Tahmasb II. However, he did not receive the support he expected from the Shah. Thereupon, he returned to Etchmiadzin and made an effort to hand over the Yerevan Castle to the Ottomans. For this purpose, he met with the Ottoman Seraskier Ârifi Ahmed Pasha on several occasions. While the Ottoman army was marching on Yerevan, an edict (firman) was sent to Serasker by Sultan Ahmed III on the security of life and property regarding the Armenian church community and society in Yerevan.
The title of the last section of the study is The Opportunism of the Patriarch of Istanbul and the New Status Quo in Etchmiadzin. In this section, the developments after the city of Yerevan, and hence, the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire are discussed. All the previous rights and privileges of the Holy See were confirmed by the edicts of the Ottoman Sultan, and among these rights were the property security and tax exemption for the property of the churches.
The death of Etchmiadzin Catholicos Astuatsatur in 1725 led to new developments. The Istanbul Armenian Patriarch Hovhannes IX took the initiative in the election of new cathogicos to Etchmiadzin. Priest Karapet was elected to this office by the Armenian clergy in Istanbul, and this election was also approved by the Ottoman Sultan. This marked as a radical break in the history of Etchmiadzin. From now on, the Patriarchate of Istanbul would assume the role of intermediary in relations of the Etchmiadzin Catholicosate with the Ottoman Government, and this would later be severely criticized by the clergy at Etchmiadzin.
