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Index

Armenia

The Urartu Civilisation

Victory for Independence

Artashisian Dynasty on the Armenian Throne

Armenia caught between Rome and the Arsacids

The Acceptance of Christianity

Defending Christianity

Armenia Under the Bagratouni Dynasty

Cilicia - the New Armenia

Armenia Under Turanian Rule

The Renaissance or the Resurrection of Armenia

The Eastern Question

Russia in the Caucasus

The Armenian Question

Battle on Two Fronts

Tsarist Russia Against the Armenians

The Revolution of the Young Turks and the Armenian People on the Eve of World War I

The First World War

The Resurrection of Armenia

Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

- Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

Eastern Armenia

Western Armenia

"The Fateful Years" (1914-1917)

"Hopes and Emotions" (March-October, 1917)

The Bolshevik Revolution and Armenia

Transcaucasia Adrift (November, 1917

Dilemmas (March-April, 1918)

War and Independence (April-May, 1918)

The Republics of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia

The Suppliants (June-October, 1918)

In conclusion

Soviet Armenia

The Second Independent Republic of Armenia

Epilogue

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The Historical Extent of New Armenia

Considering the history of New Armenia, one should assess the place of this small and courageous country in the world at that time.

From a global history perspective, the important role of New Armenia is described by the German historian Clemens Klein, in his book on the history of the crusades. He writes: "The branches of the great tree of the crusade, New Armenia and Cyprus, lived a century longer than the trunk itself, in spite of the fact that they built themselves on the pattern of the crusader states. These went even further than the crusader states themselves in developing the necessary contact with civilization in the East and the West, the epitome of which is the mixture of Byzantine and Western Europe. This was also one of the goals of the renaissance in the western world and they made it possible and continued it on." 168

Moreover there are parallels between the last stages of the Byzantine Empire and New Armenia. In both cases there was the substantial activity of the Venetian and the Genoese merchants which gradually resulted in the depleting of the resources in the country. As we have seen, there were futile attempts by New Armenia, as with Byzantine, draw active help from Europe in the defence of Christianity in the East.

The New Armenian era was as important for the Armenian nation as for the global history, since the contacts and the relations between Armenia and the West created allies for Armenia found in the western world. F. Macler writes: "The crusaders had frequent contact with New Armenia. They used the roads of the country, hired its armed forces, received their ambassadors, fought their enemies, established feudal states at their gates and married the Armenian women." 169 It was because of their influence that New Armenia was transformed into a real European country, approached the Roman Church and sent its emissaries to the most important Christian courts.

This era was one of excellence of education for the Armenian people, and close reciprocity with Medieval Europe, a contact which only Armenia, from all the Orient and the Balkans, was able to establish.

From a political and cultural perspective, New Armenia became a role model for the western world during the 12th century, the most fertile period of the Middle Ages, an epoch during which the Medieval characteristic of chivalry, civility and gallantry emerged, a time during which a renaissance within education occurred.

The French in particular are attributed with exhorting these traits. The initiation for the crusades was Pope Urban II, a Frenchman; it was the French and Belgian noblemen who led the first crusade, and the majority of the crusaders during this period came from France. Therefore a very close relation between France 170 and New Armenia emerged at an early stage.

The Latin phrase, "Gest Dei oer Francos", "God's deeds through the Francs", expressed by Guilbert de Nogent, exemplifies the French initiation. Moreover, from this period until the 20th century, the name of the Francs was used in the East for referring to all the European nations.