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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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At the beginning of the 15th centuryBayazid I was preparing the final war against Byzantine when suddenly the second invasion of the Mongols, under the leadership of Timur, started. Bayazid I, as we already have mentioned, hurried with his forces to confront Timur who was approaching Armenia, murdering and plundering all in his path. The battle between the two Turanian armies, the Ottoman Turks, under the leadership of Bayazid I, and the Mongols, led by Timur Lenk, took place at the present-day city of Angora (1402) and ended with the defeat of the Ottoman Turks and the capture of Bayazid. As we already have mentioned, after this battle Timur returned east and died en route. Despite the fact that the empire of Timur was dissolved after his death, his victories delayed the fall of Constantinople by 50 years.

The successors of Bayazid, Mehmet I and Murad II, were able to recreate an Ottoman domain and continue its expansion relatively quickly. After a failed attempt to take Constantinople, Murad II defeated the Hungarians in Varna (1444) and conquered Bosnia. However, the Ottoman Turks faced hard resistance in Albania, which was populated with mountain-dwelling people who were led by their national hero, Iskander Beg. Iskander Beg was given a high position at the court of Murad II and converted to Islam and returned to his homeland. There he continued to lead his people against the Turkish forces, so that the Turks were able to conquer Albania only after the death of Iskander Beg in year 1467.



All which now remained for Mehmet II, son and successor to Murad II, to do was to complete the work of his predecessors by conquering Constantinople. On May 29th, 1453, Mehmet II after gathering an army of 200,000 men attacked Constantinople and besieged the city. During this unfogettable, siege the last Eastern Roman emperor, Constantine XI, "Drogasus", and his small army of 10,000 men who had been left to their destiny, put up a brave resistance and defend their honour. 24

Thus the Ottoman Turks established their empire and over a few centuries separated southern Europe from the rest of the continent, eliminating all the western culture and civilization in the region. The result of this is noticeable even now. Until 1453, Byzantine was a broad avenue which stretched from Europe to Asia. From the outset of the Ottoman Empire, former Byzantine became the foremost Asian watch-post in Europe. 25

The Armenians and the Ottoman Turks

It is important to note that at the fall of Constantinople and the foundation of the Ottoman Empire, the majority of its lands and the centre of its power, was in Europe and the Balkans and not in Asia Minor. In the Asia Minor the Ottoman Turks owned only a small area in the north-western part of the Peninsula, while the majority of Asia Minor was still ruled by other states or Turanian people such as Seljuk Turks, Turkmen and so on.

It is often assumed that the Ottoman Turks first conquered Asia Minor and then continued towards the Balkan, while in fact the opposite is true: the Ottoman Turks first conquered the Balkans and then Asia Minor, then subsequently Armenia and finally the Arab world.