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According to Macler, the Dutch artist Van Mour, of the same century, harboured a special love for the Armenians and painted scenes from the life of the Armenian congregation in Constantinople.

Napoleon also showed an interest in Armenians as he saw potential for this people to help him in the realization of his plans. His early studies created an understanding the importance of the existence of the Armenian people and the special geographical position of Armenia. Moreover, he recruited many of the Armenian Mamelukes, among others Rustam, Shahin, Mir Davoud, Jean of -Shushi and Pierre Abressof. Even in 1799, when he was going to war against Saint Jean d'Acre, and he hoped to reach Constantinople via Damascus and Aleppo "and march through the countries of the dissatisfied people and increase his army", he was counting on the Armenians of Cilicia to fall in with his plan. In 1812, before war began against Russia, he outlined an incredible plan in Narbonne, according to which, after the defeat of Russia, he would gather an army in Tbilisi, consisting of Frenchmen, Georgians and Armenians and from there attack India.

Napoleon on several occasions essayed to obtain the sympathy of the Armenians. In his order to General Brune, the French ambassador in Constantinople, on October 18, 1802, writes: "The embassy of France in Constantinople must keep the Christians in Syria and Armenia under its protection." 56

However, it was the 19th century that brought real recognition of the Armenians by the Europeans. A young Viktor Hugo, in the beginning of his book the Easterners, written in 1829, comments: "In our days people devote more time to the Orient. The studies of the Orient have never been as distinguished as now. At the time of Louis XIV, everyone was a Hellenist, and now everyone is an Orientalist. Never before have so many intellectuals devoted their time to plunging into the great whirlpool called Asia. For every eastern language and dialect we now have a scientist who has put up a tent where it is spoken and conducts research on it."

It was these great Oriental academics, names such as J. Saint-Martin, Viktor Langlois, M. Brosset, Valliant de Florival, E. Prudhomme and Dulaurier who introduced Armenian language, literature and history to the scientists of the western world during the first two decades of the 19th century.

In England, the most famous Armenian-expert was no one less than Lord Byron himself. He spent a part of his adventurous life with the Armenian Mkhitarists, on Saint Lazar Island, learning the Armenian language. There he cooperated with his Armenian language-teacher, Father Pascal Avkerian, in compiling and editing an Armenian grammar book in English. 64

German scientists also played an important role in extending knowledge of Armenia, especially in defining the origin of the Armenian language. It is due to the works of scientists such as Goschen, Hübschmann, Lagarde, E. and A. Müller, Petermann and Windischmann, that the true identity of the Armenian language was established and found its place in the Indo-European language-tree.