Cilicia – the New Armenia
"Among the good deeds which the Armenian people has done towards the church and the Christian world, it should especially be stressed that, in those times when the Christian princes and the warriors went to retake the Holy land, no people or nation, with the same enthusiasm, joy and faith came to their aid as the Armenians did, who supplied the crusaders with horses, provision and guidance. The Armenians assisted these warriors with their utter courage and loyalty during the Holy wars." Pope Gregory XIII (Ecclesia Romana 1584)
Entrance of Price Rouben in Cilicia
The creation of a new government on the Mediterranean coast, replacing that on the shore of Araxes which had buckled under the blows of the Turks, took initiative and courage.
Throughout history, there have been similar examples of governments, with all their official branches, being replicated as far as hundreds of thousands kilometres away. The government of Great Britain, for instance, was duplicated in the USA, New France (Canada) and Prussia.
Nevertheless, the creation of New Armenia was unique in that it was not supported economically or morally by its original central government. In contrast, the colonies in the new world relied on their respective great powers and received every possible aid for their establishment. With their fatherland under foreign rule, the Armenian had no alternative for their renaissance than to trust in their own inner strength.
An historical parallel to this period in the history of the Armenian people can be found with the Russian people during the 13th and 14th centuries, when the Russian government of Kiev fell as a result of the Turkic invasion and forced the Russians to recreate a new government in Moscow, founded on the eastern plains of Europe.
When Armenia fell to the nomadic people of Central Asia, part of the Armenian people gathered around their great prince and raised arms. After a long and arduous war they founded a new country and this way were able to continue as an independent Armenia for another three centuries.
Considering that the number of Armenians in Cilicia at the time of the loss of Armenia Major in the 11th century was very few, the creation of a new Armenian Cilicia in less than 50 years is imporessive; a state that remained independent until the 14thc century, and forms one of the most glorious pages in the history of Armenia.
F. Nansen writes: "When a people, who has experienced a terrible and unbearable destiny, manages to found a flourishing state in a foreign land, surrounded by enemies in all directions and continues to exist for three centuries, is this then not a sign of a supernatural force with this people?" 2
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