This period also marked the Armenian merchants initiative in building cooperatives and founding permanent institutions in Europe (for instance in Amsterdam, and Livorno, a harbour city in Italy), India and also on the South Asiatic islands. They also established their caravans on the great trade-route between the Crimea and Flanders, which ended in Brügge, Belgium. Subsequently, they assumed the major role in the trade between Persia and Georgia, on one side, and Russia and Northern Europe on the other, conducted via Astrakhan and Archangelsk.
The creating power of the Armenians balanced the lack of initiative and creativity of the Turkish officials, and it was the Armenians who organized the Ottoman army and its leadership.
Furthermore, the famous East India Company is in fact heir to an Armenian company which had the same authorities as a country or a small army. 63
In Europe, the most important actors in the glory of France showed interest in the Armenians. Jacques Coeur, among others, was one of the persons who used the Armenians as a model in creating trade between the East and the West. 65
Cardinal Richelieu, whose letters dated to June 24, 1635 allowed the Armenians to fully trade in France 67, and also Colbert, in his detailed report found in the archive of the French merchant fleet ministry, both mention how useful the Armenians are for the expansion and the development of trade in France. 69
In Poland the Armenians came to play a very important role, described thus by F. Macler: "In Lemberg (Leopold) the trade with the Orient was in the hands of the Armenians. The organization of the caravans and their leadership was managed exclusively by the Armenians and their services were used even by the German merchants in Nuremberg and the entire Polish trade sphere containing the regions of Danzig, Krakow and other places. After the foundation of the trade route of Caffa-Lemberg-Krakow-Nürnberg-Brügge by the Genoese merchants, the Armenians improved trade via this road in a very constructive way. When the Caffa-route was closed down because of the bankruptcy of the Genoese merchants, the road from Lemberg to the Orient went also via Jassy to Andrinopel. On these roads the caravans were always led by an Armenian. The authority of this caravan-leader was enormous and his decision was final, similar to the authority of the captain of a ship. This Armenian caravan-leader had good command of all the languages in the Orient. All of them were armed and had impressive physique and were courageous since the journeys to the Orient were not completely without risk. The knowledge which the Armenians had of the Orient resulted in the Polish government using them as political translators for their ambassadors. Besides the official translators, there were Armenian companies which accompanied the diplomatic emissaries in order to conduct trade. These Armenians in Lemberg especially imported luxury articles such as carpets, decorative textiles and gold and jewel encrusted weapons, as well as other jewellery and ornaments. These articles, which at first were imported from the Orient, later came to be manufactured in Lemberg by the Armenians themselves. These were skilled craftsmen who introduced many of the delicate professions of the Orient, especially of jewellery, to Europe." 72
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