Mass Protests Of Armenians Against Russian Despotism – Arrival Of Nicholas I In Armenia, 1837

The first mass protests and protests of the Eastern Armenians against Russian despotism occurred in 1837 when Nicholas I arrived in Armenia. The Armenian people, taking advantage of his visit, burned straw on the roads, in the yards, and on earthen roofs as a sign of their attitude towards the exploiters. And in Sardarapat, the peasants would showcase a plucked rooster, which was supposed to symbolize a robbed population.

The Armenian peasants complained to the Tsar, saying that though they were no longer being robbed by local princes, they were suffering under the Tsar’s yoke. The residents of the Zangezur village of Brnakot described the tyranny of tsarist officials and their plight as follows: “They, like wolves attacking a herd of sheep, are destroying our well-being.”

In order to suppress the speeches of the West Armenian refugees who had settled in New Bayazet, General Golovin sent there two Jäger companies, two howitzers, and a hundred of Cossacks in March 1838.

Arshaluis Zurabyan

P.S The other day, a bust of Nicholas I was installed in the territory of the 102nd Russian base, Gyumri, Armenia. This event was described in an article by Stanislav Tarasov as follows:

“An event of important political and geopolitical significance has occurred. In Armenia, a monument to the Russian Emperor Nicholas I was erected in the territory of the 102nd Russian military base of Gyumri. The author and maker of the monument is Mikhail Serdyukov. It was implemented in the format of the project ‘Alley of Russian Glory’ and should serve ‘the revival of the patriotic spirit of the Russian people.’”

What Tarasov’s “the revival of the patriotic spirit of the Russian people” implies is probably better described in the first part of this publication.

Read also: Suppression Of The Armenian Uprising In New Bayazet With Military Force With The Consent Of Nicholas I – 1838