by Nikolay Ge www.saint-petersburg.com
On November 10, 1724, by order of His Imperial Majesty, two state charters of equal authority were dispatched from the State College of Foreign Affairs to the Armenian people, containing the following message, as recorded in the protocol of the same date:
By the grace of God, We, Peter the First, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, etc., etc., etc.
To the Most Honorable Patriarch Isaiah, the esteemed yuzbashis Avan and Mirza, and all other honorable yuzbashis, administrators, and the entire honorable Armenian people, We extend Our Imperial favor and greetings.
Through this benevolent charter, We inform you that We have received your most humble petition through the cleric Anton and Kevkha Celebi, and through them have further learned in detail of your desire for Us to accept you, your households, and families under Our high Imperial protection, and to grant you suitable places for residence and free settlement in Our newly acquired Persian provinces along the Caspian Sea. These places would ensure your peaceful existence and allow you to freely practice your Christian faith according to your traditions without hindrance.
As We hold the honorable Armenian people in special favor due to their Christian faith, We graciously approve your request and have issued necessary orders to the administrators of Our newly acquired Persian provinces. They are instructed to receive you not only in Gilan, Mazandaran, Baku, and other suitable locations but also to assign you appropriate lands for habitation and settlement, ensuring your protection and well-being.
To provide you with absolute assurance regarding Our most gracious approval, We not only send this Imperial charter to you but also permit the aforementioned envoys to return to you, carrying explicit verbal confirmation of Our benevolence toward you. You are to fully trust their message, and know that Our Imperial favor remains with you.
Signed by:
- Chancellor Count Golovkin
- Andrey Osterman
- Chief Secretary Yuriev
- Fedor Protopopov
From the original protocol, these charters were written twice on Alexandrian parchment, with attached copies in Armenian, and handed to the Armenian representatives without signatures, but bearing the Great State Seal under official custody.
Decree of Peter I to General M. Matyushkin On the Proposal for the Armenians of Karabakh and Kapan to Resettle in the Caspian Regions November 10, 1724
On November 10, 1724, His Imperial Majesty issued a decree, signed personally by His Majesty, addressed to Lieutenant General Matyushkin, with the following contents:
In the instructions given to you during the most recent dispatch, it was ordered that you make every effort to invite Armenians and other Christians to settle in Gilan and Mazandaran. Now, specially dispatched representatives from the Armenian people have arrived here and reported that the Armenians of the Karabakh and Kapan provinces wish to live under Our protection, provided that We grant them suitable places for settlement in the newly acquired Persian provinces. Their request has not only been granted, but We have also sent them back immediately with Our charter, assuring them of Our gracious protection should they arrive in Our Persian provinces for settlement. Copies of Our charter and the relevant points granted to these Armenians are enclosed herein for your information.
When these Armenians arrive in Gilan, Mazandaran, Baku, Derbent, or other locations within Our domains, you shall receive them warmly and assign them suitable places for settlement, according to your judgment. They should be granted empty estates and properties in cities and villages, as well as those belonging to individuals found to be hostile or under suspicion. Those deemed adversarial or suspicious should be expelled, and further actions taken in accordance with the previous instructions issued to you.
Regarding the reception of these Armenians and the allocation of proper settlements, We are also dispatching Our decrees to Baku, Gilan, Derbent, and the Fortress of Saint Cross, instructing Our commanders therein. You are to write to them personally, ensuring that upon their arrival, the Armenians receive vacated homes in both cities and villages, while hostile and suspect individuals are removed. The remaining Armenians should be provided with other suitable places for settlement. To further assure them, similar decrees have been handed directly to their appointed representatives.
Signed by:
- Chancellor Count Golovkin
- Andrey Osterman
- Chief Secretary Yuriev
- Fedor Protopopov
Annotation: This decree, signed personally by His Imperial Majesty, was dispatched on the aforementioned date with cabinet couriers Stepan Chebotarev, Peter Golenyshchev, and Kutuzov.
Memorandum Issued to Priest Anton, Kevkha Celebi, and Priest Peter With Instructions to Persuade Armenians to Resettle in the Caspian Regions November 11, 1724
On November 11, 1724, by order of His Imperial Majesty, the State College of Foreign Affairs issued written instructions for the memorandum addressed to the dispatched Armenian representatives—Priest Anton, Kevkha Celebi, and Priest Peter. The memorandum, written in duplicate in Russian and signed by the Chancellor, bears no date and contains the following provisions, as recorded in the protocol of November 9:
- Since His Imperial Majesty has a treaty with the Ottoman Porte, it is not possible to send assistance or protection to the Armenians in their current provinces. Therefore, His Imperial Majesty requires that the Armenians, as per their own declaration, abandon their present locations, gather their families—whether large or small—and relocate to Gilan, Mazandaran, Baku, Derbent, and other areas under His Imperial Majesty’s rule along the Caspian Sea for settlement.
- His Imperial Majesty orders that in Gilan, Mazandaran, and all other provinces under His Majesty’s rule along the Caspian Sea, in both cities and villages, suitable, convenient, and adequate places be assigned where the Armenians may settle and establish a stable residence.
- Upon their arrival, they shall not only be granted His Imperial Majesty’s favor but will also receive His protection against all threats. They will be able to pursue their livelihoods, and in due time, they will reach a state of prosperity such that they will no longer regret leaving their previous provinces. They will reside in security, free from any infidel attacks, and be able to practice their faith according to their laws. All necessary decrees on this matter have been sent along with the memorandum to the administrators of His Imperial Majesty’s provinces.
- The Armenian representatives shall be informed that they were personally admitted to an audience with His Imperial Majesty, who himself reassured them of His benevolence and high favor.
Signed by:
- Chancellor Count Golovkin
- Andrey Osterman
- Vasily Stepanov
- Chief Secretary Ivan Yuriev
- Fedor Protopopov
Annotation: From the protocol, the memorandum was written twice in Russian, and the Armenian cleric Luka transcribed a duplicate copy in Armenian. Both versions were handed to Priest Anton and Kevkha Celebi. No date was recorded, and they were issued solely under the signature of the Chancellor.
Yuri Barsegov “Nagorno-Karabakh in International Law and Global Politics”
Artatsolum
Read Also:
- Ancient and Medieval Sources on Artsakh (Karabakh) as Part of Armenia’s State Territory
- Message from Gandzasar Catholicos Esayi to Peter I August 10, 1716
- Memorandum Issued to Ivan Karapet Along with the Imperial Letter to the Armenian People Regarding Russia’s Readiness to Take the Armenians of Karabakh Under Its Protection June 3, 1723
- Decree of Peter I to the Armenian People Regarding Russia’s Willingness to Offer Protection to the Armenians of Karabakh
- On Armenian Hopes for Russian Assistance
- Report of Minas Vardapet to Peter I
- Contents of the Secret Letters from the Armenian Assembly and the Armenian Army of Karabakh to the Russian Emperor and Chancellor August 1724
- Contents of the Secret Letters from the Armenian Assembly and the Armenian Army of Karabakh to the Russian Emperor and Chancellor August 1724
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