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ANN/GROONG - The 10 Most Important Armenian Events And Personalities of Last 1000 Years
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The 10 Most Important Armenian Events
And Personalities of Last 1000 Years
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
As the 20th century and the second millennium come to a
close, the American media has been publishing the lists of
the most important world events and personalities of the last
hundred and thousand years.
Not having seen an equivalent Armenian list, I have attempted
to compile two separate lists of the most important Armenian
events and personalities in the last millennium. I recognize
that such a compilation is a matter of personal judgment.
Readers may choose other names or events. Nevertheless,
it's an interesting and tasking exercise. Here are my two
lists in chronological order:
Most Important Armenian Events of Last Thousand Years
1) 1064: Thousands of Armenian families flee to Cilicia,
following the invasion of Armenia and the destruction
of the city of Ani by the Turkic Seljuk hordes.
2) 1375: The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia falls to the
invasion of the Mamluks of Egypt. King Levon V (Lusignan)
dies in Paris and is buried in the church of St. Denis where
visitors today can still see his tomb.
3) 1441: The Catholicosate is reestablished in Etchmiadzin.
Meanwhile, the Catholicosate of Cilicia continues at Sis and
later in Antelias, Lebanon, giving rise to the existence of two
Catholicosates.
4) 1666: The first printing of an Armenian book, the Bible,
by Oskan Erevantsi at Amsterdam.
5) 1895-96: The massacre of 300,000 Armenians in Ottoman
Turkey by the orders of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (Red Sultan).
6) 1915-23: The Genocide of 1.5 million Armenians organized
by the leaders of Ottoman Turkey--the single most tragic event
in Armenian history.
7) 1918: The establishment of the first Republic of Armenia
after 500 years of subjugation to Ottoman Turkey.
8) 1920: The Republic of Armenia falls after an invasion by
the Turkish Army from the West and threats from the Red Army
from the North, resulting in the Sovietization of Armenia.
9) 1988: A 6.9 earthquake in Northern Armenia devastates
dozens of cities and hundreds of villages, killing more than
25,000 people.
10) 1991: The independence of the second Republic of Armenia
following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Most Prominent Armenians of Last Thousand Years
This list is even more difficult to compile than the one
above. There are literally thousands of Armenians who
have played a major role in various fields over the last
10 centuries. Here is my list of the 10 most prominent
Armenian personalities:
1) St. Grigor Narekatsi, author of Book of Lamentations
(died 1010)
2) Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali, author of sharagans and
prayers (died 1173)
3) Minstrel Sayat Nova (1712-1795)
4) Painter Hovannes Aivazovski (1817-1900)
5) National hero, General Andranig (1865-1927)
6 Composer Komitas, (1869-1935)
6) President of the Soviet Union, Anastas Mikoyan (1895-1978)
7) Composer Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)
8) Writer William Saroyan (1908-1981)
9)
10) At the risk of offending his modesty, entrepreneur and
philanthropist Kirk Kerkorian (born 1917)
A Happy New Millennium to everyone!
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