The
Armenian Legion, established with the
French-Armenian Agreement (1916)French-Armenian Agreement October 27, 1916, was the political and military accord regarding the support of Armenian nationalist on the side of allies for the World War I. The agreement was reported to the Talat Pasha, Ottoman Empire, and a copy of this information was found in the Ottoman Archives...
, was a foreign legion unit within
French ArmyThe French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and its largest. As of 2008, the army employs 133,947 regular soldiers and 24 000+ civilians...
. The Armenian legion was established under the goals of the Armenian national liberation movement and was an armed unit besides the
Armenian volunteer unitsArmenian volunteer units or "Armenian volunteer corps" were Armenian battalions in Russian and British armies during the World War I. The Armenian force during this period also included French Armenian Legion which was established under the French army and Armenian militia which were irregular...
and Armenian militia during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
which fought against the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
. The initial name of the legion was "
La Légion d'Orient" (The Eastern Legion). It was renamed as "
La Légion Arménienne" (The Armenian Legion) in February 1st, 1919.
The
Armenian Legion, established with the
French-Armenian Agreement (1916)French-Armenian Agreement October 27, 1916, was the political and military accord regarding the support of Armenian nationalist on the side of allies for the World War I. The agreement was reported to the Talat Pasha, Ottoman Empire, and a copy of this information was found in the Ottoman Archives...
, was a foreign legion unit within
French ArmyThe French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and its largest. As of 2008, the army employs 133,947 regular soldiers and 24 000+ civilians...
. The Armenian legion was established under the goals of the Armenian national liberation movement and was an armed unit besides the
Armenian volunteer unitsArmenian volunteer units or "Armenian volunteer corps" were Armenian battalions in Russian and British armies during the World War I. The Armenian force during this period also included French Armenian Legion which was established under the French army and Armenian militia which were irregular...
and Armenian militia during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
which fought against the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
. The initial name of the legion was "
La Légion d'Orient" (The Eastern Legion). It was renamed as "
La Légion Arménienne" (The Armenian Legion) in February 1st, 1919. The soldiers in this legion were referred to informally among the Armenians as "Gamavor" (Volunteer).
Initial Plans
Signed in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
by General
RoquesRoques may refer to:People* Claude Roques* Clément-Emile Roques* Guillaume-Joseph Roques* Pierre Roques* Tony RoquesFrench communes* Roques, Gers* Roques, Haute-Garonne...
, Minister of War, and General
Lacaze Lacaze is a village and commune of the Tarn department of southern France.-Geography:The river Dadou forms part of the commune's northern border. The village lies on the banks of the Gijou, which flows westward through the commune, then forms most of its south-western border....
, Minister of Navy, the official decision regarding the establishment of the Armenian Legion dates November 15th, 1916 in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
According to this initial decision,
- The Eastern Legion was to be stationed in Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
- Armenians
The Armenians are a nation and ethnic group which originated in the Caucasus and the Armenian Highland. It is estimated that there are 8 million Armenians around the world. There is a large concentration of Armenians in the Caucasus, especially in Armenia, and there is a significant presence in...
and SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
ns of OttomanThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
nationality would be volunteer conscripts
- The Legion would be commanded by French
France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
officers
- The conscripts would have an equivalent status compared to French soldiers and would be under responsibility of French War Ministry
- Infantry commander Romieu would be supervising the establishment of the Legion
- The Legion was to be deployed in Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia now known as Çukurova, was a commonly used name of the south coastal region of Asia Minor south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, now known as ÇukurovaÇukurova is a geographical, economical and cultural region in south-central Turkey covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
, on the southeastern coast of Asia Minor (modern TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
)
- 10,000 Francs were to be allocated from the war budget of French Navy in Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
to use in establishment of camps
- The volunteers were to be organized by local Armenian committees and sent to Bordeaux
is a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department...
and MarseilleMarseille , formerly known as Massalia , is the 2nd most populous French city as well as the oldest city in France...
. The committees were to be reimbursed by French government for travel expenses.
Establishment
Negotiations of
Boghos NubarBoghos Nubar was a liberal, the son of Egyptian Prime Minister Nubar Pasha and the founder, alongside ten other Armenian national movement leaders, of the Armenian General Benevolent Union on April 15, 1905....
with French political and military authorities culminated in the formation of the French Armenian Legion.
The Legion was established officially in
CairoCairo is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab World. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and cultural life...
,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
in November 1916, with the accord of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an Armenian delegation. Several Armenian organizations pledged contribution to form several battalions under the planned Armenian Legion.
The parties agreed to the following:
- The aim of creating the Legion was to allow Armenians' contribution to the liberation of Cilicia region in Ottoman Empire and help them to realize their national aspirations of creating a state in that region.
- The Legion was to fight only Turks and only in Clicia.
- The Legion was to become the core of a planned future Armenian Army.
The number of volunteers was an equivalent of 6 battalions, each containing 800 volunteers, and another 6 battalions was planned to be formed. Armenian committees were organizing the conscription process to recruit these soldiers in France and United States.
Ninety-five percent Armenian in composition, the Legion included Ottoman Armenian refugees, former prisoners of war, and permanent residents of Egypt, America, and Europe. The majority of the soldiers were said to be recruits from the Armenian-American community or embittered survivors of the battle of
Musa DaghMusa Dagh was the site of resistance by the Armenians during the Armenian Genocide. The denizens of that region were violently expelled from their six villages by the Ottomans in 1915...
who were living in refugee camps in
Port SaidPort Said is a northeastern Egyptian city near the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 515,007 ....
, Egypt, at the time.
Under the command of General Edmund Allenby, the Legion, fighting in Palestine, Syria, and finally Cilicia, won the plaudits of Clemenceau’s government and its Entente allies."
Actions
After the initial training in Cyprus, the Armenian Legion was first deployed in
PalestinePalestine is a conventional name used, among others, to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands.As a geographical term, Palestine can also refer to 'ancient Palestine,' an area...
, to help
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
armies against
OttomanThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
and
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
armies.
Following this campaign, they were deployed in Anatolia (Asia Minor) according to the initial decisions. They were active around the cities of
AdanaAdana is a city in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey and is the administrative seat of the Adana Province. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean Sea, in south-central Anatolia, and has a population of over 1.5 million; making it the fifth most...
and
MersinThis article is about the city of Mersin, see Mersin Province, , for information about the surrounding area....
involved in skirmishes with local civilians and unorganized Turkish militia. Their undisciplened actios, attacks and banditry against the local Muslim population became a source of embaressment and headache for the French.
In May 1919, the Armenians declared an independent state in
CiliciaIn antiquity, Cilicia now known as Çukurova, was a commonly used name of the south coastal region of Asia Minor south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
. However this state was short lived as France disbanded the Armenian Legion and recognized Turkey's sovereignty over the region in 1920.