Reactions to the Martyrdom of Christapor Mikaelyan in the Armenian Press and among the Caucasian Armenian Intelligentsia

Abstract

The public, political, journalistic, and revolutionary activities of Christaphor Mikaelyan, founder and leader of the ARF, have been a subject of serious discussions among both his ideological allies and critics during the 120 years following his martyrdom. Extensive studies dedicated to him have been left by prominent ARF figures such as A. Aharonyan, M. Varandyan, Ye. Frangyan, and others. These works, as a rule, were created many years after K. Mikaelyan’s martyrdom, and their authors had the opportunity to present the image of the ARF leader against the backdrop of the turbulent and tragic events that transpired, and their lessons. Meanwhile, the words of appreciation and regret dedicated to the ARF leader on the occasion of his martyrdom, published in the Armenian press or found in the letters of his individual comrades-in-arms, have largely remained outside the attention of researchers. These evaluations, voiced under the fresh impression of the events, which also contain serious questions about the future of the ARF and the Armenian liberation struggle, allow for a more complete understanding of Christaphor’s image and reveal the real prestige he had not only within the ARF ranks but also among the Caucasian-Armenian intelligentsia. This submitted article is the first attempt to unveil these aspects.

The obituaries and words of appreciation published in the press, as a rule, were created in the first weeks following the Vitosha disaster and are characterized by their Aesopian language. They bypass the revolutionary characteristics of the ARF leader and the actual circumstances of his martyrdom, primarily revealing and praising his undeniable human virtues: his modest lifestyle, selflessness, ideological devotion, being an “iron man,” a fanatic of thought and idea, a “radiant beacon, a lighthouse showing distant horizons...” for his disciples and friends. Specifically, the words of remembrance and respect by Leo and St. Ter-Avetikyan are drafted in this spirit.

In contrast to the materials published in the legal and illegal press, and the obituary leaflets issued by the ARF Caucasian structures, the image of the martyred Christaphor is more fully presented in the hitherto unknown letters of the prominent poet Avetik Isahakyan. These letters reveal Christaphor’s role as the founder and leader of the ARF, his significant involvement in the Armenian liberation struggle, and his personal involvement in the poet’s life. The poet, who experienced a great personal shock due to the Vitosha disaster, makes serious and substantiated observations about Christaphor’s role in Armenian history, the irreversibility of his loss for the ARF, and the impossibility of finding an equivalent replacement for him.