The activities of british consuls at the Bitlis province during The Period of Abdulhamid II

Following the signing of the Berlin Agreement on 13 July 1878, the activities of the British consuls in the Ottoman-British Relations had an important state. Britain pursued a policy of reducing Russia's influence in the Eastern Anatolia Region and increasing its own influence in this region, based on the powers granted to it by the Berlin Agreement. Britain tried to do this by promoting military, economic and political reforms in the Ottoman Empire. For this purpose, Britain, which started sending its consuls to the provinces where Armenians live, tried to strengthen its influence on Armenians by controlling the implementation process of the reforms through their consuls. British consuls assigned in Eastern Anatolia tried to establish good relations with the Armenians and took the role of defenders and protectors of the Armenians. Over time, they encouraged Armenians to follow a pro-British policy. This thesis details the activities of the British vice consuls who worked in the Bitlis province between 1895 and 1909 and the impact of these activities on the Armenian events that took place in the Bitlis province. The consular activities analyzed in the specificity of Bitlis are of great importance in terms of revealing the local reflection of Britain's policy on the Ottoman Empire.