Develi Armenians (1875-1923)

Armenians, whom the Ottoman Empire referred to as "millet-i loyal", that is, "loyal nation" for centuries, appeared on the stage of history with major problems in the last periods of the empire. Although the problems regarding the Armenians date back to the second half of the 19th century, the process became much deeper, especially after the Armistice of Mudros signed after World War I, when the USA, England, France and Russia provoked the minorities against the state for their ambitions in Anatolia. Armenians came to the fore with rebellion/uprising movements at many points in the Anatolian geography with the support and provocations of the imperialist states. In this study, which generally consists of three parts, the Armenian uprising/rebellion movements in Develi district of Kayseri province and the Turkish-Armenian relations before and after are examined in the light of archive documents. The study was started by discussing the short history of Develi and its geographical and socio-economic situation. In the first chapter, "Armenian Uprisings" are divided into three dates. These uprisings; The 1893, 1895 and 1896 uprisings, the 1905 uprising and the bloodiest period, the 1915 uprising. In this section, issues such as the Armenians who emigrated from Develi with the "Relocation and Settlement Law" after the uprising, the relations of Develi Armenians with missionaries, the prisoners of war in Develi, and the escape of Armenians who participated in the uprising abroad were also determined in the light of archive documents. In the second part, Armenian activities specific to the War of Independence Period are discussed. In addition, the village raids of the Armenians, their cooperation with the French, the heroic figures who were effective in saving Develi, and the committees and societies established in Develi are described in full detail. The importance of the Develi Defense of Rights Society in saving Develi and its contributions to the War of Independence have been opened in parentheses in detail. In the third and last chapter, issues such as social-cultural life, population, education and economy in Develi were examined, so that a general overview of the situation of Armenian-Turkish relations in Develi before the deterioration was possible. Archive documents were scanned comprehensively in order to adhere to objective criteria throughout the study. The events were explained without the need for any comment and a wide source pool was revealed. Keywords: Develi, Armenian Uprisings, Associations, Rebellion Movements, Minorities, Armenian Relations.