Announcement

Dear colleagues,

It is our pleasure to inform you that the Institute of Oriental Studies of National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia organizes a conference devoted to the famous diplomat and merchant Manuk Bey Mirzayan (1769-1817) which will take place on June 7-8, 2018.
We envisage the discussion of the following issues:

• Manuk Bey Mirzayan’s life and activity,
• The 1806-1812 Russian-Turkish war and The Treaty of Bucharest,
• The diplomatic relations between the Ottoman and Russian Empires, and the Balkan Countries in the period of the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century,
• The cooperation of Manuk Bey Mirzayan with the ruling class of the Ottoman and Russian Empires, and his influence on them.
• National minorities in the frames of the relations between the Ottoman and Russian Empires.

The working languages of the conference are Armenian, Russian and English. The time for speech time 15 min.
The main issues of the reports will be published.
Please send us the filled in application form and the thesis of the reports until the April 20 of 2018 to the following address:

Yerevan, 0019, Marshal Baghramyan av., 24/4, Institute of Oriental Studies NAS RA
Karolina Sahakyan, Tel. (+374 98) 090320, E-mail: csahakyan@gmail.com
Hasmik Stepanyan, Tel. (+374 55) 528903, E-mail: hasmikstepanyan@yahoo.com

The organizing committee of the conference

International Conference on the Occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Death of Manuk Bey Mirzayan (1796-1817)
(Yerevan, 2018, 10-11 June)

Manuk Bey Mirzayan is one of the most famous figures of the Ottoman and Russian diplomatic circles of the 18th and 19th centuries. His father was born in the village of Karbi, Ashtarak district. He was simultaneously a subject of the Ottoman Empire and Russia, a respected guest in the palaces of Austrian and Russian rulers. He had a monopoly on the sale of silk, wool, cotton, tobacco, spices and beeswax. Pezchyan Harutyun Amira and Manuk Bey Mirzayan led Sultan Mahmud II out of a very difficult situation during the Russian-Turkish war. Manuk Bey helped in overthrowing the powerful and dangerous for the country Janissary regime in the Ottoman Empire. In 1808, the Sultan awarded him the title of Moldovan prince (Boğdan Prens) for the services rendered by the Ottoman Empire and, in fact, for a while he would become the ruler of Moldova. In 1808 he returned to Constantinople and was appointed chief interpreter (dragoman) of diplomatic negotiations at the level of foreign ministers. With great success he solved complex financial problems. During the Russo-Turkish War, a well-known diplomat and merchant was one of the suppliers of the empire, provided provisions for the Ottoman army and was engaged in the reconstruction of military buildings. The military commander of the Danube army, adviser to Mustafa Pasha Bairaktar, was given the authority to conduct peace talks with the Russians. In collaboration with the Mekhitarists, he published an Armenian textbook for schools. His heirs, in particular his son Grigor, who died in Paris, left a great legacy to the Moscow Lazarevsky Institute. There was a luxurious hall dedicated to Manuk, which was robbed and destroyed by the Bolsheviks. Manuk Bey was married to Princess Delianova of Armenian descent. Grigor Hovhannes and Mari Manuk were their children. Their grandsons were the Countess Elizabeth Shentoni, the German Baroness Olga Houszfeld-Drachtemberg. The great-grandson of the latter is the Canadian architect Peter von Korf. During his interview, he spoke with pride about his Armenian roots. It's amazing that the heirs of Manuk Mirzayan did not pretend to the wealth of the great Armenian until today.