Armenian Governors of Lebanon

The 1859 massacres of Christians in Ottoman controlled Lebanon raised suitable anxiety in Europe. France was the first country to offer tangible assistance. It sent 10,000 troops to quell the internecine violence between the Druze and Maronite communities and to put an end to the pogroms against the Christians. After tensions had been eased, the French troops returned home. Later, an international conference was convened to review the situation and status of Lebanon. On June 9, 1861, one portion of present-day Lebanon, ‘Jabal Lubnan’ (the Lebanese Mountains) was proclaimed a self-governing and semi-independent province, and remained a part of the Ottoman Empire in name only.

Mountainous Lebanon was afforded certain political privileges, one being a Christian governor-general elected by the European powers. These governor-generals were chosen from Christian officials serving in the Ottoman state administration. By that time, there were many Armenians in high government posts in the Ottoman bureaucracy. From 1861 to 1913, Lebanon had eight governors of which two were Armenian. Davoud Pasha and Ohannes Pasha were the first and last governor-generals of Lebanon respectively.

Garabed Artin Pasha Davoudian (Davoud Pasha: 1816-1873)

Davoud Pasha received a private tutoring and went to Berlin to complete his studies. Upon returning to Constantinople he entered the service of the foreign affairs ministry. In the 1840’s he was appointed translator and secretary at the Ottoman Embassy in Berlin and later became Ottoman General Consul in Vienna. Davoud Pasha was well respected in European diplomatic circles. He also served in various posts in the Ottoman internal and finance ministries

In 1861, during the civil war in Mount Lebanon between the Druze and Maronites, he was selected by the Porte and the five European Powers to fill the very difficult post of Governor-General of the Lebanon, and during his seven year rule, proved himself worthy of the trust showed in him. On that occasion he was created a Muchir (Marshall) or Pasha of the highest grade, being the first Christian elevated to the rank of Muchir under the Sublime Porte. In 18G8 he resigned the Governor-Generalship of Mount Lebanon, and returned to Constantinople, where he was appointed Minister of Public Works, a position, however, which ill-health obliged him to vacate on June 19,

Davoud Pasha’s task was daunting but he was able to mollify the deep seated religious hatred between the various communities in Lebanon and establish a degree of mutual tolerance. After securing the personal safety of the people and their property rights, Davoud Pasha launched programs aimed at raising their standard of living.

Before his arrival, Lebanon had no adequate roads to speak of. Realizing the necessity of a normal road system for the long-term development of the country, he first set about organizing a large scale road construction program. During his tenure, 700 kilometers of roads were built. He next focused his attention on improving the education system. At the time, Lebanon lacked adequate schools. The few that existed were ‘medressa’ Islamic schools that just taught the bare essentials. In his attempts to improve the educational system, Davoud Pasha encountered stiff resistance and obstacles posed by the Ottoman authorities. Nevertheless, he was able to obtain finances and allocate these resources towards his educational projects. One of the schools he established was named in his honor; ‘Davoudieh Medressa’. It was the leading educational institution of its day.

Davoud Pasha also decreased the burden of taxes and levies collected from the people. Agriculture also made tremendous strides during his years in office. The country’s judicial system was standardized and the first official newspaper was published. After completing his three year term, the European Powers and the Sublime Porte extended his contract for another five years; an acknowledgement of Davoud Pasha’s excellent record as governor-general. He was given high marks by the local populace and by the European as well. As a skilled politician, he tried to maintain the semi-independent status of Lebanon and its recognized borders.

He attempted to resolve another issue facing Mountainous Lebanon but his failure to do so eventually led to his resignation. The country had no sea port to link it with the outside world. Davoud Pasha proposed to the Ottoman government that either Tripoli or Beirut be ceded to the country but he was turned down. He then handed in his resignation. Garabed Artin Pasha Davoudian devoted six years of conscientious service to the people of Lebanon and made enormous strides in the development of the region. A major thoroughfare in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital has been named in his honor

Readers might say this is all well and good, but ask what did the man do for the Armenian people? During his tenure Davoud Pasha sought to unite Lebanon and Cilicia into one semi-independent Christian administrative region. He faced many serious hurdles along the way. Many local residents openly accused him of striving to establish an Armenian state. It was also said that he tried to repopulate Lebanon with Armenians.

In 1869, the Ottoman government entrusted Davoud Pasha as Minister of Public Works and Director of the Post-Telegraph Service. These posts had been vacant since the death of Krikor Aghaton. Due to his connections in Europe and the esteem he enjoyed there, Davoud Pasha was able to push through construction of the Rumelia railway that linked Europe and Asia Minor, which proved a major spur to the economic and political development of the Ottoman Empire.

Davoud Pasha was what today is called a ‘renaissance man’, that is a well-rounded individual of many talents. Due to his exhaustive research into the laws and norms of the early Germanic tribes, the Chancellor of Germany awarded him a special prize and was inducted into the Berlin Academy of Sciences. Davoud Pasha received many awards as a diplomat and government official. In 1867, Napoleon III bestowed him with the order of Légion d’honneur. He received the Grand Ribbon of the Imperial Order of the Osmaniye, from the Ottoman government and the Pope bestowed him with the Order of Knight of St Gregory, First Class.

Ohannes Pasha Kouyoumdjian (1858-1933)

After receiving an education at the Vienna Mkhitarist Congregation High School in Constantinople, Ohannes Pasha went on to study at Vaugirard, the famous Jesuit center of learning in Paris. Upon returning to Constantinople, Ohannes Pasha entered government service.

He held top posts in the Ottoman Foreign Affairs Ministry and served as the First Secretary of Ottoman Embassy in Rome from 1899-1908. Later he became the Ottoman Chargé d’affaires in Italy. During his posting in Rome, Ohannes Pasha enjoyed the respect of the Italian and international diplomatic corps. He returned to Constantinople in 1908 and was chosen a member of the State Council. That same year, he was appointed Ottoman Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister. In 1912, Kapriel Noradounkian was appointed the Ottoman Foreign Minister. In order to allay the potential jealousy and fears of the Turks regarding that the top posts in the foreign service were in the hands of Armenians, the two friends, Kapriel and Ohannes, came to a compromise arrangement. Ohannes Pasha resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in 1913 accepted the post of Governor-General of Lebanon, which he had previously rejected.

The European Powers unanimously backed his candidacy. Ohannes Kouyoumdjian was given the military rank of marshal and the title of pasha. He became Lebanese Governor during troubled times. The First World War broke out a year later. During his three years in office Ohannes Pasha completed five major reform projects in Lebanon.

In Syria, Djemal Pasha never stopped turning the screws against Ohannes Pasha. Djemal constantly accused him of being pro-French and attempted to disarm the Lebanese people and thus facilitate the massacre of Christians. Ohannes Pasha consistently put his life and reputation on the line in his face-off with the Ottoman government and prevented a similar tragic fate from befalling the Lebanese as befell Western Armenians.

In 1915, the Sublime Porte annulled the privileged semi-autonomous status of Lebanon and Ohannes Pasha was dismissed from office. In 1916, on his return to Constantinople, he witnessed the plight of his fellow Armenians on the death marches. He was later elected a member of the Ottoman Parliament but refused to take his seat as a matter of principle.

After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, the skills of Ohannes Pasha were still in demand. Crown Prince Abdul Mejid, heir to the Ottoman throne, periodically sought the advice of Ohannes Pasha on matters of state. Prince Mejid was trying to use the Armenians to change the negative attitude that European nations had of Turkey.

Grand Vizier Kyamil Pasha even suggested to Ohannes Pasha, Aram Bey Yeram and other notable Armenians, that they participate in the Turkish delegation to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, on the condition they publicly state that noting happened to Armenians in the Empire during the war. Ohannes Pasha refused to comply and declared that he no longer wished to serve a government that turned Armenia into a graveyard. He then left the country and resettled in Rome.

To be continued

Anahit Astoyan
Madenataran, Junior Researcher