Editor's Note
This chronology of the Armenian Genocide is based on a manuscript in the Haigazn K. Kazarian Collection of the Armenian National Institute. While the text of the chronology has been extensively edited and updated, this publication remains true to the sequence of events and information as reconstructed by Kazarian. As such it represents another valuable contribution by this early pioneer in the study and documentation of the Armenian Genocide.
--Rouben Paul Adalian
Terminology used in the chronology
- Ittihadist:
- Member of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) or Ittihad ve Terakki Jemiyeti, the political party in power in the Ottoman Empire during W.W.I. Also known as the Young Turks.
- Chete:
- Member of armed irregular forces employed by the Ottoman government in carrying out policies against Armenians.
- Special Organization, or Teshkilati Mahsusa:
- The secret outfit manned by convicts and chete forces assigned the task of slaughtering the Armenians.
- Jihad:
- Holy War against non-Muslims sanctioned by the religious authority of an Islamic country.
Principal Ittihadists responsible for the Armenian Genocide mentioned in the chronology
- Talaat (Mehmet Talaat Pasha 1874-1921), Minister of the Interior 1913-1917 and Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) 1917-1918. [Unless otherwise stated, the instructions and directives mentioned in the chronology emanated from Talaat's office.]
- Enver (Ismail Enver Pasha 1881-1922), Minister of War 1914-1918.
- Jemal (Ahmed Jemal [Djemal/Cemal] 1872-1922), Minister of the Navy 1914-1918 and military governor of Syria 1914-1917.
- Dr. Behaeddin Shakir, CUP Central Committee executive and head of the Special Organization.
- Dr. Nazim, CUP Central Committee executive and party ideologue.
- Halil (Halil [Khalil] Kut 1881-1957), Enver's uncle and military commander of Ottoman forces.
- Nuri (Nuri Killigil 1881-1949), Enver's brother and military commander of Ottoman forces.
- Jevdet (Tahir Jevdet [Djevdet/Cevdet]), Enver's brother-in-law and governor-general (vali) of Van Province.
- Mustafa Abdulhalik Renda, Talaat's brother-in-law and governor-general (vali) of Bitlis Province and Aleppo Province.
Current names of cities mentioned in the chronology
- Adrianople, presently Edirne.
- Aintab, presently Gazi-Antep.
- Alexandretta, presently Iskenderun.
- Angora, presently Ankara, capital of the Turkish Republic.
- Constantinople, presently Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire. Also home for a large Armenian community and the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate.
- Izmid, presently Izmit.
- Kharput, also Harput, Kharpert and Mamuret-el-Aziz, presently Elazig.
- Marash, presently Kahraman-Marash.
- Marsovan, presently Merzifon.
- Smyrna, presently Izmir.
- Trebizond, presently Trabzon.
- Urfa, presently Sanli-Urfa.
Dates in the chronology
All dates in the chronology are given according to the Western calendar. This calendar came into use in Turkey only after November 1918. Up to that time the Ottoman calendar ran 13 days behind the Western calendar.
