Occupation of the Ottoman Bank in Istanbul by members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
1896 Ottoman Bank takeover
Imperial Ottoman Bank headquarters, 1896
Date
26 August 1896
Location
Ottoman Bank, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Result
Death of ten of the Armenian militants and Ottoman soldiers
Massacre and pogroms of some 6,000 Armenians living in Constantinople[1]
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Commanders and leaders
Papken Siuni † Armen Garo
Strength
Ottoman regulars
28 armed men and women
The occupation of the Ottoman Bank (Turkish: Osmanlı Bankası Baskını, "Raid on the Ottoman Bank"; Armenian: Պանք Օթօմանի գրաւումը, Bank Otomani k'ravumĕ "Ottoman Bank takeover") by members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnak Party) took place in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire on 26 August 1896. In an effort to raise further awareness and action by the major European powers, 28 armed men and women led primarily by Papken Siuni and Armen Garo took over the bank which largely employed European personnel from Great Britain and France. Stirred largely due to the inaction of the European powers in regard to Hamidian massacres started by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation members saw its seizure as a means to bring full attention to their plight. At the time, the Ottoman Bank served as an important financial center for both the Empire and the countries of Europe.
Armed with pistols, grenades, dynamite and hand-held bombs, the seizure of the bank lasted for 14 hours, resulting in the deaths of ten of the Armenian men and Ottoman soldiers. The Ottoman reaction to the takeover saw further massacres and pogroms of 6,000 Armenians living in Constantinople and also Hamid threatening to level the entire building itself.[1] However, intervention on part of the European diplomats in the city managed to persuade the men to give way, assigning safe passage to the survivors to France. Despite the level of violence the Turks had wrought, the takeover was reported positively in the European press, praising the men for their courage and the objectives they attempted to accomplish.[2] Nevertheless, aside from issuing a note condemning the pogroms in the city, the European powers did not act on their promises to enforce reforms in the country as future massacres of Armenians continued to take place.
^ abBloxham, Donald. The Great Game of Genocide: Imperialism, Nationalism, and the Destruction of The Ottoman Armenians. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 53. ISBN 0-19-927356-1
^Balakian 2003, pp. 107–108
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Global Information
Ottoman Empire
Armenian Revolutionary Federation