Vorogayt Parats - Snare of Glory

In 1773 in Madras, India, Snare of Glory – the first draft constitution in Armenian reality was published by Shahmir Shahmiryan. The book consists of two parts. The extensive preface condemns the feudal-monarchical orders, substantiates the ways of liberating Armenia from Turkish-Persian tyranny and the principles of establishing democratic orders there. The second and the main part of the book comprise the draft constitution (total amount of 521 articles) which represents the social and state structure of the future Independent Armenia along with the procedure of establishment of state bodies and defining the scope of their authority. It also sets forth the citizens’ rights and liabilities, discusses the organization of economy, education, armed forces and other issues. Numerous articles were devoted to issues of enlightenment, economy development and family relations. Education was to become obligatory for all citizens, without gender discrimination. The state was to provide for education and healthcare for orphans and the needy. State security was to be ensured by permanent military forces with 90,000 soldiers.