Aram Manukian

Manukian helped form the Armenian National Council in Tiflis in October 1917, uniting Armenian political parties to coordinate the defense and governance of Armenian-populated areas after the Russian Revolution.

Manukian organized and led Armenian forces to a decisive victory against the Ottoman army at Sardarabad in May 1918. This battle prevented the Ottoman capture of Yerevan and allowed the Armenian Republic to survive its first weeks.

Aram Manukian, as a leading figure in the Armenian National Council, declared the independence of the First Republic of Armenia on May 28, 1918, following the collapse of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. This established the first modern Armenian state.

Manukian served as Minister of Interior and Food Supply in the first government of the Republic of Armenia, managing internal security and the distribution of scarce resources during the famine and refugee crisis following the Armenian Genocide.

Aram Manukian died of typhus on January 29, 1919, in Yerevan, at the age of 39. His death removed a key leader from the Armenian government during a critical period of state consolidation and ongoing conflict.