[4] By establishing a new Armenian Patriarchate in Constantinople, members of the millet were not only able to handle things autonomously, they had the legal status to bring a case to the Islamic courts.
Secular law codes were promulgated in both the Porte and the Patriarchate which saw laity increase in power at the expense of the clergy.
Armenians are a recognized minority according to the Treaty of Lausanne, but do not receive funding from the Directorate of Religious Affairs.
Until the promulgation of the Edict of Gülhane in 1839, the patriarch, within limits, possessed absolute penal authority over the Armenian people.
This involved a revival of classical Armenian learning, and the interpretation of new ideas coming from Western Europe, particularly the Enlightenment and the events of the French Revolution.
With the start of the 19th century there was also the influence of American and English missionaries, which eventually spawned the creation of the small Armenian Protestant millet.