Translated from French, this book is an account of Ottoman Armenian magnates of the 18th and 19th centuries, called Amiras, who ran the treasury, mint and armaments factories, built palaces and public buildings, and operated other monopolies. They had good relations with Ottoman Sultans and administrators and played an important role in the development of the Ottoman Armenian millet. Some of these amiras also dominated Egypt, as it broke away from the Ottoman Empire.