Snare of Glory

A Book Called Snare of Glory (Armenian: Գիրք անուանեալ որոգայթ փառաց, romanized: Girk’ anvaneal vorogayt’ p’ar’ats’, sometimes shortened to Vorogayt Parats) is an Armenian political and legal treatise written by the Armenian merchant and intellectual Shahamir Shahamirian and his son Hakob Shahamirian. It was published between 1787 and 1789 (although its title page gives the date as 1773). It contains a proposed constitution for a future independent Armenian state along parliamentary and republican lines. It was published at the author's printing press in Madras (modern-day Chennai, India). It is regarded as a landmark in Armenian intellectual and literary history. It is one of the earliest and most significant expressions of the ideals of the Enlightenment in the Armenian context. It has also been called the first constitution in Asia.

Snare of Glory consists of two main parts: a long introduction with historical and theoretical analysis, probably authored in part by Shahamirian's son Hakob (to whom the entire book is erroneously attributed on the title page), and the actual text of the draft constitution. The second, main part of the book is a draft constitution consisting of 521 articles, addressing issues ranging from the rights of citizens, the system of government, social and economic structure, education system and military of the future Armenian state. It declared all citizens of the future state to be born free and equal before the law, with freedom of speech, religion and economic activity. The political and economic system, however, was to be one that would favor Armenians of the Gregorian confession.