'' Fedayi '' ( Western '' Fedayi '' ; Eastern '' Fidayi '' ) , also known as the Armenian irregular units or Armenian militia , were Armenian civilians who voluntarily left their families to form self-defense units and irregular armed bands in reaction to the mass murder of Armenians and the pillage of Armenian villages by criminals , tribal Kurdish forces , and Hamidian guards during the reign of Abdul Hamid II in late 19th and early 20th centuries , known as the Hamidian massacres . Their ultimate goal was always to gain Armenian autonomy ( Armenakans ) or independence ( Dashnaks , Hunchaks ) depending on their ideology and the degree of oppression visited on Armenians
Hamidian massacres
Hamidian massacres
Armenian fedayi