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 FEDAYEES (in Arabian "victims" "the one who sacrifice himself for an idea"), were the Armenian national fighters against Kurds and Turkish government in the last quarter of the 19th century and in the early 20th century in Western Armenia, Cilicia and in the Armenian regions of the Ottoman Empire. The national-liberation, anti-feudal and democratic movement of Fedayees in its nature was almost identical with the Hayduk struggle of the Balkan people against the Turkish conquerors in 15-19 centuries. Originally being a revolt against oppression, the Fedayee movement gradually turned into the national-liberation struggle against Turkish anti-Armenian policy, political oppression and Turkish yoke. 

The first fedayee groups in Mush and Sasun were headed by Arabo and Mkho Shahen, in Vaspurakan by Chato and Shero. Alizrnantsi Levon, Gevorg Shaush, Gomertsi Hovik and Berdaktsi Nesro and others fought in the group of Arabo. At the end of 1880s and at the beginning of 1890s the groups headed by Hovhanness Minasyan, Toros Tsarukyan (Mets Chello) were in Yerznka and Sebastia, group of Mirijan was in Aleppo.  The directions to the movement were given by the priest of Darevank Daniel and Jirayr (Martiros Poyachyan). Fedayee groups consisted of young people coming  from the Eastern Armenia, Armenian populated regions of Russia and the Western Armenia. 

In 1890s the groups of Bitlistsi Musheg, Aghbyur Serob, Andranik, Spanaghats Makar were formed. Hrayr sought to combine the separate fighting groups into one national rebellion, ally with Kurds and fight against the Turkish yoke.

After the Young Turk Revolution in 1908 Fedayees were granted a pardon, and most of them came down from the mountains and began to work. At the beginning of the First World War (1914-1918)a  large number of fighters became the part of volunteer movement [see The Volunteer Movement (1914 -1918)], and during the Armenian Genocide participated in self-defense struggles. 

  The Armenian people praised the heroism of fedayees and dedicated many songs to them. D. Varuzhan H. Tumanyan, A. Isahakyan and others devoted many poems to fedayees, and Kh. Dashtents  in the novel "Call of Plowmen" created the characters of famous fedayees. The Armenian painters and sculptors created the images and statues of fedayees. 

Though the Fedayee movement that was led by the Armenian political parties, was without any perspective, it is considered to be one of the brilliant pages of the Armenian national-liberation struggle.