Armenian merchants founded a series of small colonies (Venice counted no more than 2,000 Armenians, and Amsterdam had only 800). Although tens of thousands of Armenians were transferred to Europe in the early Middle Ages, their record in terms of human settlements has disappeared. Conversion to Catholicism was common. Over time, these colonies gained internal autonomy in order to manage certain community structures such as churches and schools. This was the case with the Armenians of Poland, Russia The Armenians of Russia
The Djulfans were bankers to Iran's Shah Abbas, because silk brought in money from the Ottoman markets, money from Europe itself from the Americas, but they also funded Peter the Great's modernization projects in Russia, including manufactures of silk. At one point, the Chariman family even supplied financing to the Doge of Venice and the Mekhitarist schools. In Russia, the Lazarians, one of the four families of New Djulfa, created an institute for the study of oriental languages in Moscow. Nineteenth-century Russia was characterized by a flourishing of cultural life. Printing houses were set up in large communities, a number of schools were established, both scholarly and popular newspapers, often bilingual (Armenian and Russian) appeared, theatre-going developed, intellectuals and writers pursued their studies at Russian universities. By mid-century, Armenian was taught at the University of Saint Petersburg. In 1819, the first book in Armenian was published in Moscow. In 1816, the first news weekly appeared in Astrakhan. In 1815, the Lazarian college opened in Moscow and by 1829 it included a press. Lazarian students, like their Saint Petersburg counterparts, created a theatre troupe that was active for many years. An Armenian theatre was also active in Ghezlar. Moses of Chorene's History of Armenia was translated into Russian. Cultural, charitable and educational associations were set up in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Derbent, and other cities. Politicians and soldiers pursued their careers in Russia in both the 19th and 20th centuries. and Venice, for example. Despite their small numbers, wealthy merchants played a definite cultural role : they financed the construction of the Armenian Cathedral in Lvov in 1363, and in 1512 the first Armenian book was published in Venice. In 1616, Lvov also has its Armenian printing. Illuminated manuscripts were produced in the Crimea. Between 1666 and 1668, the Bible was printed in Amsterdam. The Manchester settlement dates from the time when the city was the country’s textile capital, concentrating the trading of textiles from England to India. Cotton traders, originally from Istanbul and Smyrna, settled in Manchester starting in 1835. By 1890 they had founded fifty companies. The Egyptian community grew all through the 19th century and was active economically, especially in the tobacco industry. It also played a political role, particularly in the person of Nubar Pasha (1825-1899), from the era of Mohamed Ali and the khedive Ismail (1863-1879), under whom he served as Minister of Public Works, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister for a time. He had a central role in the construction and management of the Suez Canal. His son, Boghos Nubar Pasha, was a great patron and national figure, as well as the founder of the General Union of Armenian Charities (AGBU) in 1906, and head of the Armenian National Delegation at the Peace Conference in 1919-1920.

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The Armenian Diaspora