Bedir Khan Beg (
Kurmanji
Kurmanji ( ku, کورمانجی, lit=Kurdish, translit=Kurmancî, also termed Northern Kurdish, is the northern dialect of the Kurdish languages, spoken predominantly in southeast Turkey, northwest and northeast Iran, northern Iraq, northern Sy ...
: ''Bedirxan Beg'', tr, Bedirhan Bey; 1803–1869) was the last
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
Mîr and
mütesellim
''Mütesellim'' or ''mutesellim'' was an Ottoman gubernatorial title used to describe mainly the head of a ''nahiye'', but also other positions within the Ottoman hierarchy, depending on the context. Mostly this title was used for civil governor ...
of the
Emirate of Botan.
Hereditary head of the house of Rozhaki whose seat was the ancient Bitlis castle and descended from
Sharafkhan Bidlisi
Sharaf al-Din Khan b. Shams al-Din b. Sharaf Beg Bedlisi (Kurdish: شەرەفخانی بەدلیسی, ''Şerefxanê Bedlîsî''; fa, شرفالدین خان بن شمسالدین بن شرف بیگ بدلیسی; 25 February 1543 – ) was ...
, Bedir Khan was born in
Cizre
Cizre (; ar, جَزِيْرَة ٱبْن عُمَر, Jazīrat Ibn ʿUmar, or ''Madinat al-Jazira'', he, גזירא, Gzira, ku, Cizîr, ''Cizîra Botan'', or ''Cizîre'', syr, ܓܙܪܬܐ ܕܒܪ ܥܘܡܪ, Gāzartā,) is a city in the Cizre Dis ...
(now in Turkey). He became the Mir of the Emirate of Botan in 1821 and ruled until 1847.
The Bedir Khans also claimed descent from
Khalid Ibn al Walid,
a General called the ''Sword of Allah'' by prophet
Mohammed
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
.
Early life
He was born to Abdullah Bey, and became the ruler of Botan after his cousin Seyfeddin, (who succeeded Abdullah Bey after his death) wasn't able to calm down the region and his brother Said Bey was too religious and left the leadership to Bedir Khan. During his first term as Mir, he soon established a regional control strong enough, that allowed him to deny his support to the Ottoman Sultan during the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histor ...
between 1828 and 1829.
He managed to develop the war-torn districts under his control and within years, the population in the area in his control grew significantly.
[Gökçe, Hasan; Kieser, Hans-Lukas (ed.)(1997), pp.78–79] His success was such, that European diplomats from the region reported to their governments about Bedir Khans ability to provide his followers with a good economic standard and security, comparing with other neighboring regions.
Bedir Khan was proud of the security he brought to the region, that under his leadership, banditry had disappeared and caravans were able to cross his territory in safety.
[Gökçe, Hasan; Kieser, Hans-Lukas (ed.)(1997), p.80] Bedir Khan Beg was repeatedly responsible for massacres of the
Yazidis
Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking Endogamy, endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran ...
. In 1832, thousands of Yazidis were killed in the
Shekhan area by Bedir Khan Beg in cooperation with the Kurdish
Soran prince
Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz
Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz (; also known as ''Mirê Kor'' - the "blind prince"; born in Rawandiz; 1783–1838) was Kurdish Mir of the Soran Emirate (1813–1838). He led an unsuccessful attack against the Emirate of Botan of Bedir Khan Beg in 183 ...
. But he was not always on good terms with Muhammad Pahsa, in 1834, his army had to defend the Emirate from him.
In 1836, the Ottomans attacked and defeated him, and Bedir Khan renewed his vow of allegiance to the Sultan
In 1838, the Ottoman Reshid Pasha conquered Cizre and Bedir Khan began to lose his power due to the
centralist
Centralisation or centralization (see spelling differences) is the process by which the activities of an organisation, particularly those regarding planning and decision-making, framing strategy and policies become concentrated within a particu ...
policies of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, which culminated in the
Tanzimat Edict of 1839 and its application the following year. Following the
Battle of Nizip in 1839, in which Bedir Khan took part for the Ottoman side,
he emerged as the dominant Kurdish ruler in central Kurdistan.
He raised taxes, minted his own coins and organized the justice system.
The security in Bohtan gave him such popularity among its habitants, that many families from neighboring districts settled in the Emirate of Bohtan.
This led to a dispute with the Vali of Mosul, who in 1842 wanted to integrate the district of Cizre into the province of Mosul, an aim, to which the population of Cizre did not agree to.
By 1845, Bedir Khan beg ruled over a region spanning from Diyarbakir to Mosul in the west to the
Persian Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
in the east. As it was known that he had planned the modernization of his troops by creating cross-tribal militias constituted by soldiers of several tribes and that the
friday sermons were shouted in his name, the central Ottoman Government decided to end the emerging independence movement of Bedir Khan.
Triple alliance
Following the Battle of Nizip, Bedir Khan allied himself with
Han Mahmoud of Müküs and Nurallah Bey of
Hakkari Hakkari or Hakkâri may refer to:
*Hakkari (historical region), a historical region in modern-day Turkey and Iraq
*Hakkâri (city), a city and the capital of Hakkâri Province, Turkey
*Hakkâri Province
Hakkâri Province (, tr, Hakkâri ili, ...
in 1840 to a triple alliance.
As the Ottomans decided to detach Cizre from
Diyarbakir and have it joined to the
Mosul Eyalet
Mosul Eyalet ( ar, إيالة الموصل; ota, ایالت موصل, Eyālet-i Mūṣul) was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Its reported area in the 19th century was . The eyalet was largely inhabited by Kurds. Playfair, James (1813)A System of ...
, Bedr Khan opposed the decision and would not submit to the authority of the Vali of Mosul. In the meantime, Han Mahmoud of Müküs unsuccessfully attempted to conquer the area around
Bitlis
Bitlis ( hy, Բաղեշ '; ku, Bidlîs; ota, بتليس) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Bitlis Province. The city is located at an elevation of 1,545 metres, 15 km from Lake Van, in the steep-sided valley of the Bitlis R ...
. The triple alliance entered in conflict with the local
Assyrian
Assyrian may refer to:
* Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia.
* Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire.
** Early Assyrian Period
** Old Assyrian Period
** Middle Assyrian Empire
** Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Assyrian ...
population, and perpetrated
massacres
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
amongst them in 1843 and 1846.
The conflict arose, as
Nestorians
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian N ...
in the area between
Urmia
Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an alt ...
,
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
and
Hakkari Hakkari or Hakkâri may refer to:
*Hakkari (historical region), a historical region in modern-day Turkey and Iraq
*Hakkâri (city), a city and the capital of Hakkâri Province, Turkey
*Hakkâri Province
Hakkâri Province (, tr, Hakkâri ili, ...
, decided to refuse their accorded tribute to the Emir of Hakkari in 1841.
[Gökçe, Hasan; Kieser, Hans-Lukas (ed.)(1997), p.87] After Nurullah Bey unsuccessfully attempted to subdue the Nestorians led by
Shimun XVII Abraham
Mar Shimun XVII Abraham (also Simon XVII Abraham or Auraham, 1800/01– 1861) served as the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East from c. 1820 to 1861.
He led the church from Qodshanis, (modern Konak, Hakkari) in southeastern T ...
, he called for the assistance by Bedir Khan Beg.
In 1843, Bedir Khan broke their resistance and Mar Shimun took refuge in Mosul. And also in 1844 in the
Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin ( syr, ܛܽܘܪ ܥܰܒ݂ܕܺܝܢ or ܛܘܼܪ ܥܲܒ݂ܕܝܼܢ, Ṭūr ʿAḇdīn) is a hilly region situated in southeast Turkey, including the eastern half of the Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the borde ...
mountains, Yazidis were again raided by Bedir Khan Beg. Bedir Khan Beg's goal was to force the Yazidis to convert to Islam.
Pressure from the European Powers to stop the massacres of Christians led to Ottoman forces invading his territories in 1846–7, with
Omer Pasha
Omer Pasha, also known as Omer Pasha Latas ( tr, Ömer Lütfi Paşa, sr, Омер-паша Латас, Omer-paša Latas; 24 September 1806 – 18 April 1871) was an Ottoman field marshal and governor. Born in Austrian territory to Serbian Or ...
's 12,000 strong Ottoman force, which was supported by Yezidi tribesmen seeking revenge, defeating the Kurdish army in the field near Zeitun, Cizre. At the beginning of the conflict he was able to beat the Ottomans, but as an important commander of his troops, defected to the Ottomans, he was forced to flee to Evruh castle, where he endured an eight months long siege. Bedir Khan had to surrender to the Ottomans at Evreh Castle
in
Eruh
Eruh ( ku, Dih) is a town and seat of Eruh District of Siirt Province of Turkey.
The town is populated by Kurds of the Botikan tribe and had a population of 8,895 in 2021.
Neighborhoods
Eruh town is divided into the three neighborhoods of Fari ...
,
Siirt
Siirt ( ar, سِعِرْد, Siʿird; hy, Սղերդ, S'gherd; syr, ܣܥܪܬ, Siirt; ku, Sêrt) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of Siirt Province. The population of the city according to the 2009 census was 129,188.
History
Pr ...
on the 4 July 1847. The same day also Han Mahmud was defeated in
Tatvan
Tatvan ( ) is a city on the western shore of Lake Van. It is the chief city of Tatvan District within Bitlis Province in eastern Turkey, and has about 96,000 inhabitants. The current Mayor is Mehmet Emin Geylani ( AKP).
The district is fully Kurd ...
.
Bedir Khan was betrayed by Yezdanşer a distant relative and high ranking commander of his forces, who had joined the Ottoman Army in exchange of promises of a rank in the government. Yezdanşer would become appointed the
mütesellim
''Mütesellim'' or ''mutesellim'' was an Ottoman gubernatorial title used to describe mainly the head of a ''nahiye'', but also other positions within the Ottoman hierarchy, depending on the context. Mostly this title was used for civil governor ...
of Cizre for a short time. From Evreh castle Bedir Khan and his family were put in chains and taken to Kumçati in the
Şırnak province
Şırnak Province ( tr, Şırnak ili, ku, Parêzgeha Şirnexê) is a province of Turkey in the Southeastern Anatolia Region. Şırnak Province was created in 1990, with areas that were formerly part of the Siirt and Mardin Provinces. It borders b ...
. After 40 days in detention,
Bedir Khan and his family were transferred to Constantinople.
Exile in Crete
After Bedir Khan's hopes, that he would be allowed to settle in Constantinople, were not fulfilled, he and his entourage were sent to
Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban A ...
,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
, which at the time was governed by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. In 1853 he requested twice to be allowed to return to
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, but his demands were turned down. In 1855 he purchased a farm just outside of Heraklion, which he named “Kabıl Hora“.
As in 1856 a
strong earthquake occurred in Crete, he faced financial calamities due to the destructions of his possessions. His salary which he still received from the Ottoman Empire, was only 7000
Kuruş
Kuruş ( ; ), also gurush, ersh, gersh, grush, grosha, and grosi, are all names for currency denominations in and around the territories formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. The variation in the name stems from the different languages it is us ...
.
After Bedir Khan managed to solve the quarrels between the Christians and Muslims on the island, the situation became better. In September 1857, Sultan
Abdul Majid changed his approach towards Bedir Khan, doubling his salary, and granting 43 of his followers to return to
Kurdistan
Kurdistan ( ku, کوردستان ,Kurdistan ; lit. "land of the Kurds") or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural territory in Western Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, Kurdish la ...
. Nevertheless, Bedir Khan decided to stay in
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
.
Return and death
In 1863, Sultan
Abdul Aziz, the successor of Abdul Majid, allowed Bedir Khan and his family to settle in Istanbul, where they bought a mansion in the
Fatih quarter.[Kardam, Ahmet (June 2019). ''Kamuran Ali Bedir Khan,'' p.50] Several of his descendants were admitted into the bureaucracy of the Ottoman Empire. In June 1868, Bedir Khan decided to settle in present-day
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. He traveled by ship to
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
and from there he moved to
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
.
Bedir Khan Beg died a year after he settled in
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
. His funeral was held at the cemetery of
Rukneddin, Damascus.
Family
Bedir Khan Beg was married several times, according to his son Mehmed, he had sixteen wives.
Emin Ali Bedir Khan
Emin Ali Bedir Khan (1851, in Heraklion, Kandiye, Crete – 1926, in Cairo) was a founding member of the Kurd Society for Cooperation and Progress and vice president of the Society for the Elevation of Kurdistan and Kurdish politician.
Emin Ali ...
is one of his son's and
Celadet Bedir Khan,
Süreyya Bedir Khan
Süreyya Bedir Khan (1883 in Constantinople – 1938 in Paris) was a Kurdish prince, a descendant of Bedir Khan Beg and a member of the Bedir Khan family. He was an influent supporter of Kurdish independence, a journalist and author of several boo ...
and
Kamuran Alî Bedirxan
Kamuran Ali Bedirxan ( ku, Kamiran Alî Bedirxan ,کامران عالی بەدرخان, born 21 August 1895 in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire; died 6 December 1978 in Paris) was a Kurdish politician, lawyer and writer.
Family
He came from the family ...
are his grandchildren. He was the father of twenty-one children.
[Özoğlu, Hasan (2004), p.95]
See also
*
Mikdad Midhat Bedir Khan
*
Persecution of Yazidis by Kurds
The persecution of Yazidis has been ongoing since at least 637 CE. Yazidis are an endogamous and mostly Kurmanji-speaking minority, indigenous to Kurdistan. The Yazidi religion is regarded as "devil-worship" by Muslims and Islamists. Yazidis hav ...
References
Further reading
* Mehmet Alagöz, ''Old Habits Die Hard, A Reaction to the Application of Tanzimat Edict: Bedirhan Bey's Revolt'', MA Thesis, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2003
* Martin van Bruinessen, ''Agha, shaikh, and state : the social and political structures of Kurdistan''
* Nazmi Sevgen, ''Doğu ve Güneydoğu Anadolu'da Türk beylikleri: Osmanlı belgeleri ile Kürt Türkleri tarihi''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedr Khan Beg
1803 births
1868 deaths
People from Cizre
Political people from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Kurdish politicians
Kurdish people from the Ottoman Empire
19th-century rulers in Asia
Exiles from the Ottoman Empire