George Sigismond Charles Stanislas Merzbach Bey (25 September 1874 – 17 February 1928) was a
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
and
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
pioneer. He was the head of one of the
Mixed Courts of Egypt. In 1911, he founded and became the first president of
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
sports club
Zamalek SC
Zamalek Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الزمالك للألعاب الرياضية), commonly referred to as Zamalek, is an Egyptian sports club based in Giza. It is one of the most successful football clubs in Africa and the Middle East,
an ...
under the original name of Qasr El Nile Club.
Early life
Merzbach was born in the Belgian City of Brussels on 25 September 1874. His father is Henryk Merzbach (1837–1903) and his mother is Pauline le Hardy de Beaulieu (1851–1948), they married on 27 August 1870. Merzbach has three siblings, one older sister, Helene (1871–1937), one younger brother, Charles (1875–1943), and one younger sister, Claire (1880–1956). Merzbach graduated from the
Université libre de Bruxelles with a
degree in law before traveling to Egypt to intern as a lawyer with a lawyer friend of his father, Mr. Henry, who was happy with Merzbach's performance during his training. Merzbach returned to Belgium to visit his family before deciding to settle in Cairo and practice his legal profession there. He continued to return to Belgium every summer to visit his family.
Career
Law
Merzbach was a senior lawyer in Egypt, and one of the guests invited by Sultan
Hussein Kamel of Egypt
Sultan Hussein Kamel ( ar, السلطان حسين كامل; 21 November 1853 – 9 October 1917) was the Sultan of Egypt from 19 December 1914 to 9 October 1917, during the British protectorate over Egypt. He was the first person to hold th ...
to
Abdeen Palace
Abdeen Palace ( ar, قصر عابدين) is a historic Cairo palace built as one of the official residences for the former ruling monarchy and royal family of Egypt. It is now one of the official residences and the principal workplace of the Pr ...
, for official banquets and advice. He had a distinctive legal experience and for that, he became one of the few advisors of
Édouard Empain
Édouard Louis Joseph, 1st Baron Empain (20 September 1852 – 22 July 1929), was a wealthy Walloon Belgian engineer, entrepreneur, financier and industrialist, as well as an amateur Egyptologist. During World War I he became a known Major Genera ...
,
Baron Empain during the foundation of the
Heliopolis suburb. Also, he was one of the lawyers that King
Fuad I of Egypt
Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...
would resort to for legal matters. He was also one of the few lawyers that the Attorney General listened to and took advice from in order to resolve the constitutional crisis between King
Fuad I of Egypt
Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...
and
Saad Zaghloul
Saad Zaghloul ( ar, سعد زغلول / ; also ''Sa'd Zaghloul Pasha ibn Ibrahim'') (July 1859 – 23 August 1927) was an Egyptian revolutionary and statesman. He was the leader of Egypt's nationalist Wafd Party.
He led a civil disobedience ...
Pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...
. Merzbach used to defend the interests of large Egyptian institutions and companies against the
British occupants. Merzbach is the founder of the Faculty of Law at
Cairo University
Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
, which was founded in 1925. And, he was a Professor of Law at
Cairo University
Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
. Merzbach won the confidence of his fellow lawyers and was elected as the Head of Foreign Lawyers in Egypt in front of the
Mixed Courts of Egypt.
Zamalek SC
Merzbach founded
Zamalek SC
Zamalek Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الزمالك للألعاب الرياضية), commonly referred to as Zamalek, is an Egyptian sports club based in Giza. It is one of the most successful football clubs in Africa and the Middle East,
an ...
on 5 January 1911 under the name of Qasr El Nile Club. The founding of the club was a way for Merzbach to strike back at the
British occupants in Egypt, as they made the main club in Cairo,
Gezira Sporting Club
The Gezira Sporting Club ( ar, نادى الجزيرة الرياضى, transliteration:''nādī al-ǧazyrah al-reyādī'') is the largest multi-sport facility in Egypt. It was founded in 1882 and was originally called Khedivial Sporting Club. I ...
, exclusive for the British Army. The main idea of Zamalek SC was that it would be a club for all people. He then later moved it to the place of the High Court and changed its name to El Mokhtalat Club. Zamalek started out and continued under the presidency of Merzbach until 1915, he then left the presidency to fellow Belgian Nicolas Arfagi Bianchi, who played as a left-winger in the club's football team. Merzbach then did not involve himself in the field of sports again.
Honours
Merzbach was given many honorific
orders
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
and medals including the Order of the Noble (Egypt), the
Order of the Medjidie
Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I.
History
Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in f ...
, the
Order of the Nile
The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor.
Sultana ...
(highest degree of honour in Egypt), the
Order of the Star of Ethiopia
The Order of the Star of Ethiopia was established as an order of knighthood of the Ethiopian Empire, founded by the Negus of Shoa and later Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II in 1884–1885. It is currently awarded as a house order by the Crown Cou ...
(highest degree of honour in Ethiopia), the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
(highest degree of honour in France), the
Order of Leopold (highest degree of honour in Belgium), the
Order of the Crown, and the Order of the King given to him by
Sultan Hussein Kamel of Egypt. On 24 January 1911, 19 days after founding Zamalek SC, and after his great success in the field of law, Merzbach was promoted by Khedive
Abbas II of Egypt
Abbas II Helmy Bey (also known as ''ʿAbbās Ḥilmī Pāshā'', ar, عباس حلمي باشا) (14 July 1874 – 19 December 1944) was the last Khedive ( Ottoman viceroy) of Egypt and Sudan, ruling from 8January 1892 to 19 December 1914 ...
and given the honorific title of
Bey
Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...
, a rank lower than
Pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...
but higher than
Effendi
Effendi or effendy ( tr, efendi ; ota, افندی, efendi; originally from grc-x-medieval, αφέντης ) is a title of nobility meaning ''sir'', ''lord'' or ''master'', especially in the Ottoman Empire and the Caucasus''.'' The title it ...
. Khedive
Abbas II of Egypt
Abbas II Helmy Bey (also known as ''ʿAbbās Ḥilmī Pāshā'', ar, عباس حلمي باشا) (14 July 1874 – 19 December 1944) was the last Khedive ( Ottoman viceroy) of Egypt and Sudan, ruling from 8January 1892 to 19 December 1914 ...
was known for being anti-
British occupation of Egypt
The history of Egypt under the British lasted from 1882, when it was occupied by British forces during the Anglo-Egyptian War, until 1956 after the Suez Crisis, when the last British forces withdrew in accordance with the Anglo-Egyptian agree ...
, a stance that Merzbach shared with him. Merzbach was among the passengers on the first plane piloted by foreigners in Egypt which took place in
Heliopolis in 1914. In 1922, the great archaeologist
Howard Carter took Merzbach and his wife, Céline-Marie Piha, to
Luxor
Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''.
Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...
during the discovery of the prominent and magnificent
Tomb of Tutankhamun
The tomb of Tutankhamun, also known by its tomb number, KV62, is the burial place of Tutankhamun (reigned c. 1334–1325 BC), a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb ...
.
Personal life
Merzbach spoke
French as his first language. He was a Zamalkawy. Merzbach married his first wife, Marie Paléologue (born 24 December 1879), on 27 July 1916, she was the daughter of Dimitri and Ortenaia, they belonged to the family of the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
emperors
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
, she died on 13 November 1916, less than four month after their marriage, she was killed in the only
aerial bombardment of Cairo in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
which was perpetrated by the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
aircrews of the ''
Luftstreitkräfte
The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Force)—known before October 1916 as (Flyer Troops)—was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, alt ...
''. Merzbach married his second wife, Céline-Marie Piha (born 9 July 1885 in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
), on 4 February 1922, she was the daughter of Elie and Elvire Nahman, she died on 9 October 1972 in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, 44 years after Merzbach's death. Merzbach never had any children.
Death
![George Merzbach Funeral](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/George_Merzbach_Funeral.png)
Merzbach died on 27 February 1928, at the age of 53, in Cairo, Egypt. Merzbach's funeral was attended by the Head of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Minister of Justice. He was buried in the Latin Cemetery (Terra Santa Cemetery) in Al Sayyidah Zaynab,
Old Cairo, Cairo, Egypt. His burial place is present in Aisle 39, Grave No. 15.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merzbach, George
1874 births
1928 deaths
20th-century Belgian lawyers
Zamalek SC presidents
Belgian expatriates in Egypt
People from Brussels