Movses Silikyan or Silikov (, ; 14 September 1862 – 22 November 1937) was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

general who served in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

during

World War I 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 ...

and later in the army of the

First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...

. He is regarded as a national hero in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

for his role in the Armenian victory at the

Battle of Sardarabad The Battle of Sardarabad ( hy, Սարդարապատի ճակատամարտ, translit=Sardarapati chakatamart; tr, Serdarabad Muharebesi) was a battle of the Caucasus campaign of World War I that took place near Sardarabad, Armenia, from 21 to ...

. Following Russia's withdrawal from

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

and conclusion of a separate peace with 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) ...

under the

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace, separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russian SFSR, Russia and the Central Powers (German Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of ...

in March 1918, Silikyan and other Armenian generals organized the defense of Armenia against invading Ottoman forces. After the Armenian victories at the battles of Sardarabad, Karakilisa and Bash Abaran in May 1918, the

declared its independence. Silikyan received the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

of the Armenian army and held various top military positions. Following the

Sovietization of Armenia The Red Army invasion of Armenia, also known as the Sovietization or the Soviet invasion of Armenia, the Soviet occupation of Armenia, or Soviet intervention in Armenia was a military campaign which was carried out by the 11th Army of Soviet Ru ...

in 1920, Silikyan was exiled to

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census ...

along with other high-ranking Armenian military officers, but was allowed to return to Armenia the next year. During the

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Nikolay Yezhov, Yezhov'), was General ...

of 1937, Silikyan was arrested and executed. He was rehabilitated in 1987.

Early life and education

Silikyan was born on 14 September 1862 in the mixed

Udi Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...

village of Vartashen (present-day Oğuz,

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

) in the

Nukha Uyezd The Nukha uezd was a county (''uezd'') of the Elizavetpol Governorate of the Russian Empire and later of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic with its center in Nukha (present-day Shaki) from 1868 until its formal abolition in 1921 by the Soviet a ...

of the

Elisabethpol Governorate The Elizavetpol Governorate, also known after 1918 as the Ganja Governorate, was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Yelisavetpol (present-day Ganja). The area of the governorate st ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. He was of ethnic

origin. Silikyan graduated from the Moscow Military Gymnasium No. 1 and the Alexandrov Military School No. 3. Later, in 1904, he graduated from the Infantry Officers' School of the Oranienbaum Military Academy.

Military career

Silikyan began his service in the Imperial Russian Army in 1884. After graduating from military school, he was appointed commander of a company in the 155th Kuban Regiment stationed in

Kars Kars (; ku, Qers; ) is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. Its population is 73,836 in 2011. Kars was in the ancient region known as ''Chorzene'', (in Greek Χορζηνή) in classical historiography ( Strabo), part of ...

with the rank of

podporuchik ''Podporuchik'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, потпоручник, potporučnik, cs, podporučík, pl, podporucznik, russian: подпору́чик, bg, подпоручик, sk, podporučík) is the most Junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, an ...

. He served in the expeditionary force sent to

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

during the

Russian occupation of Tabriz The Russian occupation of Tabriz lasted from 30 April 1909 until 28 February 1918, with a brief interruption during 6–31 January 1915. V. Minorsky, C. E. Bosworth and Sheila S. Blair, "Tabriz", in C. E. Bosworth (ed.), ''Historic Cities of the ...

. He rose through the ranks of the army, eventually receiving the rank of colonel in 1914. On the eve of 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 ...

, he was the commander of the 6th Caucasian Infantry Regiment of General Tovmas Nazarbekyan's 2nd Caucasian Infantry Brigade (later division) in the Caucasus Army.

World War I – Caucasus Campaign

In the early stages of the

Caucasus campaign The Caucasus campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, later including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, the German Empire, the Central Caspian Dicta ...

, Silikyan's regiment crossed into northern Persia with the rest of the 2nd Caucasian Brigade and defeated Ottoman forces at the

Battle of Dilman The Battle of Dilman (April 15, 1915) was a battle during World War I fought at Dilman between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Despite having the larger forces, the Ottomans suffered 468 dead, 1,228 wounded, and 370 missing in the fir ...

in April 1915. In January–February 1916, Silikyan commanded the rearguard during the Battle of Erzurum and was appointed commandant of the city following its capture. In late March 1916, Silikyan's forces were stationed in

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 ...

. In early April, he was ordered to leave two battalions in Bitlis and advance toward

Mush In multiplayer online games, a MUSH (a backronymed variation on MUD most often expanded as Multi-User Shared Hallucination, though Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, and Holodeck are also observed) is a text-based online social medium to which mult ...

. In Mush, Silikyan assisted

Garo Sassouni Garo Sassouni (; 1889 – 1977) was an Armenian intellectual, author, journalist, revolutionary, educator, and public figure. Garo Sassouni was born in the village of Aharonk in the Khulb canton of historical Sassoun province and was a relative of ...

in forming militia detachments consisting of Armenians from Mush and Sasun. Also under Silikyan's command was the 2nd Armenian Volunteer Battalion commanded by

Drastamat Kanayan Drastamat Kanayan (; 31 May 1884 8 March 1956), better known as Dro (Դրօ), was an Armenian military commander and politician. He was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He briefly served as Defence Minister of the First Republic ...

(Dro). After the

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...

, Silikyan was appointed commander of the Van detachment. Some time later he was appointed brigade commander. In August 1917, he received the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. Silikyan received various honors during the war, including the Saint George Sword.

First Republic of Armenia

After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

in November 1917, the Caucasus Army disintegrated. Soviet Russia signed the

Armistice of Erzincan The Armistice of Erzincan (also spelled Erzindzhan or Erzinjan) was an agreement to suspend hostilities during World War I signed by the Ottoman Empire and Transcaucasian Commissariat in Erzincan on 18 December 1917 (5 December O.S.).Tadeusz Swieto ...

with the Ottoman Empire in December 1917, and virtually all Russian forces had left the Caucasus front by the end of the year, leaving only badly outnumbered Armenian forces to defend the frontline against the Ottomans. Silikyan was in Van until January 1918, when he was called to

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

by the Armenian National Council and appointed commander of the 2nd Armenian Infantry Division by General Nazarbekyan. On 3 March 1918, Soviet Russia signed the

, which stipulated the cession of the districts of

Batum Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of t ...

, and

Ardahan Ardahan (, ka, არტაანი, tr, hy, Արդահան, translit=Ardahan Russian: Ардаган) is a city in northeastern Turkey, near the Georgian border. It is the capital of Ardahan Province. History Ancient and medieval Ardaha ...

to the Ottoman Empire. By May 1918, the

Ottoman Third Army The Third Army was originally established in Skopje and later defended the northeastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Its initial headquarters was at Salonica, where it formed the core of the military forces that supported the Young Turk Rev ...

had retaken the territory earlier captured by Russia and advanced to capture Batum, Kars, Ardahan, and

Alexandropol Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city w ...

. At the battles of Sardarabad and Bash Abaran, Silikyan's forces (the Yerevan detachment) put a halt to the Ottoman advance. These victories are credited with preventing the total destruction of the Armenian nation at the hands of the Ottoman army. On 28 May 1918, the

was declared, which soon after signed the

Treaty of Batum The Treaty of Batum was signed in Batum on 4 June 1918, between the Ottoman Empire and the three Transcaucasian states: the First Republic of Armenia, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Democratic Republic of Georgia. It was the first ...

with the Ottoman Empire, putting an end to the hostilities at the cost of severe territorial concessions. On 26 June 1918, Silikyan was appointed commander of the sole Armenian division allowed to be maintained according to the conditions of the Treaty of Batum. He participated in the Armeno-Georgian War of December 1918. On 25 March 1919, the Military Council of the Armenian Army was created with General Nazarbekyan as its chairman; Silikyan was appointed a member of the council on April 24. On June 1 he received the rank of

of the Armenian Army. In April 1920 Silikyan was appointed Governor-General of the provinces of Nor Bayazet and Daralagyaz. The main purpose of his appointment was to provide support to Drastamat Kanayan's expedition to Mountainous Karabagh. During the Bolshevik-led

May Uprising The May Uprising ( hy, Մայիսյան ապստամբություն, translit=Mayisyan apstambutyun) was a coup d'état attempt by the Armenian Bolsheviks that started in Alexandropol (modern-day Gyumri) on May 10, 1920. It was eventually suppr ...

in 1920, Silikyan was taken prisoner by the Bolshevik rebels, but was freed after the suppression of the uprising. In September 1920, Turkish nationalist forces loyal to the

Government of the Grand National Assembly The Government of the Grand National Assembly ( tr, Büyük Millet Meclisi Hükûmeti), self-identified as the State of Turkey () or Turkey (), commonly known as the Ankara Government (),Kemal Kirişci, Gareth M. Winrow: ''The Kurdish Question and ...

started the

Turkish–Armenian War The Turkish–Armenian war ( hy, Հայ-թուրքական պատերազմ), known in Turkey as the Eastern Front ( tr, Doğu Cephesi) of the Turkish War of Independence, was a conflict between the First Republic of Armenia and the Turkish Na ...

in order to capture territory from Armenia and prevent the cession of four Ottoman provinces to Armenia according to the

Treaty of Sèvres The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...

. During the war, Silikyan commanded the Kars-Alexandropol front from his headquarters in Alexandropol. On 4 November 1920, Silikyan was ordered by General Nazarbekyan to request a ceasefire from the Turkish forces.

Later life and death

Following the Armenian defeat in the

and the

, Silikyan was arrested along with other high-ranking Armenian military officers and forced to walk from Yerevan to Aghstafa, whence they were taken by train to

. He was allowed to return to Armenia in September 1921. Silikyan first found work as an accountant at a Swedish company's branch in Alexandropol, then began working for the

American Committee for Relief in the Near East The Near East Foundation (NEF), founded in 1915 as the American Committee on Armenian Atrocities, later the American Committee for Relief in the Near East (ACRNE), and after that Near East Relief, is a Syracuse, New York-based American internation ...

, which provided humanitarian relief for survivors of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

. Silikyan also maintained correspondence with his old commander Tovmas Nazarbekyan in Tiflis and helped the latter compile his memoirs. Silikyan was arrested by the Soviet authorities in 1927 and sent into internal exile in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...

by administrative decision, but was allowed to return to Armenia the same year. He was arrested again in November 1935 and accused of holding monarchist views, persecuting communists during his time as Governor-General of Nor Bayazet, and maintaining contacts with members of the outlawed

Armenian Revolutionary Federation The Armenian Revolutionary Federation ( hy, Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութիւն, ՀՅԴ ( classical spelling), abbr. ARF or ARF-D) also known as Dashnaktsutyun (collectively referred to as Dashnaks for short), is an Armenian ...

. Silikyan was released in February 1936 after signing an affidavit not to leave Yerevan. The criminal case against Silikyan was dropped in April 1936. However, in 1937, during

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

, Silikyan was arrested once again and sentenced to death by decision of an

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to: Cultural tradition * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia * Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance Polit ...

on 16 November 1937. Silikyan and another former Armenian general,

Christophor Araratov Christophor Araratov ( hy, Քրիստափոր Արարատեան; ''Kristap'or Araratian'', russian: link=no, Христофор Араратян (Араратов)) (18 June 1876 – 10 December 1937), also known as Khachatur Araratian and Krista ...

, were accused of being members of a "counterrevolutionary officers' organization" involving multiple high-ranking officers of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

(these accusations also formed the basis of the Tukhachevsky case). Silikyan was executed on 22 November 1937. He was rehabilitated on 10 November 1987 by decision of the Supreme Court of the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...

Ivan Bagramyan Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan,; russian: Ива́н Христофо́рович Баграмя́н, link=no also known as Hovhannes Khachaturi Baghramyan; russian: Оване́с Хачату́рович Баграмя́н, link=no ( – 2 ...

, who served under Silikyan and later became

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...

, described him as "the most talented out of all the Armenian commanders" of the period of World War I and the First Republic of Armenia. Silikyan's contemporary, the historian Hovhannes Ter-Martirosyan (A-Do), described him as "a short, humble man with a kind face who did not know Armenian, but was an exemplary Armenian person."

Legacy and honors

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

, 2nd class (1910) *

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

(1916) These were restored to him (his descendants) after rehabilitation.

Bibliography

* * *

Notes

External links

Hayazg.info
1862 births 1937 deaths People from Shaki, Azerbaijan Armenian generals Silikov, Movses Armenian people of World War I Russian military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. George Great Purge victims from Armenia Soviet rehabilitations Udi people {{authority control