Samson Yakovlevich Makintsev (russian: Самсо́н Я́ковлевич Маки́нцев), more commonly known as Samson Khan or Sam Khan (سامسونخان); (1849 – 1780), was a
general
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n origin in the service of
Qajar Iran
Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...
. Originally a sergeant of the
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...
Dragoon Regiment in the
Imperial Russian Army, he deserted and became one of the many
defectors
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...
who changed sides in the era of the
Russo-Persian Wars
The Russo-Persian Wars or Russo-Iranian Wars were a series of conflicts between 1651 and 1828, concerning Persia (Iran) and the Russian Empire. Russia and Persia fought these wars over disputed governance of territories and countries in the Ca ...
.
Biography
From at least the 19th century, and probably earlier, a steady stream of deserters from the
Imperial Russian armies in the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...
fled to
Iranian
Iranian may refer to:
* Iran, a sovereign state
* Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran
* Iranian lan ...
territory, sometimes surrendering to Iranian forces and entering Iranian service. Iran's then commander-in-chief, crown-prince
Abbas Mirza
Abbas Mirza ( fa, عباس میرزا; August 26, 1789October 25, 1833) was a Qajar crown prince of Iran. He developed a reputation as a military commander during the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 and the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828, as ...
, was eager to acquire and retain the services of as many Russian deserters as possible, because their military training was a useful asset to his new regular army. At first he used individual deserters to train his new regiments. As their numbers grew, he incorporated them into the ''Nezam'' regiments, and finally made them into a separate unit of their own.
One of the more notable deserters who enlisted in the Iranian service was Samson Yakovlevich Makintsev, a staff-trumpeter sergeant, who deserted from the
Nizhni-Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...
Dragoon Regiment in 1802, just before the start of the
first Russo-Persian War of the 19th century (1804–1813). He was born in 1780 in the
Caucasian Line of
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
origin and was the child of a soldier. He joined the Dragoon regiment in 1799 at the age of 19. The service record of Lieutenant General V.V. Grushenko’s Nizhni-Novgorod Dragoon Regiment for 1January 1800 records the following information about Makintsev: "Samson Makantsov, Yakov's son. 19 years of age, height 2 arshins, 41/2
vershoks (162cm). White face, light blond hair, grey eyes. Can read and write Russian. Unmarried. Taken into Major O.A. Kulikovskii's squadron as a dragoon on 14September 1799, from the soldiers' children with the regiment who had attained adulthood." The reference to Makantsov as being of the "soldier's children" (''soldatskie deti'') meant that he was in fact part of a juridically defined social category stipulated in the Imperial Russian
Petrine ranking system. According to the ranking system, the soldiers' children belonged to the military domain (''voennoe vedomstvo'') and were therefore destined for life in the military service. His membership in this social class probably also explains why he was literate, at a time when this was very uncommon for lower-ranking Russian soldiers. As a member of ''soldatskie deti'', he would have been eligible to enter the special military schools and receive some education.
In Persia
Historian Stephanie Cronin states that the reason for his desertion is not definitely known, but the men of his regiment apparently believed that he had stolen the mouthpieces from the regiment's silver trumpets. After fleeing the regiment in 1802, then 22 years old, he gave himself up to the Iranians, entered Abbas Mirza's service, and was appointed a lieutenant in one of the new ''Nezam-e-Jadid'' (lit. "new army") regiments, the ''fawj-i-Erivan'' (the
Erivan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
regiment), named after one of Iran's threatened Caucasian provinces.
Through his efforts, which included the enlisting of other fugitives into the ranks, Makintsev earned promotion to the rank of
major. Soon one half of the Erivan regiment was made up of deserters. Seemingly having noticed Abbas Mirza's approval, the Russians expressed their dissatisfaction with the regiment's Iranian commander and to ask that he be replaced by Makintsev. Abbas Mirza, who was unwilling to place a mixed unit that included Muslim Iranians under direct Russian rule, instead formed the deserters into a separate unit, giving its command and the rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
, and later
general
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
, to Makintsev, who took the name Samson Khan.
Makintsev quickly gained the complete confidence of Abbas Mirza, who gave the
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
the name
''Bahadoran'' (heroes) and used them to constitute his palace guard. The most reliable element in the ''Nezam-e-Jadid'', they were better trained and more regularly paid than the native troops, and the king (
Fath Ali Shah Qajar
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, فتحعلىشاه قاجار, Fatḥ-ʻAli Šâh Qâjâr; May 1769 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah (king) of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irr ...
), and Abbas Mirza in particular, relied on them to suppress domestic rebellions. They were especially used in any issue related to "discontent with a religious flavour".
At first Makintsev recruited amongst the Russians whom he found in
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
deserters, prisoners of war, and even runaway peasants. As Cronin notes, after his regiment suffered severe losses in the
1804–1813 Russo-Persian War, Makintsev started an active approach. Not waiting for deserters to arrive in Tabriz of their own accord, he made every effort to encourage the flight of soldiers in the
Russian army
The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...
then occupying the Iranian territory that is modern-day
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 t ...
. He employed a range of methods, including "enticements, money and cunning", and he organized schemes to encourage troops to desert their Russian units. Persuasion was tried first, and then Makintsev's men would ply the Russians "with wine and seize them".
The reputation of Makintsev, now with the rank of general, as a trusted soldier of the crown prince and commander-in-chief,
Abbas Mirza
Abbas Mirza ( fa, عباس میرزا; August 26, 1789October 25, 1833) was a Qajar crown prince of Iran. He developed a reputation as a military commander during the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 and the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828, as ...
, and the welcome awaiting for those who deserted by this time well known among the Russian troops, led to a constant stream of deserters. Several hundred Russian
prisoners of war were also enlisted into the ''Bahadoran'' regiment of the ''Nezam-e Jadid''. Cronin notes that as time passed, the sons of deserter-troops who had married in Iran were, in a continuation of the Russian practice, also enlisted into the regiment.
The strength of the regiment fluctuated. In 1822 they were estimated to number 800–1,000 troops, but after the second Russo-Persian War (1826–1828) it was reported that there were as many as 3,000. In 1833 alone, 400 new deserters arrived from Russia. Compared to the native ''Nizam'' troops, this was a comparatively substantial number, which, though also fluctuating and uncertain, probably amounted to around 12,000 by the early 1830s, according to Cronin. Some decided to settle permanently in Iran, integrating into local society, their habitual drunkenness apparently presenting no impediment to social acceptance. Some yearned to return home, but many married and established families. Makintsev himself married and had children, and those who married were given land and apparently lived well. Makintsev inhabited a large house in the
Tabriz ''arg'' (citadel), having made an extremely advantageous marriage to the daughter of the exiled
Prince Alexander of Georgia who was living in Iran proper as well.
Makintsev's regiment was the fighting core of the Nizam-i-Jadid, and appears to have possessed considerable combat power. During the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813, Makintsev's regiment fought at the decisive
Battle of Aslanduz in October 1812. Though overall a disaster for the Iranians, the deserters under Makintsev appear to have engaged the troops under General
Pyotr Kotlyarevsky
Pyotr Stepanovich Kotlyarevsky (23 June 1782 – 2 November 1852) was a Russian military hero of the early 19th century.
Biography
He was born in the village of Olkhovatka near Kharkiv into a cleric's family. Kotlyarevsky was brought up in an i ...
with some success, reportedly nearly annihilating them. Kotlyarevsky on the other hand acted quickly to take revenge, for the deserters amongst the prisoners were hanged and bayoneted. By the time of the 1826–1828 war, the deserters had developed qualms, and Makintsev tried to avoid a direct confrontation in the fighting, declaring that the "Russians had sworn on the
Holy Gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
that they would not fire on fellow
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
". Abbas Mirza, however, was determined to use his expertise and made him his military adviser, and the regiment subsequently went on campaign on the condition that it would be kept in reserve, though it eventually was involved in military operations. After the campaign, Makintsev retired from active service. He then appointed his new son-in-law,
Yevstafii Vasilievich Skryplev, a non-commissioned officer recently deserted from the Nasheburg infantry regiment, the new colonel and regimental commander.
![Holy SURP Hovhannes Church](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Holy_SURP_Hovhannes_Church.jpg)
Russia had been making extensive efforts and appeasement policies for years towards the deserters to repatriate them, with, eventually, relatively high success. Makintsev himself declined the offer, however, apparently out of fear that he would be treated differently from the other deserters, tried separately, and punished. He died in 1849 and was buried under the altar of an Orthodox church (
Saint John Church of Sohrol
The Church of Saint John ( hy, Սուրբ Յովհաննէս Եկեղեցի) is a 5th- or 6th-century Armenian Catholic church in Sohrol, Shabestar County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. It was rebuilt in 1840 by Samson Makintsev (Sam Khan; me ...
) in
Iranian Azerbaijan that he himself had rebuilt in 1840.
By the early 1850s the deserter regiment of which Makintsev had once been part had vanished, its remnants in Iran absorbed into the native Nizam units.
Issue
Samson Khan married three times;
1. 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 ...
from the village
Kizyldzha near
Salmas
Salmas ( fa, سلماس; ; ; ; syr, ܣܵܠܵܡܵܣ, Salamas) is the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. It is located northwest of Lake Urmia, near Turkey. According to the 2019 census, the city's population is 127,86 ...
of the
Khoy Khanate
The Khoy Khanate, also known as the Principality of Donboli, was a hereditary Kurdish khanate around Khoy and Salmas in Iran ruled by the Donboli tribe from 1210 until 1799. The khanate has been described as the most powerful khanate in the regi ...
. Samson killed her later for infidelity.
2. Yelizaveta – the illegitimate daughter of
Prince Aleksandre of Georgia
Prince Alexander of Georgia ( ka, ალექსანდრე ბატონიშვილი, ''aleksandre batonishvili'') (1770–1844) was a Georgian royal prince (''batonishvili'') of the Bagrationi family, who headed several insurrecti ...
.
3. unknown – died childless.
Children;
From the first marriage, he had three daughters. From the second, he had a son, Jebrail, and a daughter, Anna. His son Jebrail later served as an aide-de-camp to Shah
Naser al-Din, and was known by the name of ''Jebrail Khan''.
See also
*
Russo-Persian War (1804-1813)
The Russo-Persian Wars or Russo-Iranian Wars were a series of conflicts between 1651 and 1828, concerning Persia (Iran) and the Russian Empire. Russia and Persia fought these wars over disputed governance of territories and countries in the Cau ...
*
Russo-Persian War (1826-1828)
The Russo-Persian Wars or Russo-Iranian Wars were a series of conflicts between 1651 and 1828, concerning Persia (Iran) and the Russian Empire. Russia and Persia fought these wars over disputed governance of territories and countries in the Cau ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
* Берже А. П. Самсон-хан Макинцев и русские беглецы в Персии 1806-1853 гг. // Русская старина. – Т. 15, № 4 (апрель). – С. 775. (in Russian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makintsev, Samson
1780 births
1849 deaths
Military personnel of the Russian Empire
Russian defectors
Iranian generals
Iranian military commanders
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Iran
People of the Russo-Persian Wars
People of the Caucasian War
Burials in Iran
People of Qajar Iran