Tapa (Abdul Medjid) Bey Ortsu Tchermoev (1882 – August 28, 1937) ( ce, Тапа́ (Абду́л Меджи́д) Арцу́евич Чермо́ев or Тапа Абдул Миджит Бей Орцу Чермо́ев) was a North Caucasian statesman of
Chechen origin, general, oil magnate and the first
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of the
Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus. He was in office from 11 May 1918 until December 1918. His official title was ''General Tchermoeff, Prime Minister of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus''.
Early life
Born in
Grozny
Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia.
The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a pop ...
,
Chechnya
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
, in 1882, Tapa was the eldest son of General
Ortsu Tchermoev. He was educated at the
Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the North Ossetia-Alania, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Ru ...
real school and at the in
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. He graduated in 1901 and joined an elite military unit,
His Majesty's Own Cossack Escort
His Majesty's Own Cossack Escort (Russian: Собственный Его Императорского Величества Конвой, E.И.B.) - was a Russian Imperial Guard formation, created for the Emperor of All Russia. At the Battle of Le ...
of Tsar
Nicholas II
Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...
.
Tapa Tchermoev married Princess Khavarsultan Khanim Ibrahimbeyova of
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 ...
in 1906. Although still a young man, he was obliged to leave the army in 1908 when his father died. During this time, he threw himself into economic and industrial activities. His family owned important parcels of oil-bearing land in the Grozny area. Tapa automatically became one of the most active and energetic pioneers of the Grozny oil industry.
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 ...
interrupted Tapa's economic activity. He joined the famous native
Savage Division
The Caucasian Native Cavalry Division (russian: Кавказская туземная конная дивизия), or "Savage Division" (russian: Дикая дивизия) was a cavalry division of the Imperial Russian Army. Formed on 23 August ...
of 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 ...
with the rank of captain. In the war he proved himself a brilliant military leader and a fearless soldier. 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 ...
, Tapa returned to his native land with an intention to stem the rise of
Bolshevism in Chechnya.
The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
Tapa believed the unifying of all
Caucasian highlanders to be the only way of saving the
Northern Caucasus
The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...
from the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
. On his initiative and thanks to his unrelenting energy, a convention of Caucasian highlanders took place in March 1917. This meeting resolved to form an independent highland state. On 11 May 1918 the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus was officially established. Tapa was first the prime minister and then the minister for foreign affairs.
Early in March 1919, Tapa headed a delegation to Paris in an attempt to take part in the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
. The object of the delegation was to secure the recognition of the independence of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus. A year later, the North Caucasus was in the hands of the Bolsheviks and in January 1921 the
Soviet Mountain Republic
The Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic or Mountain ASSR ( rus, Го́рская АССР, r=Gorskaya ASSR; ce, Лаьмнийн Автономин Советийн Социалистийн Республика) was a short-lived autono ...
of the
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
was established.
From his second marriage he had a daughter, Marianne Bicat (March 27, 1921 - 1985).
Full text of "The Times , 1985, UK, English"
/ref>
References
* Baddeley, J. F., 1908, ''The Russian Conquest of the Caucasus'', Longmans, Green, and Co., London
* Henrey, Mrs Robert, 1954, ''Madeleine Grown Up'', J. M. Dent & Sons, London
* Caucasian Republic Mission to the Peace Conference Appeal for Help, Friday 4 April 1919, ''The Morning Post'', London.
* Tapa Charmoyev's Obituary ''The Times'' written by Elti Temihan
* Storozhenko (Ed.), 1995, ''Ingushetia and Chechen Republic Map'', Northern Caucasian Aerogeodesic Company of Roskartografia, Russia.
External links
Conflict in Chechnya: A Background Perspective
Charlotte Aliston. The Suggested Basis for a Russian Federal Republic': Britain, Anti-Bolshevik Russia and the Border States at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919
''Madeline Grown Up'' by Mrs Robert Henrey, 1952
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tchermoeff
1882 births
1937 deaths
Chechen politicians
Russian military personnel of World War I
People of the Russian Revolution
Generals of the Russian Empire
Chechen anti-communists
People from Grozny
North Caucasian independence activists