Yeprem Khan ( hy, Եփրեմ Խան; 1868–1912), born Yeprem Davidian ( hy, Եփրեմ Դավթյան, fa, یپرم‌خان داویدیان), was an

Iranian-Armenian Iranian-Armenians ( hy, իրանահայեր ''iranahayer''), also known as Persian-Armenians ( hy, պարսկահայեր ''parskahayer''), are Iranians of Armenian ethnicity who may speak Armenian as their first language. Estimates of th ...

revolutionary leader and a leading figure in the

Constitutional Revolution of Iran The Persian Constitutional Revolution ( fa, مشروطیت, Mashrūtiyyat, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a par ...

. He is considered a national hero in

Iran 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 ...

Life

Early life

Yeprem Khan was born to an Armenian family in the village of

Barsum Barsum is a village in the Shamkir Rayon of Azerbaijan. Yeprem Khan, the Armenian-Iranian Iranian-Armenians ( hy, իրանահայեր ''iranahayer''), also known as Persian-Armenians ( hy, պարսկահայեր ''parskahayer''), are Ira ...

( hy, Բարսում), located in

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. ...

Aram Arkun. "Eprem Khan", Encyclopedia Iranica, Online Edition
/ref> (located in present-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 th ...

). In his youth, Yeprem participated in Armenian nationalist groups as well as in partisan activities against 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 September 1890, Yeprem was arrested by the

Russian Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

. He was exiled to

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

by 1892, from where he managed to escape to

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 ...

in 1896. While in Tabriz, he began working for the

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 ...

(ARF Dashnaktsutiun), whose activity in Persia was primarily directed against the Ottoman Empire,Aram Arkun. "Dashnak (Armenian Revolutionary Federation)", Encyclopedia Iranica, Online Edition
/ref> and established its local branches in Tabriz and

Rasht Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...

Revolutionary

Yeprem was highly instrumental in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, and, by 1907, convinced ARF to actively participate in it. After the Persian national parliament was shelled by the Russian Colonel

Vladimir Liakhov Polkovnik (Colonel) Vladimir Platonovitch Liakhov (also spelled Liakhoff, russian: Влади́мир Плато́нович Ля́хов) (c. 20 June 1869 – June 1919) was the commander of the Persian Cossack Brigade during the rule of Mohammad ...

, Yeprem Khan united with Sattar Khan and other revolutionary leaders in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran against Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar. In October 1908, during Tabriz resistance, Yeprem Khan formed a secret Sattar Committee (in honor of Sattar KhanHouri Berberian. ''Armenians and the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, 1905–1911'', Westview Press, 2001, , p. 132) in Rasht, and established contacts with Social Democrats,

Social Revolutionaries Social revolutions are sudden changes in the structure and nature of society. These revolutions are usually recognized as having transformed society, economy, culture, philosophy, and technology along with but more than just the political syst ...

, and the ARF in the Caucasus. Reinforced by 35 Georgians and twenty Armenians from

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

, Yeprem captured Rasht and then planted his red flag on the town hall of Anzali. Further reinforced by Mohammad Vali Sepahdar, the main landed magnate of the Caspian provinces and former Qajar commander, Yeprem Khan marched his forces of Caucasian guerillas and Mazandarani peasants towards Tehran,Ervand Abrahamian. ''Iran between two revolutions'', Princeton University Press, 1982, , p. 99 which he entered in July 1909. After the capture of Tehran,

Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, محمدعلی شاه قاجار; 21 June 1872 – 5 April 1925, San Remo, Italy), Shah of Iran from 8 January 1907 to 16 July 1909. He was the sixth shah of the Qajar dynasty. Biography Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar ...

fled from his palace to the Russian Embassy. On the same day, the

Iranian Parliament The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The P ...

set in an extraordinary meeting to replace Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar in favor of his son

Ahmad Shah Qajar Ahmad Shah Qajar ( fa, احمد شاه قاجار; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Persia (Iran) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the last ruling member of the Qajar dynasty. Ahmad Shah was born in Tabriz on 21 Janu ...

. On 10 September 1909, Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar left the Russian Embassy and went into exile in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

(today part of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Police chief in Iran

On 30 July 1909, the Second National Assembly (Parliament) of Iran, appointed Yeprem Khan as the police chief of Tehran. After becoming the police chief of Tehran, he restored order in the city and made various reforms to the police force. In 1910, he became chief police of all Iran. He further split from revolutionaries, when in 1910, Sattar Khan, a hero of the civil war, refused to obey the government order to disarm. After a brief but violent confrontation at Atabek Park in Tehran, Yeprem Khan, using Shah's army and police forces, disarmed Sattar Khan. In 1911 Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar plotted his return to power from Odessa. He later landed at

Astarabad Gorgan ( fa, گرگان ; also romanized as ''Gorgān'', ''Gurgān'', and ''Gurgan''), formerly Esterabad ( ; also romanized as ''Astarābād'', ''Asterabad'', and ''Esterābād''), is the capital city of Golestan Province, Iran. It lies app ...

, Iran, but his forces were defeated by Yeprem. p. 285-286 Mohammad Ali Shah then fled to Russia, then in 1920 to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

and later to San Remo,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, where he died five years later in April 1925 (he was buried in

Karbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

). Yeprem Khan was killed on 19 May 1912 while he was trying to rescue one of his comrades in a battle in Shurcheh in Kermanshahan Province. He was killed by some of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar's loyal troops who remained in Iran. Arshak Gavafian (Keri) later killed the murderers of Yeprem Khan in revenge. He is buried in St. Mary Church in downtown Tehran.

Legacy

Saint Mary Armenian Church (Tehran) 5877

Yeprem Khan is today, along with many important figures like Sattar Khan, considered a national hero of Iran. He is also praised by Iranian historians such as

Ahmad Kasravi Ahmad Hokmabadi Tabrizi ( fa, سید احمد حکم‌آبادی تبریزی, Ahmad-e Hokmabadi-ye Tabrizi; 29 September 1890 – 11 March 1946), later known as Ahmad Kasravi ( fa, احمد کسروی, Ahmad-e Kasravi), was a pre-eminent Irani ...

and by

Morgan Shuster William Morgan Shuster (23 February 1877 in Washington, D.C. – 26 May 1960 in New York City), was an American lawyer, civil servant, and publisher, who is best known as the treasurer-general of Persia by appointment of the Iranian parliamen ...

, treasurer-general of Persia in that time.Morgan Shuster, The Strangling of Persia. New York 1912. There exists a popular Armenian patriotic song dedicated to the memory and deeds of Yeprem Khan. The Iranian sculptor Lilit Teryan has created a sculpture of Khan. The statue is at St Mary's church in Tehran.

References

External links

Armenians in Iran
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Yeprem 1868 births 1912 deaths Armenian nationalists Politicians from Ganja, Azerbaijan Armenian fedayi People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Iran Armenian people from the Russian Empire Persian Armenians Iranian revolutionaries People deported from Russia Armenian Revolutionary Federation politicians