Yezdanşêr was a Kurdish leader, military officer and a relative of

Bedir Khan Beg Bedir Khan Beg (Kurmanji: ''Bedirxan Beg'', tr, Bedirhan Bey; 1803–1869) was the last Kurdish Mîr and mütesellim of the Emirate of Botan. Hereditary head of the house of Rozhaki whose seat was the ancient Bitlis castle and descended from S ...

. He became shortly the Müteselim of

Cizre Cizre (; ar, جَزِيْرَة ٱبْن عُمَر, Jazīrat Ibn ʿUmar, or ''Madinat al-Jazira'', he, גזירא, Gzira, ku, Cizîr, ''Cizîra Botan'', or ''Cizîre'', syr, ܓܙܪܬܐ ܕܒܪ ܥܘܡܪ, Gāzartā,) is a city in the Cizre Dis ...

and later led a revolt 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 the mid 1850s. After the revolt failed, he was exiled to

Vidin Vidin ( bg, Видин, ; Old Romanian: Diiu) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as o ...

, returning to the Ottoman bureaucracy in 1860s.

Early life

Yezdanşêr was born to Mir Sevdin (or Seyfeddin), a former Mir of

Bohtan Bohtan (also Buhtan, ''Bokhti'') was a medieval Kurdish principality in the Ottoman Empire centered on the town of Jazirah ibn 'Omar (modern Cizre also known as ''Cizîra Botan'' (''Jazira Botan'') in southeastern Anatolia. Bohtanis were an an ...

. Yezdanşêr was also the grandson of Bedir Khan Begs uncle and a commander of Bedir Khans troops during his revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1847. He then betrayed Bedir Khan and guided the Ottoman forces towards their decisive victory over Bedir Khan Beg. In exchange for his services, Yezdanşêr was promised some position in the Ottoman bureaucracy and after the defeat of his relative he was appointed the

Mütesellim ''Mütesellim'' or ''mutesellim'' was an Ottoman gubernatorial title used to describe mainly the head of a ''nahiye'', but also other positions within the Ottoman hierarchy, depending on the context. Mostly this title was used for civil governor ...

in the

Kurdistan Eyalet ckb:ئەیالەتی کوردستان Kurdistan Eyalet (Ottoman Turkish: ''Eyâlet-i Kurdistan'') was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. It was the first time that the Ottoman Empire used the term "Kurdistan" to refer to an administrative unit rath ...

. He was soon replaced by an Ottoman

Kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been retained an ...

, sent 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 (" ...

in March 1849 the same year then also to

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

. He was prohibited to return to Cizre.

Revolt against the Ottoman Empire

Disappointed from this treatment he led a revolt which began during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

, maybe in late 1854, which was when his salary was cut. In January 1855 Yezdanşêr denied having rebelled and offered a relative from him as a hostage. He also put forward several demands towards the Ottomans such as the permission for his family from Mosul to join him in Cizre which should be put under his administration or the release of prisoners in Cizre and

Midyat Midyat ( ku, Midyad, Syriac: ܡܕܝܕ ''Mëḏyaḏ'', Turoyo: ''Miḏyoyo'', ar, مديات) is a town in the Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the center of a centuries-old Hurrian town in Upper Mesopotamia. In its long history, the ...

. Not satisfied with the Ottoman response, he conquered

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 ...

and raided Midyat. The raid on Midyat was unsuccessful, as after they destroyed the Christian church, the Ottomans came to rescue the town and made many prisoners. Officials of the British Empire were worried the Ottomans would deviate troops fighting in the Crimean war to suppress Yezdanşêrs revolt and tried to mend ties between the two parties. The British General

Fenwick Williams General Sir William Fenwick Williams, 1st Baronet (4 December 180026 July 1883) was a Nova Scotian military leader for the British during the Victorian era. Williams is remembered for his defence of the town of Kars during the Crimean War. He ...

advised Yezdanşêr not to attack an Army of three states and eventually, the British compelled Yezdanşêr to surrender together with his brother and take refuge in the British Consulate in Mosul. Having arrived in Mosul, the Ottoman officials attempted to apprehend him, which the French prevented. Yezdanşêr and his allies remained in Mosul until September 1855, when they were escorted to Constantinople over Diyarbakir. Without a leader, the revolt dispersed. Arriving in Istanbul, the rebels were arrested and subsequently exiled to Vidin without the knowledge of the British. Lord Stratford, British consul in Constantinople protested his exile demanding his return to Constantinople, but to no avail.

In exile and later life

Yezdanşer then escaped to

Ottoman Bosnia The Ottoman Empire era of rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina (first as a ''sanjak'', then as an ''eyalet'') and Herzegovina (also as a ''sanjak'', then ''eyalet'') lasted from 1463/1482 to 1878 ''de facto'', and until 1908 ''de jure''. Ottoman ...

in early 1858 but was captured and brought back to Vidin the same year. His family was allowed to join him the next year. In the mid 1860s he applied to the Ottoman bureaucracy, eventually becoming the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Adlyie and in 1868 a

Mutassarif Mutasarrif or mutesarrif ( ota, متصرّف, tr, mutasarrıf) was the title used in the Ottoman Empire and places like post-Ottoman Iraq for the governor of an administrative district. The Ottoman rank of mutasarrif was established as part of a ...

in the Janina vilayet. It is assumed he died somewhen in the 1870s.{{rp, 377

References

Kurdish people from the Ottoman Empire 1870s deaths Rebels from the Ottoman Empire Governors of the Ottoman Empire Exiles from the Ottoman Empire