Anzavur Ahmed Anchok Pasha (; ; 1885 – 15 April 1921) was an Ottoman soldier, gendarme officer, pasha, and militia leader of Circassian origin. He was declared a Pasha by the late Ottoman government.

Biography

Anzavur served as a major 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 ...

. After the Ottomans lost in World War I, he believed that the only way to salvation was to cooperate with the invading British forces as he was loyal to the caliph, and he believed Atatürk's

Turkish national movement The Turkish National Movement ( tr, Türk Ulusal Hareketi) encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries that resulted in the creation and shaping of the modern Republic of Turkey, as a consequence of the def ...

was not only blasphemous, but also would only hurt the future of the land as it would eventually fail and would do nothing but anger the British-Greek forces. Thus, he became a guerrilla leader in Anatolia and started what is known as

Revolt of Ahmet Anzavur The Revolt of Ahmet Anzavur ( tr, Ahmet Anzavur Ayaklanması) was a series of revolts led by the Ottoman gendarme officer Ahmet Anzavur against the Turkish national movement during the Turkish War of Independence. The revolt was coordinated by the ...

. He was then declared a Pasha by the Istanbul government, had massive power, lots of support from the British, and he gathered a lot of men, whom he convinced by using religion, under his command. He secured a deal with local Greeks and captured the entire Marmara Region and his revolt was seen as a serious threat that could go as far as ending the

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

. The revolt was defeated by,

Çerkes Ethem Çerkes Ethem (1886 – 21 September 1948), known in English as Ethem the Circassian, was a Circassian Ottoman guerilla leader, social bandit, efe and soldier. He initially gained fame for establishing the Kuva-yi Seyyare and putting down mu ...

. Çerkes Ethem was an Islamic socialist, who while not agreeing with Atatürk's nationalism, believed that Atatürk's movement was the only option as he saw the invasion forces as infidel enemies and declared on many occasions that he would not sabotage the Turkish national movement. Anzavur was sentenced to death on 15 April 1921 in the village of Adliye near

Karabiga Karabiga (Karabuga) is a town in Biga District, Çanakkale Province, in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is located at the mouth of the Biga River, on a small east-facing bay, known as Karabiga Bay. Its ancient name was Priapus or Priapos ( gr ...

, while Çerkes Ethem, who defeated him and countless other revolters as well as many Greek forces, would later be declared as a traitor due to clashes with

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (; 24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish army officer and statesman of Kurdish descent, who served as the second President of Turkey from 11 November 1938 to 22 May 1950, and its Prime Minister three tim ...

References

1921 deaths 1885 births People from the Ottoman Empire of Circassian descent Ottoman military officers Ottoman military personnel of World War I 20th-century executions by Turkey Turkish people of Circassian descent Pashas {{Ottoman-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References