Hrayr Dzhoghk (, ''Hrayr The Hell''; 1864–13 April 1904), born (Armenak Ghazarian hy, Արմենակ Ղազարյան), also known as Hrair, Hrayr, Tjokhk, Djohkh, Dzhokhk, was 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 ...

military leader and strategist, fedayee, statesman and teacher, part of the

Armenian national liberation movement The Armenian national movement ( hy, Հայ ազգային-ազատագրական շարժում ''Hay azgayin-azatagrakan sharzhum'') included social, cultural, but primarily political and military movements that reached their height during Worl ...

. He was a member of 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 ...

Life

He was born as Armenak Ghazarian in Aharonk, a village in the

Western Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...

n Taron canton of

Turuberan Turuberan ( hy, Տուրուբերան) was the fourth Armenian region that was part of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia from 189 BC to 387 AD. Then it was part of the Sassanid Empire, Byzantine Empire, Arab Caliphate, medieval Kingdom of Armenia, ...

province. His father was priest ''Mamprè Ghazarian''. Armenak was graduated from the school of Surb Karapet Monastery in

Mush In multiplayer online games, a MUSH (a backronymed variation on MUD most often expanded as Multi-User Shared Hallucination, though Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, and Holodeck are also observed) is a text-based online social medium to which mul ...

during the late 1880s. Later, he studied at the United Armenian College of Mush. He was deeply influenced by the revolutionary ideas of his teacher ''Mkrtich Saryan''. After his graduation, Armenak has worked as a teacher in the Armenian schools of Sasun and Taron. He always wore the traditional Armenian hat of the people of Mush region. ''Hrayr'' and ''Dzhoghk'' were his two pen-names, that he used when he contributed articles to the official organ of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation

Droshak ''Droshak'' (''Troshag'', hy, Դրօշակ, "Flag") is the official organ of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) published in Tiflis (1890), Balkans (1890s), Geneva (1892-1914), Paris (1925-33), Beirut (1969-85), Athens (1986-96), Yerevan ...

. At the beginning of his revolutionary career in 1890, he joined the Hunchakian Party and worked closely with the party leaders Mihran Damadian and

Hampartsoum Boyadjian Hampartsoum Boyadjian ( hy, Համբարձում Պօյաճեան) (14 May 1860 – 30 July 1915), also known by his '' noms de guerre'' Murad and sometimes Medzn Murad ( hy, Մեծն Մուրատ, "Mourad the Great"), was an Armenian '' fedayi' ...

. Shortly after, he left the Hunchakian Party in 1893 for ideological differences. Dzhoghk joined the

and worked with prominent military leaders Aghbiur Serob,

Kevork Chavush Kevork Ghazarian ( hy, Գէորգ Ղազարեան; 1870 – 28 May 1907), commonly known as Kevork Chavush or Gevorg Chaush ( hy, Գէորգ Չաւուշ or Գևորգ Չաուշ), was an Armenian '' fedayee'' leader in the Ottoman Empire and a ...

and

Andranik Ozanian Andranik Ozanian, commonly known as General Andranik or simply Andranik;. Also spelled Antranik or Antranig 25 February 186531 August 1927), was an Armenian military commander and statesman, the best known '' fedayi'' and a key figure of the ...

. In spring 1894, Hrayr went to 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 ...

to purchase weapons for the Armenian revolutionaries. Then he went to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

where he joined the

. He believed in rebellion with the participation of the masses, and was one of the leaders of the Sasun Resistance of 1894. By 1895, Hrayr returned to Western Armenia with a group of 50 young men among which were Andranik Ozanian and Aghbiur Serob. Together with Tatul (Aram Aramian) he organized defense against slaughter in the area of Basen. In June, 1896 both were arrested and placed in prison of

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...

; Tatul was hanged, Hrayr released on amnesty. Afterward he went to Van and made plans to organize the Van Defense of 1896, then to Sasun (1902) where Hrayr and Andranik were both the main organizers and heads of the Sasun Resistance of 1904. During this defense, he was killed on 13 April in the village Gelieguzan. He was buried near Serob Pasha in the court of a local church. Hrayr and his comrade's bodies were buried by Andranik's soldiers, who came to help the local population.

Views

His views included opposition to insignificant isolated skirmishes and support to the idea of accumulation of forces for wide national revolt.

Legacy

There are a number of folk songs that Armenian people dedicated to his memory.

Sources

*S. Kirak, Hrair-Dzhoghk, Asbarez daily, Nov. 27, 1981, p. 3 *Dr. A. Chalabian, Gen. Andranik and the Armenian Revolutionary Movement, USA, 1988, pp. 106–107.

External links

Джохк Грайр (1866—1904)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dzhokhk, Hrayr 1866 births 1904 deaths Armenian nationalists People from Bitlis vilayet Armenian fedayi Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Prisoners and detainees of the Ottoman Empire