Samad bey Sadykh bey oghlu Mehmandarov ( az, Səməd bəy Sadıx bəy oğlu Mehmandarov; October 16, 1855 – February 12, 1931) was an Azerbaijani

General of the Artillery General of the Artillery is/was a general officer of artillery, and may be: *General of the Artillery (Germany) and Austria-Hungary * General of the Artillery (Imperial Russia) * General of the Artillery (Poland) *Feldzeugmeister (OF-8) of the Austr ...

in the Imperial Russian Army and served as Minister of Defense of the

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian A ...

Early life

Samad bey

Mehmandarov The Mehmandarovs are noble family of Azerbaijan. It may refer to the following people * Karim bey Mehmandarov (1854-1929) — Physician. One of the first Azerbaijani therapeutist and surgeon. First Azerbaijani therapeutist and surgeon graduated f ...

was born on October 16, 1855 in

Lankaran Lankaran ( az, Lənkəran, ) is a city in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the southern border with Iran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of, Lankaran District. The city forms a dis ...

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 t ...

in a noble family originally from

Shusha / hy, Շուշի , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg , image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govha ...

. He graduated from 2nd Constantine Military School 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 ...

in 1875, was conferred the rank of

podporuchik ''Podporuchik'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, потпоручник, potporučnik, cs, podporučík, pl, podporucznik, russian: подпору́чик, bg, подпоручик, sk, podporučík) is the most Junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, an ...

and assigned to 1st

Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turk ...

artillery brigade. In the course of military service he was promoted to poruchik in 1877 and seconded two years later to 2nd artillery brigade in St. Petersburg.

Active duty

In 1885 shtabs-kapitan Mehmandarov was assigned to 38th artillery brigade in 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 ...

, where he served 9 years. In 1894, 38th artillery brigade was transferred to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, where he became a member of

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

. In 1898, captain Mehmandarov was promoted to

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

and appointed the commander of 1st

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

of 3rd artillery battalion. The same year, Mehmandarov’s battery was moved to

Transbaikal Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia ( rus, Забайка́лье, r=Zabaykalye, p=zəbɐjˈkalʲjɪ), or Dauria (, ''Dauriya'') is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" (trans-) Lake Baikal in Far Eastern Russia. The steppe and ...

region and took part in China Relief Expedition in 1901. For the services in battle Mehmandarov was conferred the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. In 1903 he completed a course in

Tsarskoye Selo Tsarskoye Selo ( rus, Ца́рское Село́, p=ˈtsarskəɪ sʲɪˈlo, a=Ru_Tsarskoye_Selo.ogg, "Tsar's Village") was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the c ...

Officer's Artillery College. When the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

broke out in 1904, Mehmandarov was appointed the commander of 7th Eastern Siberia artillery battalion. During the

siege of Port Arthur The siege of Port Arthur ( ja, 旅順攻囲戦, ''Ryojun Kōisen''; russian: link=no, Оборона Порт-Артура, ''Oborona Port-Artura'', August 1, 1904 – January 2, 1905) was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russ ...

he was the commander of the Eastern Front Artillery. For the services in battle he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and decorated with the

Order of Saint George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

of IV degree. After the capitulation of the fortress the garrison was in Japanese captivity. When Japanese commanders allowed the captured Russian officers to return home in exchange to signing an obligation not to fight against Japan, Mehmandarov refused and preferred to stay with his soldiers. Upon his return from captivity Mehmandarov was appointed the commander of 7th East Siberian Artillery Brigade in 1906, and became the commander of

3rd Siberian Army Corps The 3rd Siberian Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition 1905: * 4th Siberian Rifle Division *7th Siberian Rifle Division 1914: *7th Siberian Rifle Division *8th Siberian Rifle Division The 8th Siberian Rifle Divis ...

artillery a year later. In 1908, he was conferred the rank of lieutenant-general. In 1910, he was appointed the commander of 1st Caucasus Division; in 1913 he became the commander of 21st Infantry Division and in this position entered

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 ...

within

3rd Caucasus Army Corps The 3rd Caucasus Army Corps (Russian, 3-й Ка́вказский арме́йский ко́рпус) was a military formation of the Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 ...

. Under Mehmandarov’s command the division earned the reputation of one of the best in the Russian Army, and 81st Apsheron and 83rd Samur regiments especially distinguished themselves. He was decorated with the

of III degree for the battles of 27 – 29 September 1914, and Saint George Sword decorated with diamonds for the battle near

Ivangorod Ivangorod ( rus, Иванго́род, p=ɪvɐnˈɡorət; et, Jaanilinn; vot, Jaanilidna) is a town in Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the east bank of the Narva river which flows along the Estonia–Russia int ...

on 14 February 1915. The latter was a very rare military award, only eight Russian commanders received it during the entire course of the World War I. On December 11, 1914 Mehmandarov was appointed the commander of 2nd Caucasus Army Corps. Mehmandarov’s corps was engaged in the fiercest battles with German troops and during the whole war had not surrendered to the enemy a single piece of ordnance. On 22 March 1915 Samedbey Mehmandarov was promoted to the rank of the

. He was decorated with British, French and Romanian orders.

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

Кабинет министров Азербайджанской Республики IV-го правительственного состава

After the February Revolution in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Mehmandarov resigned and left for Baku. With the establishment of the

in 1918, Samedbey Mehmandarov became the third and last Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan. He held this position until 11th Red Army troops invaded Azerbaijan in 1920. After the fall of the national government and establishment of Soviet rule in Azerbaijan Mehmandarov was arrested, but he was released two months later. He taught in military schools and was an advisor to the Commissariat of Military and Naval Forces of the Azerbaijan SSR until his retirement in 1928. Samad bey Mehmandarov died on February 12, 1931 in Baku.

References

This article incorporates material translated from Russian Wikipedia

External links

Russian Army in World War I

Military Encyclopaedia of Sytin. Samad bey Mehmandarov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehmandarov, Samad Bey 1855 births 1931 deaths Azerbaijan Democratic Republic politicians Azerbaijani generals Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Azerbaijani military personnel of World War I Azerbaijani military personnel of the Armenian–Azerbaijani War (1918–1920) Azerbaijani people of the Armenian–Azerbaijani war (1918–1920) Imperial Russian Army generals Ministers of Defense of Azerbaijan People from Lankaran Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Russian military personnel of World War I Azerbaijani nobility Generals of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Azerbaijani generals of Imperial Russian Army Azerbaijani people of World War I