Abdürrezzak Bedir Khan
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Abdürrezzak Bedir Khan (1864 in
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
– 1918) was an Ottoman Kurdish diplomat, politician and a member of the Bedir Khan family.


Education

After he graduated from school, he entered into the Ottoman administration, following his father to the
sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...
Aydin, where his father has been appointed as the
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
. After it was not possible for him to pursue his studies in
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, he accepted an offer to complete his formation as an Ottoman diplomat in the Foreign Ministry of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in 1885.


Diplomatic career

In 1889, he was sent to
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in the
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to work for one year in the Ottoman Consulate as a secretary. As he returned to Constantinople, he asked for more work and was offered an office at the Consulate in
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
. It was a post he eventually was not able to assume as he was called back to Constantinople. He didn't comply with the demand and left for the Russian Empire, in which he wanted to settle in
Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
. Through his diplomatic relations he established during his time at the consulate in Saint Petersburg, he managed to arrive in
Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...
but his plans to live in Yerevan were dashed due to pressures from the Ottoman Empire. From Tiflis he began a wide journey over
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,
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and then also the
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, before his father Mustafa Bedir Khan compelled him to return to Constantinople in 1894. Back in the Ottoman capital, he was given a post in the office of the master of ceremonies in Constantinople. As such he got to know several European diplomats to which he retained long-lasting cordial relations. In January 1906 he had a dispute with members of the Ottoman bureaucracy opposed to the renovation of the street leading to Abdürrezzaks house in
Şişli Şişli () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 10 km2, and its population is 276,528 (2022). Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş ...
. Abdürrezzak then sequestrated Ahmed Ağa, who opposed the renovation which prompted Ridvan Pasha to send fifty followers of him to attack Abdürrezzak household. Ridvans men have killed a servant of Abdürrezzak, managed to liberate Ahmed Ağa. He then also achieved to defend himself from reprisals by Abdürrezzak who complained about their actions to Sultan
Abdul Hamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a Decline and modernizati ...
. This then lead Abdürrezzak to encourage the assassination of Rıdvan Pasha following which he was dismissed, sentenced and imprisoned in
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...
, (in present-day
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) in 1906.Henning, Barbara (2018), p.601 Other members of the Bedir Khan family were sent into exile for this accusation. Following the
Young Turk Revolution The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908; ) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. Revolutionaries belonging to the Internal Committee of Union and Progress, an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II ...
in 1908, he was not pardoned and permitted to return from exile as other members of the Bedir Khans and remained in detention until he was released in 1910. The same year, he applied for asylum to the Russian Empire citing the German General Helmuth von Moltke, (who met with Abdürrezzak's father Bedir Khan in the 1830s) as a reference. In 1911, several members of the Bedir Khan family toured the Bohtan area, also Abdürrezzak who at the time intended to be elected as a deputy for the
Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly (; French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" or ''Genel Parlamento''; ) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Also known as the Ottoman Parliament ('' Legislation o ...
. In 1912, he was supporting a Kurdish uprising around
Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, 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. It is the site of an ...
. By 1913 he demanded the inclusion of the Kurds in negotiations concerning an eventual land reform of the eastern provinces. He argued that a lot of the land which was discussed to come under Armenian rule was owned and populated by a Kurdish majority. In 1917, after the Russians captured the eastern provinces of Anatolia, he was given the post of a Governor in
Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Klein, Janet (2011), p.125 The
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reportedly stated that he was seen as a leader of the Kurdish tribes by the Russians, and that he attended a meeting with them together with
Simko Shikak Ismail Agha Shikak (, ), also known as Simko (, ; 1887–1930), was a Kurds, Kurdish chieftain of the Shekak (tribe), Shekak tribe. He was a nationalist warlord who controlled significant land and led thousands of Kurdish rebels who defeated th ...
in May 1914. He was killed in 1918, and it is unclear on the orders of whom he was killed.


Personal life

He was born to Necib Pasha Bedir Khan and Hanife Bedir Khan into a household of the Bedir Khan family. He married Henriette Hornik of Austrian origin with whom he had a daughter in 1903 who was to be known as Leyla Bedir Khan.Henning, Barbara (2018), p.306


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedir Khan, Abdürrezzak Kurdish politicians Kurdish people from the Ottoman Empire 1864 births 1918 deaths 19th-century Kurdish people Exiles from the Ottoman Empire Diplomats of the Ottoman Empire