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 ...
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
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, 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
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
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
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...
,
Kiev
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
and then also the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, 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
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
) 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
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
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