 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Turkish. (November 2020)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| Bedir Khan Beg | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Costume of Beder Khan Bey, byMiner Kilbourne Kellogg | |||||
| Emir ofBohtan | |||||
| Reign | 1821–1847 | ||||
| Predecessor | Seyfeddin beg | ||||
| Successor | Yezdanşêr | ||||
| Born | 1803 Cizre,Şırnak,Bohtan | ||||
| Died | 1869 Damascus,Ottoman Empire | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| |||||
| House | Azizan dynasty | ||||
| Father | Abdullah Beg | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Bedir Khan Beg (Kurmanji:Bedirxan Beg,Turkish:Bedirhan Bey; 1803–1869) was the lastKurdish[1][2]Mir andmütesellim of theEmirate of Botan.[3]
Hereditary head of the house of Rozhaki whose seat was the ancient Bitlis Castle and descended fromSharafkhan Bidlisi, Bedir Khan was born inCizre (now in Turkey) ofAzizan family.[4] He became the Mir of the Emirate of Botan in 1821 and ruled until 1847.[3] The Bedir Khans also claimed descent fromMuhammad's generalKhalid ibn al-Walid.[4][5]
He was born to Abdullah Bey, and became the ruler of Botan after his cousin Sayfuddin (who succeeded Abdullah Bey after his death), wasn't able to calm down the region and his brother Said Bey was too religious and left the leadership to Bedir Khan.[6] During his first term as Mir, he soon established a regional control strong enough, that allowed him to deny his support to the Ottoman Sultan during theRusso-Turkish War between 1828 and 1829.[7] He managed to develop the war-torn districts under his control and within years, the population in the area in his control grew significantly.[8] His success was such, that European diplomats from the region reported to their governments about Bedir Khan's ability to provide his followers with a good economic standard and security, comparing with other neighboring regions.[8] Bedir Khan was proud of the security he brought to the region, that under his leadership, banditry had disappeared and caravans were able to cross his territory in safety.[9] Bedir Khan Beg was repeatedly responsible for massacres of theYazidis. In 1832, thousands of Yazidis were killed in theShekhan area by Bedir Khan Beg in cooperation with the KurdishSoran princeMuhammad Pasha of Rawanduz.[10] But he was not always on good terms with Muhammad Pahsa, in 1834, his army had to defend the Emirate from him.[7] In 1836, the Ottomans attacked and defeated him, and Bedir Khan renewed his vow of allegiance to the Sultan[7] In 1838, the Ottoman Reshid Pasha conquered Cizre[11] and Bedir Khan began to lose his power due to thecentralist policies of theOttoman Empire, which culminated in theTanzimat Edict of 1839 and its application the following year. Following theBattle of Nizip in 1839, in which Bedir Khan took part for the Ottoman side,[12] he emerged as the dominant Kurdish ruler in central Kurdistan.[13] He raised taxes, minted his own coins and organized the justice system.[14] The security in Bohtan gave him such popularity among its inhabitants, that many families from neighboring districts settled in the Emirate of Bohtan.[9] This led to a dispute with the Vali of Mosul, who in 1842 wanted to integrate the district of Cizre into the province of Mosul, an aim, to which the population of Cizre did not agree to.[9] By 1845, Bedir Khan beg ruled over a region spanning from Diyarbakir to Mosul in the west toUrmia in the east.[15] As it was known that he had planned the modernization of his troops by creating cross-tribal militias constituted by soldiers of several tribes and that thefriday sermons were shouted in his name, the central Ottoman Government decided to end the emerging independence movement of Bedir Khan.[16]
Following the Battle of Nizip, Bedir Khan allied himself withHan Mahmud of Müküs and Nurullah Bey ofHakkari in 1840 to a triple alliance.[14] As the Ottomans decided to detach Cizre fromDiyarbakir and have it joined to theMosul Eyalet, Bedr Khan opposed the decision and would not submit to the authority of the Vali of Mosul.[17] In the meantime, Han Mahmoud of Müküs unsuccessfully attempted to conquer the area aroundBitlis.[18] The triple alliance entered in conflict with the localAssyrian Christian population, and perpetratedmassacres amongst them in 1843 and 1846.[14] The conflict arose, asNestorians in the area betweenUrmia,Mosul andHakkari, decided to refuse their accorded tribute to the Emir of Hakkari in 1841.[19] After Nurullah Bey unsuccessfully attempted to subdue the Nestorians led byShimun XVII Abraham, he called for the assistance by Bedir Khan Beg.[19] In 1843, Bedir Khan broke their resistance and Mar Shimun took refuge in Mosul.[20] And also in 1844 in theTur Abdin mountains, Yazidis were again raided by Bedir Khan Beg.[21] Bedir Khan Beg's goal was to force theYazidis to convert toIslam.[22]
Pressure from the European Powers to stop the massacres of Christians led toOttoman forces invading his territories in 1846–7, withOmer Pasha's 12,000 strong Ottoman force, which was supported by Yezidi tribesmen seeking revenge,[23][24][25] defeating the Kurdish army in the field near Zeitun, Cizre.[26] At the beginning of the conflict he was able to beat the Ottomans, but as an important commander of his troops, defected to the Ottomans, he was forced to flee to Evruh castle, where he endured an eight months long siege.[27] Bedir Khan had to surrender to the Ottomans at Evreh Castle[28] inEruh,Siirt on the 4 July 1847.[29] The same day also Han Mahmud was defeated inTatvan.[28] Bedir Khan was betrayed by Yezdanşer a distant relative and high ranking commander of his forces, who had joined the Ottoman Army in exchange of promises of a rank in the government.[30] Yezdanşer would become appointed themütesellim of Cizre for a short time.[31] From Evreh castle Bedir Khan and his family were put in chains and taken to Kumçati in theŞırnak province. After 40 days in detention,[28] Bedir Khan and his family were transferred to Constantinople.[32]
After Bedir Khan's hopes that he would be allowed to settle in Constantinople were not fulfilled, he and his entourage were sent toHeraklion,Crete, which at the time was governed by theOttoman Empire.[33] In 1853 he requested twice to be allowed to return toIstanbul, but his demands were turned down.[34] In 1855 he purchased a farm just outside of Heraklion, which he named “Kabıl Hora“.[35] As in 1856 astrong earthquake occurred in Crete, he faced financial calamities due to the destructions of his possessions. His salary which he still received from the Ottoman Empire, was only 7000Kuruş.[35] After Bedir Khan managed to solve the quarrels between the Christians and Muslims on the island, the situation became better.[36] In September 1857, SultanAbdul Majid changed his approach towards Bedir Khan, doubling his salary, and granting 43 of his followers to return toKurdistan. Nevertheless, Bedir Khan decided to stay inCrete.[35]
In 1863, SultanAbdul Aziz, the successor of Abdul Majid, allowed Bedir Khan and his family to settle in Istanbul, where they bought a mansion in theFatih quarter.[37] Several of his descendants were admitted into the bureaucracy of the Ottoman Empire.[38] In June 1868, Bedir Khan decided to settle in present-daySyria. He traveled by ship toBeirut and from there he moved toDamascus.[37] Bedir Khan Beg died a year after he settled inDamascus.[39] His funeral was held at the cemetery ofRukneddin, Damascus.[37]
Bedir Khan Beg was married several times, according to his son Mehmed, he had sixteen wives.[40]Emin Ali Bedir Khan is one of his sons andCeladet Bedir Khan,Süreyya Bedir Khan andKamuran Alî Bedirxan are his grandchildren. He was the father of twenty-one children.[41]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
