| Second Bedirkhanis Revolt | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofEarly Kurdish nationalism andRusso-Turkish War (1877–1878) | |||||||
 Map of the affected areas of the Bedirkhan Revolt | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|  Ottoman Empire.svg) Assyrian troops | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Osman Pasha Bedirkhan[1] Huseyin Kenan Bedirkhan | Abdul Hamid II Cemil Pasha General Shevket Beg Mushir Zeki PashaBedri Pasha Bedir Khan (mediator)Hanne Safar | ||||||
TheSecond Bedirkhanis Revolt (Kurdish:دووەمین یاپەچوونی بێدهرخانی) was aKurdish uprising against theOttoman Empire that took place in 1877–1878, following theRusso-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The revolt was led by two sons ofBedir Khan Beg, Osman Pasha and Huseyin Kenan Pasha.[2]
This was an effort by the two brothers to revive the formerBohtan Emirate.[3]
The revolt was a movement on a much smaller scale than the1847 Bedirkhan revolt.[4][5][6] TheRusso-Turkish War (1877–1878) created a period of chaos and an authority vacuum in theregion.[7]
Osman and Huseyin Kenan Bedirkhan, who were in exile, took advantage of the war environment and the Ottoman state's inability to maintain sufficient soldiers in the region to escape their place of exile and return toCizre.[8] Huseyin Kenan Pasha had previously participated in the1877 Russo-Turkish War leading 3,800Kurdish volunteers from theAdana region, where he waswounded. After recovering, he expressed regret for his service to the Ottoman state.
The uprising began in theCizre andSiirt regions. Huseyin Kenan and Osman, after participating in the1877 Ottoman-Russian war, went to Botan and attempted to organize an uprising against the central government.
The revolt quickly spread to the hinterland ofLake Van, covering areas such asVan,Muş,Bitlis,Hakkari, andAmedi.[9] Osman Bey commandedCizre and its vicinity, while Huseyin Kenan Bey managed the northern front. The southern front reportedly extended toHakkari,Zaxo,Mardin, andNusaybin.
TheBedirkhanis and the forces they gathered launched attacks against thecentral government's troops in theCizre regions. They arrested all Ottoman officials in their vicinity and seized the treasury and arms depots. TheBotan Emirate was re-established,[10][11][12] and asermon (Khutbah) was read in Osman Bedirkhan's name. The Ottoman state mobilized local military forces, to suppress the revolt.
The uprising was supported by severalKurdish tribes. Tribes such asReşkotan,Motkan, andYazidis aroundSiirt andBitlis supported the revolt.[13] The revolt also received support from the people of Cizre and numerous surrounding Kurdish tribes. Some tribal leaders were already in a state of rebellion and non-recognition of the government. The Hakkari Kurds also supported the revolt.
The rapid spread of the revolt was attributed to the problematic relationship between the central authority and the tribes since thedissolution of the Kurdish emirates.[14] Osman Bedirkhan corresponded withDiyarbakır Governor Abdurrahman Pasha during the revolt, stating that the bonds of the Kurdish tribes with the state were weakened due to the oppression of the governors sent by the state.
TheRussian consuls closely monitored and secretly supported the revolt.[15]
TheOttoman Empire was supported by the organized forces of the Syriac-Assyrian leaderHanne Safar ofMidyat. For his service, he was later granted the title ofPasha and presented with a sword blessed by theSultan himself.[16][17][18]
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The revolt was ultimately suppressed by Ottoman military forces. An Ottoman-appointed official,Bedri Bedir Khan (a brother of Huseyin Kenan and Osman), was sent to convince his brothers to surrender and return toIstanbul.[19] Upon their return, Huseyin Kenan and Osman were imprisoned for a short time and then released on the condition that they would not leave Istanbul.[20]
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