Battle of Holy Apostles Monastery

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Battle of Holy Apostles Monastery
Holy Apostles Monastery
Mush, Ottoman Empire
Result Armenian victory
Belligerents Armenian Revolutionary Federation

 Ottoman Empire

• Kurdish tribesCommanders and leaders Andranik Ozanian
Kevork Chavush Ferikh Pasha
Ali PashaStrength 22[a] (per Andranik)[1]
30[2]–38[3] 1,200[4]–6,000[5]Casualties and losses 3 (Ghazar, Haroutiun and Parsegh)[6] 553 (according to eyewitnesses)[7]
The New York Times report on the battle

The Battle of Holy Apostles Monastery (

Holy Apostles (Arakhelots) Monastery near Mush, Ottoman Empire
in November 1901.

Background

See also:
Armenian Question

By the second half of the 19th century, living conditions for the Armenian population in the Mush valley had become intolerable. Added to central government official and unofficial taxes and dues, and Kurdish chieftains extorting their traditional tributes, where predatory Kurdish tribesmen given an official status after being incorporated into the semi-regular Kurdish cavalry units known as the Hamidiye. As a result, thousands of Armenian farmers lost their lands and eked out a living as transient hired labourers or migrated to Constantinople and other cities to live in impoverished squalid conditions. The repeated failures of promised reforms by Constantinople led to some Armenians initiating local measures for self-defense. The

Sasun in 1894, and the more widespread massacres in the plain of Mush in 1895 and 1896 during the events known as the Hamidian massacres, the political activity of the 1880s developed into armed self-defense units, known as fedayee, who used the mountains as safe havens and as areas for political agitation.[8]

In 1899 several Armenian fedayee commanders were killed, and

Bitlis Vilayet. Under Andranik's command were thirty-eight villages.[3]

The Battle

In November 1901 Andranik came down from the mountains with some 30 experienced fedayeen (including Kevork Chavush and Hakob Kotoyan) and some 8 to 10 peasants from Tsronk village. Pursued by Turkish armed forces, Andranik's men were eventually cornered and on November 20 they barricaded themselves in the Holy Apostles Monastery located to the east of Mush.[2]

A regiment of five Turkish battalions, some 1,200 men, commanded by the pashas Ferikh and Ali, began besieging the fortified monastery.[9] During this period the Turkish army had heavy losses because of cold weather and epidemics. After nineteen days of siege, and surrender negotiations in which Armenian clergy as well as the headman of Mush and foreign consuls took part, Andranik and his men succeeded in secretly leaving Arakelots monastery and moved in small groups back into the nearby mountains.[10] According to Leon Trotsky, Andranik organized the escape by dressing in the uniform of a Turkish officer: "he went the rounds of the entire guard, talking to them in excellent Turkish" and "at the same time showing the way out to his own men".[11]

Aftermath

After breaking out of Arakelots Monastery, Andranik gained a legendary reputation amongst the province's Armenians.

Dashnaktsutyun and thereafter traveled to Europe, where he participated in the First Balkan War.[15] In 1924 in Boston
, Andranik published his memoirs, The Battle of Holy Apostles' Monastery. Of the events he wrote:

It was necessary to show to the Turkish and Kurdish peoples, that an Armenian can undertake a gun, that an Armenian heart can fight and protect his rights.

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ (Andranik, Kevork, Haroutiun from Ouroukh, Vagharshag, Hajji Hagop, Ghazar, Seydo Boghos, Andrig, Missak, Vartan, Assadour, Simon, Terpetos Sarkis, Cheto, Yegho, Parsegh, Hovsep son of Oso, Chatalbash Aram, Megro from Khaskiugh, Moso, Iso, Mourad from Havadorig)

References

  1. ISBN 9781903656808
    - p.40
  2. ^ a b Military history: Vol. 12; 1995, Bold and fiercely determined, Andranik Ozanian spent most of his life as a revolutionary for his fellow Armenians, by Antranig Chalabian
  3. ^
    ISBN 0909196087
    .
  4. ^ The Armenians: history of a genocide, by Yves Ternon - 1990, p. 114
  5. ^ The Battle of Holy Apostles' Monastery by Gen. Andranik, 2008, p. 57
  6. ISBN 9781903656808
  7. ISBN 9781903656808
    - p. 55
  8. ^ Richard G Hovannisian, Armenian Baghesh / Bitlis and Taron / Mush, pages 5 and 6, 2001.
  9. ^ The Armenians: history of a genocide, by Yves Ternon - 1990, p. 114
  10. ISSN 0004-2366
    . In 1901 took place the unusual siege of the Monastery of Arakelotz during which Andranik and his soldiers repulsed the onslaught of the Turkish forces for 19 days, pierced the Turkish lines and made their escape into the mountains.
  11. ISBN 0909196087
    .
  12. ISBN 0875691420
    .
  13. ^ Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa: A-C, by Philip Mattar- p. 195
  14. ^ The great 4: Mesrob, Komidas, Antranik, Toramanian, by Herminé D. Varjabedian, Shirak Press, 1969, p. 51
  15. ^ Historical Dictionary of Armenia, by Rouben Paul Adalian, 2010, p. 79
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