Han Mahmud

Han Mahmud ( Kurdish : Xan Mehmûd ; * in Müküs ; † December 4, 1866 in Russe ) was a Kurdish prince from the 19th century. He belonged to the lineage of the Eyyubhanbegi of the Lords of Müküs. He was a contemporary of Bedirxan Beg from Cizre and Nurullah Beys from Hakkari . Han Mahmud was born in Sandschak Müküs (today Bahçesaray in Van ) and advanced to Sandschakbey at a young age.

family

The well-known Scheref name tells in detail that the princes of Müküs, Hizan and Spayert were related and first lived in the Bilican fortress, which belongs to Hınıs , before they settled south of Lake Van with the help of the Seljuks . This family is probably part of the Ayyubids who settled in Ahlat in 1207 and were expelled from there in 1229 by the Khorezm Shahs .

Principality of Müküs

Compared to other Kurdish principalities, Sanjak Müküs, which is smaller than other Kurdish principalities, enjoyed autonomy at the time of the sultans Selim I and Suleyman I , but then came under the rule of İbrahim Hans from Hakkari. The first known Prince of Müküs was Abdal Bey, the last before the takeover by Hakkari was Seyyid Mehmed Bey. In a letter from June 6, 1677 to Istanbul it is reported that after Seyyidhan Bey his son Seyyid Mehmed Bey became the new prince of the sanjak. But a person named Mahmud attacked Müküs, murdered the prince and usurped Müküs. Müküs was divided between the principalities of Cizre and Hakkari. The capital fell to Hakkari. The hundred-year rule of Hakkari over Müküs was so formative that most historians regard Müküs as part of Hakkari and count the princes of Müküs among the princes of Hakkari. Even the Ottoman rulers from Erzurum spoke of Müküs as a sanjak of Hakkari during the uprising of Ihsak Pasha from Van.

In the 19th century the Müküsfürst Eyyubhan Bey started a war of independence against the two principalities. His son Abdi Bey continued this fight. His eldest son, Şeyhi Bey, was able to regain regional independence. With this success, the Eyyubhanbegi clan was finally able to prevail against the other clans from Müküs such as the Mir Muhammedi, Kelehi and Zeynalbegi. When Şeyhi Bey was murdered in a plot by Saadet Hanıms, his brother Han Mahmud became prince and later one of the most capable princes of Kurdistan.

Han Mahmud becomes prince

As Sandschakbey, Han Mahmud was able to expand little Beylik within a short time through a kind of brother federation from Lake Van to the border of Iran . The most important event in local history was the capture of Hoşap Castle in the 1830s and the end of the Mahmudi rule. The Hoşap Castle became its center. This made him one of the most powerful mirs in Kurdistan . He also enjoyed fame there because his domain bordered on Iran. This was often mentioned in his reports by the Ottoman Marshal Osman Nuri Pasha in Erzurum. Many documents in the Ottoman archive report on this. Han Mahmud was able to hold his territory against the resistance of the local Ottoman pashas and against the emirs of Botan and Hakkari.

Han Mahmud started an uprising in 1838 over the centralization policy of the Ottomans. While he was negotiating with Osman Nuri Pascha as the representative of the Ottoman Empire through his brother Han Abal, the prince of Hakkari Nurullah Bey and the cousin of Bedirxan Begs from Hakkari named Mir Seyfeddin started a war against Han Mahmud because of old enmity. This forced him to surrender to the Ottomans. Han Mahmud and his brothers Han Abdal, Abdurrezzak Bey and Mir Sêvdin were brought to Istanbul via Erzurum. Han Mahmud's first exile lasted less than a year when new threats from Iran and the south by Muhammad Ali Pasha resulted in his exile being lifted with amnesty through the efforts of Marshal Osman Nuri Pasha and Marshal Hafız Pasha of Sivas. Han Mahmud was supposed to stand against these dangers as a loyal prince and returned to Müküs.

In 1842, relations between Han Mahmud and the Ottoman state deteriorated again. Han Mahmud had allied himself with Prince Halit Bey from Kisan, Serif Pascha from Mus and Mustafa Bey from Ahlat. This alliance was later joined by Bedirxan Beg from Cizre and Nurullah Bey from Hakkari. This alliance of princes developed into a revolt. The Han Mahmud-Bedirxan Beg revolt was put down in 1847. Bedirxan Beg was exiled to Crete , while Han Mahmud was deported to Russe in Eyâlet Silistra . Han Mahmud died on December 4, 1866 after 19 years of exile in Russia.

literature

• Sinan Hakan: Müküs Kürt Mirleri Tarihi ve Han Mahmud (The story of the Kurdish princes of Müküs and Han Mahmud), Peri Verlag, İstanbul 2002, ISBN 9758245589