Petros Elia of Baz (; 1 April 1880 – 2 February 1932), better known as Agha Petros (), was an Assyrian military leader and statesman, best known for his role during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He is considered a national hero for the Assyrians and other

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

minorities in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, and became a terror to the

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

, Turks and other

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. By 1918, Agha Petros and his Assyrian forces managed to control vast territory of

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan (, , ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq and Turkey to the west and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani exclave of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republ ...

, west of

Lake Urmia Lake Urmia is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is located between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan in Iran, and west of the southern portion of the Caspian Sea. At its greatest extent, it was the largest lake in th ...

, where they established

self-governance Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority (sociology), authority. It may refer to pers ...

Early years

Petros Elia was born in 1 April 1880, in the village of Lower Baz, then part 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 ...

. He received his elementary education in his hometown before his father decided that he should attend a Christian European missionary school in

Urmia Urmia (; ) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. In the Central District of Urmia County, it is capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is situated near the borders of Iran with Turkey and Iraq. ...

, Qajar Persia, at 14 years old. Elia had a typical upbringing, living with his brother Agha Mirza, his father, and his mother Doreh. Upon completing his studies, he returned to Baz, where he worked as a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

. It was thanks to his fluency in numerous languages, including Syriac, Turkish,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, French, Persian, Kurdish, English, and Russian, that he was first appointed by 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 ...

as a secretary at an

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a Sovereign state, state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase ...

, and later promoted to

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

in May 1909 for his good work. The embassy was called Shahbandar and was in charge of Turkish consular affairs at the time. A

Assyrian man by the name of Daoud Rassam, who was from

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

, was in charge of the embassy. This led to Petros' acquaintance with the Rassam family, and just shortly after, Petros chose the daughter of Rassam, Zarifa Khanum, as his wife and married her in early June of 1906. It was reported that during the

Persian Constitutional Revolution The Persian Constitutional Revolution (, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911 during the Qajar Iran, Qajar era. The revolution led to the establishment of a Majl ...

, Petros had deposed and arrested the Persian governor of Urmia and took control of the city by himself, ruling it in the name of the Turkish Ottoman Government. The governor was later released from captivity after Petros had demanded a medal from the

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

in exchange. Prior to the First World War, Petros received

military training Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Military training may be voluntary or compulsory duty. It begins with recruit training, proceed ...

at a Russian military academy.

World War I

Petros became known for his actions alongside Russian forces in the Van and

Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province. He was later approached by the Allies and was given command of the left wing of the army of Assyrian volunteers (the right wing being commanded by Mar Shimun’s brother Dawid Mar Shimun, the center being under the command of Mar Shimun).Joseph Naayem, ''Shall this Nation die?'', Chaldean Rescue, New York, 1920, p. 27
online version
/ref> In 1917, when the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

had taken control of the Russian armies and abducted Tsar Nicholas II and his family, Agha Petros was so furious that he resigned from his commission with the Russian army, refusing to take orders from revolutionaries. He immediately took control of the Assyrian army and established his headquarters in Urmia. His volunteers had quite a few successes over the Ottoman forces, notably at Suldouze where Petros’ 1,500 horsemen overcame the forces of Kheiri Bey's (8,000 men). Petros also defeated the Ottomans in a major engagement at Sauj Bulak and drove them back to Rowanduz. Petros not only led the Assyrian forces, but also had some limited control over

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

troops that fought alongside them. There was disunion in the ranks, and instead of posting a force to contain the Turks, whom he had defeated previously, he moved his forces to Sain Qaleh as encouraged by the British officials, who had promised him military help. Nevertheless, the British did not fulfill their promises. He reached Sain Kala seven days after the British detachment retired. After the invasion of

by the Young Turks, the Assyrian army, led by General Agha Petros, fought intensively and successfully against the Ottoman army and their Kurdish allies, and pushed them out of Mosul and the whole area, leading to Britain's control of the region. The battles are described in detail by surviving letters of Petros and

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officials. Agha Petros also had some disagreements with Mar Shimun, the patriarch of the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

, and was often mistrusted by his family.Ashur Giwargi
The Assyrian Liberation Movement And the French Intervention (1919–1922)
AINA.org The Allied military advisors reported that he schemed against Mar Shimun, by trying to dissuade the Allies to trust the Patriarch. However, after the murder of Mar Shimun by the Iranian Kurdish leader Simko, Agha Petros joined forces with Malik Khoshaba and others in driving Simko from his stronghold at Kuhnashahir.

Later years

Petros was the head negotiator for the Assyrians between 1919 and 1923. On July 24, 1923, he took part in the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

Peace Conference A peace conference is a diplomatic meeting where representatives of states, armies, or other warring parties converge to end hostilities by negotiation and signing and ratifying a peace treaty. Significant international peace conferences in ...

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, where he approached the Turkish delegation for the resettlement of the Assyrians in and around

Hakkâri Province Hakkâri Province (, ; ), is a province in the southeast of Turkey. The administrative centre is the city of Hakkâri. Its area is 7,095 km2, and its population is 287,625 (2023). The current Governor is Ali Çelik. The province encompasses ...

in exchange for the loyalty of the Assyrians. The then secretary/minister of foreign affairs of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the second List of Presidents of Turkey, president of Turkey from 1938 to 1950, and as its Prime Minister of Turkey, pr ...

who was heading the Turkish delegation at Lausanne was in favor of the resettlement but a telegram received from the central government in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

prevented that. During his last years Petros moved near

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

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, where he lived until his death of a cerebral attack at the railway station, on February 2, 1932. In France, Agha Petros was called the ''Young

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

,'' and in journals and newspapers, he was referred to as the ''New

Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar II, also Nebuchadrezzar II, meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir", was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the death of his father Nabopolassar in 605 BC to his own death in 562 BC. Often titled Nebuchadnezzar ...

'' due to his exceptional performance during the First World War.

Controversies

In his book ''The Cradle of Mankind, life in Eastern Kurdistan'' W.A. Wigram mentions that Petros was involved in fraudulent acts in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

), where he resorted to collecting money purportedly for the building of an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

.online version
/ref> According to some historians Méthy Daniel, ''L'action des grandes puissances dans la région d'Ourmia (Iran) et les Assyro-Chaldéens: 1917–1918'' in Studia Kurdica n°1- 4.5, 5, Paris,1988, ISSN 0765-1074, p86..

/ref> he fled the country as the Canadian police was about to arrest him, He was later to be found in Rome where he passed himself off as an Assyrian tribal chief desirous to bring his tribe from the

over to the fold of the

Chaldean Catholic Church The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, particular church (''sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is ...

. Impressed and grateful for this decision, the Catholic authorities granted him an official decoration. Other historians such as David Gaunt described his time in Canada as a ''vacation'' where he ''raised funds'' for an orphanage. Petros then returned to the

and displayed his decoration from the Pope to local authorities to ask for a job at an Ottoman

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

. A job that he did get, as a secretary, and as a

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

in 1909. Some historians believe Petros Elia was merely concerned by his own ambition. The Allied military advisors reported that he schemed against Mar Shimun, by trying to dissuade the Allies from trusting him. He was also reportedly mistrusted by the Allies. Lieutenant Gasfield and French Surgeon-Major Caujole have recorded his subordinates' low esteem in their reports.

Viktor Shklovsky Viktor Borisovich Shklovsky ( rus, Ви́ктор Бори́сович Шкло́вский, p=ˈʂklofskʲɪj; – 6 December 1984) was a Russian and Soviet literary theorist, critic, writer, and pamphleteer. He is one of the major figures asso ...

, Russian

commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means ' commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and ...

in Urmia region wrote: "… he governed a certain locality in Turkey and ruined the populace with exorbitant taxes, while residing in America he was sentenced to a term of hard labor in Philadelphia. At the present time he sides with Russia and is our official dragoman. His services are to be used with extreme caution.
Zindamagazine

Notes

References

Zindamagazine Archives

* * The Tragedy of the Assyrians By R. S. Staffor
online version
*Joseph Naayem, ''Shall this Nation die?'', Chaldean Rescue, New York, 192

* Méthy Daniel, ''L'action des grandes puissances dans la région d'Ourmia (Iran) et les Assyro-Chaldéens: 1917–1918'' in Studia Kurdica n°1–5, Paris,1988, ISSN 0765-107
آغا بطرس: سنحاريب القرن العشرين, نينوس نيراري

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petros, Agha 1880 births 1932 deaths People from Hakkari Ottoman Assyrian politicians Chaldean Catholics Ambassadors of the Ottoman Empire Military leaders of World War I Assyrian military leaders Assyrians from the Ottoman Empire