Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari (1874–1937) ( Luri: بی مَریَمِ بَختیاری Bi Maryam Baxtiâri,

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: بی‌بی مریم بختیاری) was the daughter of Hossein Gholi Khan Bakhtiari, the sister of

Ali-Qoli Khan Bakhtiari Sardar Asad Bakhtiari (c. 1856–1917) ( Luri/ Persian: ), also known as Haj Ali-Gholi Khan, Sardar Asaad II (born Ali-Gholi Khan) was an Iranian revolutionary and a chieftain of the Bakhtiari ''Haft Lang'' tribe. The third son of Hossein Gholi ...

and an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

Lor Bakhtiari revolutionary and activist of the

Iranian 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 era. The revolution led to the establishment of a parliament in I ...

. As a military commander, she played a distinguished role when Bakhtiari forces, with help of modern arms from

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

, successfully captured Tehran in 1909 as part of the revolutionary campaign to force the central government to establish democratic reforms.

Life

Bibi Maryam was one of the foremost women's rights activists and pioneers of freedom movements in the constitutional movement in Iran. Because of her lifestyle, Bibi Maryam was skilled in shooting techniques and craftsmanship.

Role in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution

Bibi Maryam was one of the main proponents of

Sardar Asad Bakhtiari Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been used to denote a chief ...

, to conquer Tehran. Through several letters and telegraphs, as well as lectures, she prepared tribal forces to fight against the Minor tyranny (

Mohammad Ali Shah Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar (‎; 21 June 1872 – 5 April 1925) was the sixth shah of the Qajar dynasty and remained the Shah of Iran from 8 January 1907 until being deposed on 16 July 1909. He was furthermore the grandson of Iran’s early mod ...

tyranny). Before the liberation of Tehran by the Constitutionalist forces in 1909, she moved to Tehran accompanied with some Bakhtiary skilled warriors and stayed in her father's house for guerrilla planning. When Sardar Asa'd's forces reached Tehran, she and her husband's warriors joined the constitutionalist forces against the Mohammad Ali Shah's troops. She personally took the gun and fought against the cossacks alongside the Luri warriors. Due to her bravery in the fight and the technical skills in disarming the ruling troops, her popularity increased so that she was given the honorary rank of sardar (high commander), and then she became famous as Sardar Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari.Sahimi, M. (2010). Iranian Women and the Struggle for Democracy I (Los Angeles: PBS). available online a

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Life

Role in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution

See also

References

Further reading