Khetcho (; 1872 – July 1915) was a renowned

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 ...

activist and combatant. A member of the

Armenian Revolutionary Federation The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (, abbr. ARF (ՀՅԴ) or ARF-D), also known as Dashnaktsutyun (Armenians, Armenian: Դաշնակցություն, Literal translation, lit. "Federation"), is an Armenian nationalism, Armenian nationalist a ...

, Khetcho led an active life in Armenian politic affairs. During his time as an activist, he participated in the Khanasor Expedition, an offensive by Armenian fedayees against the Kurdish Mazrik tribe on July 25, 1897. He was also a key supporter 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 ...

. In 1915, during a skirmish between Turkish forces near

Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Nakhichevan which was then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. His father was a local priest at the Armenian church. He studied in

Shushi Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

at the local Diocese School. Khetcho goes on to become a trainer of Armenian revolutionary fighters who were mainly stationed in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

Khanasor Expedition

In 1896, during the aftermath of the Defense of Van, the Mazrik tribe had ambushed many of the Armenian defenders of Van as they were retreating into Persia. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation decided to retaliate, resulting in the Khanasor Expedition. Khetcho departed from Persia and participated in the expedition which became his first armed combat mission. During the mission, Khetcho met

Yeprem Khan Yeprem Khan (; 1868–1912), born Yeprem Davitian (, ), was an Iranian-Armenian member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), revolutionary leader and a leading figure in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran. He is considered a n ...

, another Armenian Revolutionary who Khetcho eventually collaborated with during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution.

Armeno-Tatar clashes

Thereafter, during the Armenian–Tatar massacres of 1905–07, Khetcho participated in the defense of Armenians throughout the Caucasus. During his participation, he was assistant to

Nikol Duman Nikol Duman (), born Nikoghayos Ter-Hovhannisyan (; 12 January 1867 – 23 September 1914), was an Armenian revolutionary from Karabakh. He was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He was active in the Russian Empire, Persia and th ...

, an Armenian fedayee from

Karabakh Karabakh ( ; ) is a geographic region in southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It is divided into three regions: Highland Kara ...

. He was in charge of defending Armenian villages that were situated next to the

Arax river The Aras is a transboundary river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, fin ...

Iranian Constitutional Revolution

During the

, Khetcho fought the anti-constitutionalists alongside Yeprem Khan and Keri from 1908 to 1910. Khetcho's unit spearheaded the monarchist's army becoming a viable force within its ranks. In 1910, while in battle, Khetcho's jawbone was shattered by a bullet. Thereafter, he was forced to settle in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

World War I

In the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

of 1912–13, 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 ...

had lost its

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

possessions to Christian uprisings, intensifying fears in the Turkish homeland that the Empire's increasingly restive

Christian minority—with the assistance or encouragement of Western governments—might also attempt to establish an independent state, resulting in the breakup 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 ...

itself.
Profile at

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Distrust and suspicion of Armenians reached a peak following the outbreak of

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 ...

, when a successful advance of Russian troops across the Turkish border into the heavily Armenian-populated vilayet of Van in early 1915 was blamed on Armenian disloyalty, leading the Turkish government to adopt a set of extreme measures which would culminate in the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

Prior to the start of World War I, Khetcho participated in the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Council meeting in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. Khetcho was then tasked to acquire armaments in order to support self-defense efforts. At the start of the war, he was one of the five Armenian legions formed to enter Ottoman territory forming the

Armenian volunteer units The Armenian volunteer units ( ''Hay kamavorakan jokatner'') were units composed of Armenia within the Imperial Russian Army during World War I. Composed of several groups at battalion strength. The Russian-Armenian volunteer units took part in ...

under Russian command. During the Van Resistance, Khetcho's unit was among the first to enter and liberate it on May 5, 1915. This was followed by the Russian armies occupation of the city a few days later.

Death

After Van was liberated, Khetcho and his squadron were assigned to assist self-defense efforts in

Mush In multiplayer online games, a MUSH (a backronymed variation on Multi-user dungeon, MUD most often expanded as Multi-User Shared Hallucination, though Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, and Holodeck are also observed) is a text-based online social m ...

and

Sassoun Sason is a town in the Batman Province of Turkey. It is the seat of the Sason District.İl ...

. In July 1915, Khetcho stopped in Bitlis, where in June 1915, during the

, Turks and Kurds, led by Jevdet Bey, were known to have massacred 15,000 Armenians. Walker, Christopher J. "The End of Armenian Taron and Baghesh, 1914–1916" in ''Armenian Baghesh/Bitlis and Taron/Mush'', pp. 191–206. In preparation for a Russian advance, the Turkish forces mounted their artillery atop a mountain with a clear path to launch a renewed offensive onto the village. Fearing an impending massacre upon the Armenian population of the village, Khetcho and his regiment led a cavalry offensive against the Turkish army pushing them higher up the mountain. However, during a counter-attack by Turkish forces, Khetcho was fatally wounded. His body was taken to Van where he was ultimately buried next to other Armenian revolutionaries.

References

External links

* {{Persian Constitutional Revolution Persions 1872 births 1915 deaths Armenian nationalists People from Nakhchivan People from Erivan Governorate Armenian fedayi Armenian revolutionaries Armenian Revolutionary Federation politicians Armenian people of World War I Russian military personnel of World War I Armenian expatriates in Iran People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution