Mehdigulu Khan Utsmiyev (; 1855,

Shusha 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 ...

– 1900,

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

) was a lyrical poet of

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

of Kumyk and

Javanshir Juansher was the Mihranid prince of Caucasian Albania, ruling the principality from 637 to 669. He was the son and successor of Varaz Grigor (). During his reign, Juansher changed his allegiance thrice. He started out as a subject to the Sasan ...

descent, a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Russian Army. He authored poetry under pseudonym ''Vafa'' ().

Life

Mehdigulu was born in 1855 in

in the family of a Kumyk major-general,

Khasay khan Utsmiyev Khasay Khan Utsmiyev (, ) was an Imperial Russian general of Kumyk origin. Life and career He was born on 3 April 1808, to Musa Khan Utsmiyev, ethnic Kumyk Prince of Aqsay as his middle son. He had an elder brother named Sultan Murad (d. 184 ...

(1808–1866) and Azerbaijani poet

Khurshidbanu Natavan Khurshidbanu Natavan (; 6 August 1832 – 2 October 1897) was an Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani poet and philanthropist. She is considered one of the best lyric poetry, lyrical poets of Azerbaijan. Her poems are in either Azerbaijani language, A ...

. He was named after Mehdigulu Khan, last khan of

Karabakh Khanate The Karabakh Khanate (also spelled Qarabagh; ; ) was a Khanates of the Caucasus, khanate under History of Iran, Iranian and later Russian Empire, Russian suzerainty, which controlled the historical region of Karabakh, now divided between modern ...

. In 1859,

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

wrote about him: "a five- or six-year-old boy probably instinctively holding a kinjal... This was a really sharp dagger, which a French mother would never give to her child."

Military career

He enrolled in the military in 1871 and received a silver medal the same year "For greeting the Sovereign Emperor in Tiflis in 1871". He was later to promoted to ''

Praporshchik (, , ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or serge ...

'' on 9 November 1871. By 1876 he continued to the cavalry branch, assigned to a squadron. In 1877, he was put under the commander of

Caucasus Military District The Caucasus Military District (, ''Kavkazskiy voenniy okrug'') was a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army. It was created in 1865 as the successor to the Russian Caucasus Forces (before 1865), Caucasus Army, and was dissolved in 1917. ...

for special assignments. Joining Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, he usually fought under

Iosif Gurko Count Iosif Vladimirovich Romeyko-Gurko (; – ), also known as Joseph or Ossip Gourko, was a prominent Russian field marshal during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Biography Career Of Belarusian extraction, Gurko was educated ...

, who led the spearhead of the Russian invasion, took

Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Velik ...

on July 7, crossed the

Balkans 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 ...

by the Haim Boaz pass—which

debouches In hydrology, a debouch (or debouche) is a place where runoff from a small, confined space discharges into a larger, broader body of water. The word is derived from the French verb ''déboucher'' (), which means "to unblock, to clear". The ter ...

near Hainkyoi—and, despite considerable resistance, captured Uflani,

Maglizh Maglizh ( ) is a town in Stara Zagora Province, South-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Maglizh Municipality. As of December 2009, the town had a population of 3,426.Kazanlak Kazanlak ( , known as Seuthopolis () in ancient times, is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, town in Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria. It is located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, Balkan mo ...

; on July 18 he participated attack on

Shipka Shipka may refer to: * Shipka Monument, in Bulgaria * Shipka (town), in Bulgaria * Shipka Pass, in Bulgaria * Shipka (stadium), in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria * Shipka Saddle, in the Tangra Mountains, Livingston Island, Antarctica * Shipka Valley, in the T ...

, which was evacuated by the Turks the following day. He returned to the Caucasus after Treaty of Berlin and received awards for his bravery and participation. He was transferred to the Life Guards Cossack Regiment of His Majesty with the rank of

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

on April 21, 1879. He served from 1890 to 1895 as ''

Rittmeister Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

'' of the army cavalry and as adjutant to the commander of

. Later in 1895, he received his highest rank of lieutenant colonel. He served as a staff officer from 1897 to 1900 of Caucasus Military District. According to his service record, Utsmiev owned a family estate consisting of two houses in the city of Shusha, two caravanserais near

Khankendi Stepanakert officially Khankendi is a city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It was the capital city of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in the region. The city is located in a valley on ...

, gardens, mills, and also an uninhabited estate acquired with his sister in

Khasavyurt Khasavyurt is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Dagestan, Russia. Population: History It was founded in 1846 and granted town status in 1931. During the Russian Empire, the settlement was the administrative capital of the Khas ...

. He was also granted estates in the

Malıbəyli Malibeyli () or Ajapnyak () is a village located in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan. It was part of Shusha District with Aşağı Quşçular Ashaghy Gushchular () is a village in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan. Until 2023 it was controlle ...

, Qiyaslı, Xıdırlı, Bilaghan, Ahmadvar, Qarvand-Meydan,

Salvard Salvard () is a village in the Sisian Municipality of the Syunik Province in Armenia. Toponymy The village was previously known as ''Alilu''. Demographics Population The Statistical Committee of Armenia reported its population was 396 in 2 ...

, Qaraqoyunlu, İlxıçılar, etc. He died in 1900 in

and was buried in

Aghdam Aghdam () is a town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at the eastern foot ...

Family

He married his 2nd cousin Saltanatbeyim Javanshir (daughter of Karim agha Javanshir (1826-1907), a grandson of

Ibrahim Khalil Khan Ibrahim Khalil Khan Javanshir (, 1732–1806) was the second khan of the Karabakh Khanate from the Javanshir family. He was the son and successor of Panah-Ali khan Javanshir. Early life He was born in c. 1732 in Karabakh. He was among depo ...

) in 1871 and had a son and 3 daughters: # Agha Bike (August 1873 - 1942) — married Akbar Mirza Qajar (grandson of

Bahman Mirza Bahman Mirza (; 1810 – 1883/84) was a Qajar prince, literary scholar, and writer who lived in Iran and later the Russian Empire. The fourth son of the former crown prince Abbas Mirza, his career in Iran was marked by several governorships, inclu ...

via Reza Qoli Mirza) ## Reza Qoli Mirza ## Rukn al-Din Mirza ## Dilshad Qajar — Maid of Honour to Empress Maria Alexandrovna, married to Isgandar bey Rustambayov ## Saray Melik # Bilgeyisbike (July 1874 - ) # Azizabike (b. January 1876) # Khasay Utsmiev (28 August 1881 - 6 October 1925) — married Sariyya Rustambayova (his own niece Dilshad's daughter) and later Sofia Yastremskoy ## Mehdi Utsmiev (6 February 1906,

- 17 January 1993,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

) ## Said Utsmiev (6 January 1907,

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

- 15 August 1998) ## Leyla Utsmieva (19 September 1910 - 8 June 1996,

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

)

Awards and decorations

Source: *

4th class Order of St. Anna with inscription "For Bravery" (25 September 1877) * 3rd class Order of St. Stanislaus with sword and bow (25 September 1877) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

3rd class Order of St. Anna with sword and bow (3 November 1877) * 4th class

Order of St. Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus'. Grades The order had four ...

(3 November 1877) *

Order of the Cross of Takovo The Order of the Cross of Takovo () was a Serbian state order. History It was instituted in the Principality of Serbia in 1865 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which had started with the Tako ...

(awarded by

Milan I of Serbia Milan Obrenović IV ( sr-cyr, Милан Обреновић, Milan Obrenović; 22 August 1854 – 11 February 1901) reigned as the Prince of Serbia from 10 June 1868 until 1882, when he became King of Serbia, a title he held until his abdica ...

on 21 February 1880) * 3rd class

Order of the Lion and the Sun The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun (Persian language, Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar, Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extend ...

(30 September 1881) * 2nd class Order of St. Stanislaus (30 August 1887) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

2nd class Order of St. Anna (30 August 1891) * Light bronze medal in memory of Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 (awarded by

Alexander III of Russia Alexander III (; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 1894. He was highly reactionary in domestic affairs and reversed some of the libera ...

on unknown date)

References

External links

Grandson of Khasay and Natavan
(Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Vafa, Mehdigulu Khan 1855 births 1900 deaths Azerbaijani poets Writers from Shusha Military personnel from Shusha Persian-language poets 19th-century Azerbaijani poets Azerbaijani people of Kumyk descent Burials at Pantheon of prominent Azerbaijanis Poets from the Russian Empire Muslims from the Russian Empire