Movses Silikyan or Silikov (, ; 14 September 1862 – 22 November 1937) was an

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 ...

general who served in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

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 ...

and later in the army of the

First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia, was an independent History of Armenia, Armenian state that existed from May (28th ''de jure'', 30th ''de facto'') 1918 to 2 December 1920 in ...

. He is regarded as a national hero in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

for his role in the Armenian victory at the Battle of Sardarabad. Following Russia's withdrawal from Transcaucasia and conclusion of a separate peace with 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 ...

under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918, Silikyan and other Armenian generals organized the defense of Armenia against invading Ottoman forces. After the Armenian victories at the battles of Sardarabad, Karakilisa and Bash Abaran in May 1918, the

declared its independence. Silikyan received the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

of the Armenian army and held various top military positions. Following the Sovietization of Armenia in 1920, Silikyan was exiled to

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

along with other high-ranking Armenian military officers, but was allowed to return to Armenia the next year. During the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

of 1937, Silikyan was arrested and executed. He was rehabilitated in 1987.

Early life and education

Silikyan was born on 14 September 1862 in the Udi village of Vartashen (present-day Oğuz,

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 ...

) in the Nukha Uyezd of the Elisabethpol Governorate 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 ...

. He was of ethnic Udi origin. Silikyan graduated from the Moscow Military Gymnasium No. 1 and the Alexandrov Military School No. 3. Later, in 1904, he graduated from the Infantry Officers' School of the Oranienbaum Military Academy.

Military career

Silikyan began his service in the Imperial Russian Army in 1884. After graduating from military school, he was appointed commander of a company in the 155th Kuban Regiment stationed in Kars with the rank of . He served in the expeditionary force sent to

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

during the Russian occupation of Tabriz. He rose through the ranks of the army, eventually receiving the rank of colonel in 1914. On the eve of the

First World War 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 was the commander of the 6th Caucasian Infantry Regiment of General Tovmas Nazarbekyan's 2nd Caucasian Infantry Brigade (later division) in the Caucasus Army.

World War I – Caucasus Campaign

In the early stages of the Caucasus campaign, Silikyan's regiment crossed into northern Persia with the rest of the 2nd Caucasian Brigade and defeated Ottoman forces at the Battle of Dilman in April 1915. In January–February 1916, Silikyan commanded the rearguard during the Battle of Erzurum and was appointed commandant of the city following its capture. In late March 1916, Silikyan's forces were stationed in Bitlis. In early April, he was ordered to leave two battalions in Bitlis and advance toward Mush. In Mush, Silikyan assisted Garo Sassouni in forming militia detachments consisting of Armenians from Mush and Sasun. Also under Silikyan's command was the 2nd Armenian Volunteer Battalion commanded by Drastamat Kanayan (Dro). After the February Revolution, Silikyan was appointed commander of the Van detachment. Some time later he was appointed brigade commander. In August 1917, he received the rank of major general. Silikyan received various honors during the war, including the Saint George Sword.

First Republic of Armenia

After the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

in November 1917, the Caucasus Army disintegrated. Soviet Russia signed the Armistice of Erzincan with the Ottoman Empire in December 1917, and virtually all Russian forces had left the Caucasus front by the end of the year, leaving only badly outnumbered Armenian forces to defend the frontline against the Ottomans. Silikyan was in Van until January 1918, when he was called to

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 ( ...

by the Armenian National Council and appointed commander of the 2nd Armenian Infantry Division by General Nazarbekyan. On 3 March 1918, Soviet Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which stipulated the cession of the districts of Batum, Kars, and Ardahan to the Ottoman Empire. By May 1918, the Ottoman Third Army had retaken the territory earlier captured by Russia and advanced to capture Batum, Kars, Ardahan, and Alexandropol. At the battles of Sardarabad and Bash Abaran, Silikyan's forces (the Yerevan detachment) put a halt to the Ottoman advance. These victories are credited with preventing the total destruction of the Armenian nation at the hands of the Ottoman army. On 28 May 1918, the

was declared, which soon after signed the Treaty of Batum with the Ottoman Empire, putting an end to the hostilities at the cost of severe territorial concessions. On 26 June 1918, Silikyan was appointed commander of the sole Armenian division allowed to be maintained according to the conditions of the Treaty of Batum. He participated in the Armeno-Georgian War of December 1918. On 25 March 1919, the Military Council of the Armenian Army was created with General Nazarbekyan as its chairman; Silikyan was appointed a member of the council on April 24. On June 1 he received the rank of

of the Armenian Army. In April 1920 Silikyan was appointed Governor-General of the provinces of Nor Bayazet and Daralagyaz. The main purpose of his appointment was to provide support to Drastamat Kanayan's expedition to Mountainous Karabagh. During the Bolshevik-led May Uprising in 1920, Silikyan was taken prisoner by the Bolshevik rebels, but was freed after the suppression of the uprising. In September 1920, Turkish nationalist forces loyal to the Government of the Grand National Assembly started the Turkish–Armenian War in order to capture territory from Armenia and prevent the cession of four Ottoman provinces to Armenia according to the

Treaty of Sèvres The Treaty of Sèvres () was a 1920 treaty signed between some of the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire, but not ratified. The treaty would have required the cession of large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, ...

. During the war, Silikyan commanded the Kars-Alexandropol front from his headquarters in Alexandropol. On 4 November 1920, Silikyan was ordered by General Nazarbekyan to request a ceasefire from the Turkish forces.

Later life and death

Following the Armenian defeat in the Turkish–Armenian War and the Sovietization of Armenia, Silikyan was arrested along with other high-ranking Armenian military officers and forced to walk from Yerevan to Aghstafa, whence they were taken by train to

. He was allowed to return to Armenia in September 1921. Silikyan first found work as an accountant at a Swedish company's branch in Alexandropol, then began working for the American Committee for Relief in the Near East, which provided humanitarian relief for survivors of 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 ...

. Silikyan also maintained correspondence with his old commander Tovmas Nazarbekyan in Tiflis and helped the latter compile his memoirs. Silikyan was arrested by the Soviet authorities in 1927 and sent into internal exile in Rostov-on-Don by administrative decision, but was allowed to return to Armenia the same year. He was arrested again in November 1935 and accused of holding monarchist views, persecuting communists during his time as Governor-General of Nor Bayazet, and maintaining contacts with members of the outlawed Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Silikyan was released in February 1936 after signing an affidavit not to leave Yerevan. The criminal case against Silikyan was dropped in April 1936. However, in 1937, during

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

, Silikyan was arrested once again and sentenced to death by decision of an

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

troika on 16 November 1937. Silikyan and another former Armenian general, Christophor Araratov, were accused of being members of a "counterrevolutionary officers' organization" involving multiple high-ranking officers of the Red Army (these accusations also formed the basis of the Tukhachevsky case). Silikyan was executed on 22 November 1937. He was rehabilitated on 10 November 1987 by decision of the Supreme Court of the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics ...

. Ivan Bagramyan, who served under Silikyan and later became

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (, ) was the second-highest military rank of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin wore the uniform and insignia of Marshal after World War II. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in ...

, described him as "the most talented out of all the Armenian commanders" of the period of World War I and the First Republic of Armenia. Silikyan's contemporary, the historian Hovhannes Ter-Martirosyan (A-Do), described him as "a short, humble man with a kind face who did not know Armenian, but was an exemplary Armenian person."

Legacy and honors

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 2nd class (1910) * Order of St. George (1916) These were restored to him (his descendants) after rehabilitation.

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

Hayazg.info
1862 births 1937 deaths Armenian people from the Russian Empire Armenian generals Silikov, Movses Armenian people of World War I Russian military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. George Great Purge victims from Armenia Soviet rehabilitations Udi people Armenian generals in the Imperial Russian Army of World War I {{authority control