Yezdanşêr was a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

leader, military officer and a relative of

Bedir Khan Beg Bedir Khan Beg (Kurmanji: ''Bedirxan Beg'', ; 1803–1869) was the last Kurds, Kurdish Mir (title), Mir and mütesellim of the Bohtan, Emirate of Botan. Hereditary head of the house of Rozhaki whose seat was the ancient Bitlis Castle and descen ...

. He became shortly the Müteselim of

Cizre Cizre () is a city in the Cizre District of Şırnak Province in Turkey. It is located on the river Tigris by the Syria–Turkey border and close to the Iraq–Turkey border. Cizre is in the historical region of Upper Mesopotamia and the cultura ...

and later led a revolt against 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 ...

in the mid 1850s. After the revolt failed, he was exiled to

Vidin Vidin (, ) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin (since ...

, returning to the Ottoman bureaucracy in 1860s.

Early life

Yezdanşêr was born to Mir Sevdin (or Seyfeddin), a former Mir of

Bohtan Bohtan was a medieval Kurdish principality in the Ottoman Empire centered on the town of Jazirah ibn 'Omar in southeastern Anatolia. The official religion of this principality was Yezidism in 14th century, although the rulers eventually conv ...

. Yezdanşêr was also the grandson of Bedir Khan Beg's uncle and a commander of Bedir Khan's troops during his revolt against the

in 1847. He then betrayed Bedir Khan and guided the Ottoman forces towards their decisive victory over Bedir Khan Beg. In exchange for his services, Yezdanşêr was promised some position in the Ottoman bureaucracy and after the defeat of his relative he was appointed the

Mütesellim ''Mütesellim'' or ''mutesellim'' () was an Ottoman gubernatorial title used to describe mainly the head of a ''nahiye'', but also other positions within the Ottoman hierarchy, depending on the context. Mostly this title was used for civil gover ...

in the Kurdistan Eyalet. He was soon replaced by an Ottoman

Kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by #Names, many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been reta ...

, sent to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in March 1849 the same year then also to

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 ...

. He was prohibited to return to

Revolt against the Ottoman Empire

Disappointed from this treatment he led a revolt which began during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, maybe in late 1854, which was when his salary was cut. In January 1855 Yezdanşêr denied having rebelled and offered a relative from him as a hostage. He also put forward several demands towards the Ottomans such as the permission for his family from

to join him in Cizre which should be put under his administration or the release of prisoners in Cizre and

Midyat Midyat (, , , ) is a municipality and district of Mardin Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,241 km2, and its population is 120,069 (2022). In the modern era, the town is populated by Kurds, Mhallami Arabs and Assyrians. The old Estel neighborho ...

. Not satisfied with the Ottoman response, he conquered

Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province. The raid on Midyat was unsuccessful, as after they destroyed the Christian church, the Ottomans came to rescue the town and made many prisoners. Officials of the British Empire were worried the Ottomans would deviate troops fighting in the Crimean war to suppress Yezdanşêr's revolt and tried to mend ties between the two parties. The British General Fenwick Williams advised Yezdanşêr not to attack an Army of three states and eventually, the British compelled Yezdanşêr to surrender together with his brother and take refuge in the British Consulate in Mosul. Having arrived in Mosul, the Ottoman officials attempted to apprehend him, which the French prevented. Yezdanşêr and his allies remained in Mosul until September 1855, when they were escorted to Constantinople over Diyarbakir. Without a leader, the revolt dispersed. Arriving in Istanbul, the rebels were arrested and subsequently exiled to Vidin without the knowledge of the British. Lord Stratford, British consul in Constantinople protested his exile demanding his return to Constantinople, but to no avail.

In exile and later life

Yezdanşêr then escaped to

Ottoman Bosnia The Ottoman Empire era of rule in Bosnia (first as a ''sanjak'', then as an ''eyalet'') and Herzegovina (also as a ''sanjak'', then ''eyalet'') lasted from 1463/1482 to 1908. Ottoman conquest The Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...

in early 1858 but was captured and brought back to Vidin the same year. His family was allowed to join him the next year. In the mid 1860s he applied to the Ottoman bureaucracy, eventually becoming the

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of Adlyie and in 1868 a

Mutassarif Mutasarrif, mutesarrif, mutasarriff, or mutesarriff () was the title used in the Ottoman Empire and places like post-Ottoman Iraq for the governor of an administrative district in place of the usual sanjakbey. The Ottoman rank of mutasarrif was e ...

in the

Janina vilayet The Vilayet of Janina, Yanya or Ioannina () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, established in 1867. In the late 19th century, it reportedly had an area of .

. It is assumed he died somewhen in the 1870s.{{rp, 377

References

Kurdish people from the Ottoman Empire 1870s deaths Rebels from the Ottoman Empire Governors of the Ottoman Empire by sanjak Exiles from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Kurdish people Kurdish rebels 19th-century governors of the Ottoman Empire