Ahmad bey Javanshir
Encyclopedia
Ahmad bey Jafargulu bey oglu Javanshir (2 March 1828, near Agjabadi
– 9 January 1903, ibid.) was an Azerbaijan
i historian and military personality. He was the great-grandnephew of Ibrahim Khalil Khan
, the last ruling khan of Karabakh
, and the father of philanthropist and feminist Hamida Javanshir
.
, the first khan of Karabakh
. Until age 15, Ahmad bey studied at a religious school (mollakhana). The integration of the Azeri
upper class
into the Imperial Russian political system required among other things the knowledge of the Russian language
, which is why Ahmad bey was sent to study to the Pavlov Cadet Corps
in Saint Petersburg
. Beginning in 1848 he served in a hussar
regiment where he was advanced to the rank of Stabs-Captain. In 1853–1854 he participated in the Crimean War
. In 1854 he was injured during a duel
with Ali bey Sultanov, a fellow officer, and could not continue his military service. After returning to his native village, Ahmad bey Javanshir carried out economic reforms. In the 1860s he built an 8-verst
(ca. 8.5 km) irrigation channel across the Mil plain
. In the 1880s he was appointed member of the Shusha
-based Bey Committee aimed at verifying the claims of some locals of having noble origins (if proven, they were exempt from some taxes according to the Russian law). His denunciations caused resentment among the committee members which led to Javanshir being temporarily imprisoned. Javanshir spent his last years in Kahrizli, engaged in translation of the poems by Pushkin, Lermontov
and Zhukovsky
into Azeri, as well as writing his own historical work in Russian, entitled On the Political Affairs of the Karabakh khanate in 1747–1805 (1883). It was published two years after his death in the Geyrat publishing house in Tiflis. His other works are Asar-i Ahmad bey Javanshir (a collection of children's poems) and Turk zarb-misallar majmuasi (an explanatory Azeri dictionary).
Agjabadi
Aghjabadi is a rayon in central Azerbaijan with an administrative center in the town of Aghjabadi.-History of the rayon:Aghjabadi rayon was established in 1930. In 1963 it was abolished and connected to Agdam Rayon. Soon after, in 1965, it was reestablished as an independent rayon.Aghjabadi is one...
– 9 January 1903, ibid.) was an Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i historian and military personality. He was the great-grandnephew of Ibrahim Khalil Khan
Ibrahim Khalil Khan
Ibrahim Khalil khan Javanshir was the Azeri Turkic khan of Karabakh from the Javanshir family, who succeeded his father Panah-Ali khan Javanshir as the ruler of Karabakh khanate....
, the last ruling khan of Karabakh
Karabakh khanate
The Karabakh khanate was a semi-independent khanate on the territories of modern Azerbaijan and Armenia established in about 1750 under Persian suzerainty in Karabakh and adjacent areas. The Karabakh khanate existed until 1805, when the Russian Empire gained control over it from Persia...
, and the father of philanthropist and feminist Hamida Javanshir
Hamida Javanshir
Hamida Ahmad bey qizi Javanshir was an Azerbaijani philanthropist and women's rights activist...
.
Life
Little is known about Ahmad bey Javanshir's personal life. His autobiography attached to the manuscript of his work On the Political Affairs of the Karabakh khanate in 1747–1805 disappeared probably between 1905 and 1907. Historians have established that he was born in his family estate of Kahrizli, located near the town of Agjabadi in present-day Azerbaijan. His parents, Jafargulu bey and Zahra khanum descended from Panah Ali KhanPanah Ali Khan
Panah-Ali khan Javanshir was the founder and first ruler of Karabakh khanate, initially under nominal Persian suzerainty and by 1748 an independent feudal state that existed in 1747–1822 in Karabakh and adjacent areas..-Origins and early life:Panah Ali Khan was from the Sarijali branch of the...
, the first khan of Karabakh
Karabakh
The Karabakh horse , also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus, an area that is de jure part of Azerbaijan but the highland part of which is currently...
. Until age 15, Ahmad bey studied at a religious school (mollakhana). The integration of the Azeri
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
into the Imperial Russian political system required among other things the knowledge of the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, which is why Ahmad bey was sent to study to the Pavlov Cadet Corps
Cadet Corps (Russia)
The Cadet Corps is an admissions-based all boys military academy which prepared boys to become commissioned officers. Boys between the ages of 8 and 15 were enrolled. It was founded in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire in 1731 by Tsarina Anne. The term of education was seven years...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. Beginning in 1848 he served in a hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
regiment where he was advanced to the rank of Stabs-Captain. In 1853–1854 he participated in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. In 1854 he was injured during a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
with Ali bey Sultanov, a fellow officer, and could not continue his military service. After returning to his native village, Ahmad bey Javanshir carried out economic reforms. In the 1860s he built an 8-verst
Verst
A verst or werst is an obsolete Russian unit of length. It is defined as being 500 sazhen long, which makes a verst equal to 1.0668 kilometres ....
(ca. 8.5 km) irrigation channel across the Mil plain
Mil plain
Mil plain is a plain in Azerbaijan. It is located on the bank of the Aras river and extends to Iran....
. In the 1880s he was appointed member of the Shusha
Shusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
-based Bey Committee aimed at verifying the claims of some locals of having noble origins (if proven, they were exempt from some taxes according to the Russian law). His denunciations caused resentment among the committee members which led to Javanshir being temporarily imprisoned. Javanshir spent his last years in Kahrizli, engaged in translation of the poems by Pushkin, Lermontov
Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov , a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus", became the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837. Lermontov is considered the supreme poet of Russian literature alongside Pushkin and the greatest...
and Zhukovsky
Vasily Zhukovsky
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century...
into Azeri, as well as writing his own historical work in Russian, entitled On the Political Affairs of the Karabakh khanate in 1747–1805 (1883). It was published two years after his death in the Geyrat publishing house in Tiflis. His other works are Asar-i Ahmad bey Javanshir (a collection of children's poems) and Turk zarb-misallar majmuasi (an explanatory Azeri dictionary).