Antoni Aleksander Ilinski
Encyclopedia
Antoni Aleksander Iliński also known as Iskender Pasha (1814-1861), was a Polish-Ottoman military officer and general. A Polish independence activist and insurgent, he took part in the independence struggles of Poles and Hungarians against the Austrian-Russian alliance. He converted to Islam
in 1844 and subsequently served in various commanding posts in the Ottoman Army during the reign of Abdul Mejid I (1839-1861) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Danube
, Crimea
, Transcaucasia and Baghdad
. He was promoted to the rank of Pasha
(General) during the Crimean War
(1855).
(Ilina), in Slovakia
. In 1830, he took part in the November Uprising
as a young officer of the Lithuanian Legion. He was an active member of the movement of Polish exiles led by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski
from Paris. Iliński worked under the leadership of Józef Bem
in his abortive Portuguese Legion attempt (1833), and in further struggles to form Polish legions in Spain, France and elsewhere.
In 1844 he was arrested in Istanbul upon Russia’s request, for allegedly working to organise Ukrainian Cossack
legions under Michał Czajkowski’s “Eastern Agency”. The Ottoman authorities were indifferent, but Russia pressured for his handover for trial. To escape this trap, he consented to an offer to convert to Islam
and assumed Ottoman nationality under the new name of Mehmed Iskender. He was immediately accepted as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Ottoman Army as “Iskender Beg”. In the years 1848–49 — during the time of Spring of Nations — he was again Bem's aide in Hungary.
. He was a prominent figure in the military campaign that deposed and eventually executed the Herzegovina Vizier Ali-paša Rizvanbegović
in 1851.
When the Crimean War
broke out in 1853, he was charged with organizing and training the irregular troops (the bashi-bazouk
s) along the Danube
. In the following year, Iskender Pasha’s fierce and daring style in commanding successful cavalry raids on Russians brought him acclaim and he was soon promoted as Colonel.
Early 1855 he was posted in the Eupatoria
Garrison in Crimea
commanding a 400-strong cavalry regiment. His unit made a critical contribution in successfully repulsing a strong Russian assault on the town, which was threatening the rear of the Allied army besieging Sebastopol (see:Battle of Eupatoria
) This victory brought him a second promotion in a year, making him a Pasha
(General), (specifically a Mirliva, equivalent of a Brigadier General).
The same year he commanded the advance guard of an expedition army under Omar Pasha which landed at Sukhumi
, in the hope of relieving the Eastern Anatolia
n fortress-city Kars
from a Russian siege (see: Siege of Kars
). The city fell to the Russians, however, before the two armies could engage.
In 1857 he was again called to duty by Omar Pasha, who was appointed as the Governor and General Commander of Baghdad
. He went to Baghdad and was active in the repression of tribal uprisings around Basra
and in the Nejd area.
On his return to Istanbul in 1861, he fell suddenly ill after an official banquet and died on June 2 1861. He was buried in Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery
in İstanbul
.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in 1844 and subsequently served in various commanding posts in the Ottoman Army during the reign of Abdul Mejid I (1839-1861) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, Transcaucasia and Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. He was promoted to the rank of Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
(General) during 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...
(1855).
Early life and conversion to Islam
Antoni Aleksander Iliński was born in the Galician town of ŽilinaŽilina
Žilina is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Slovakia with a population of approximately 85,000, an important industrial center, the largest city on the Váh river, and the seat of a...
(Ilina), in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. In 1830, he took part in the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
as a young officer of the Lithuanian Legion. He was an active member of the movement of Polish exiles led by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski
Adam Jerzy Czartoryski
Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, statesman and author. He was the son of Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski and Izabela Fleming....
from Paris. Iliński worked under the leadership of Józef Bem
Józef Bem
Józef Zachariasz Bem was a Polish general, an Ottoman Pasha and a national hero of Poland and Hungary, and a figure intertwined with other European nationalisms...
in his abortive Portuguese Legion attempt (1833), and in further struggles to form Polish legions in Spain, France and elsewhere.
In 1844 he was arrested in Istanbul upon Russia’s request, for allegedly working to organise Ukrainian Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
legions under Michał Czajkowski’s “Eastern Agency”. The Ottoman authorities were indifferent, but Russia pressured for his handover for trial. To escape this trap, he consented to an offer to convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and assumed Ottoman nationality under the new name of Mehmed Iskender. He was immediately accepted as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Ottoman Army as “Iskender Beg”. In the years 1848–49 — during the time of Spring of Nations — he was again Bem's aide in Hungary.
In the Ottoman Army
He served in the Army of Roumelia under Omar PashaOmar Pasha
Omar Pasha Latas was a Ottoman general and governor. He was a Serb convert to Islam, who managed to quickly climb in Ottoman ranks, crush several rebellions throughout the Empire and defeat Russia the Crimean War.-Early life:...
. He was a prominent figure in the military campaign that deposed and eventually executed the Herzegovina Vizier Ali-paša Rizvanbegović
Ali-paša Rizvanbegovic
Ali Rizvanbegović was the Herzegovinian Muslim Bosniak Ottoman captain of Stolac from 1813 to 1833 and the semi-independent ruler of Herzegovina from 1833 to 1851.-Early Life:...
in 1851.
When 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...
broke out in 1853, he was charged with organizing and training the irregular troops (the bashi-bazouk
Bashi-bazouk
A bashi-bazouk or bashibazouk was an irregular soldier of the Ottoman army...
s) along the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. In the following year, Iskender Pasha’s fierce and daring style in commanding successful cavalry raids on Russians brought him acclaim and he was soon promoted as Colonel.
Early 1855 he was posted in the Eupatoria
Eupatoria
Yevpatoria or Eupatoria is a city in Crimea, Ukraine.-History:The first recorded settlement in the area, called Kerkinitis , was built by Greek colonists around 500 BC...
Garrison in Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
commanding a 400-strong cavalry regiment. His unit made a critical contribution in successfully repulsing a strong Russian assault on the town, which was threatening the rear of the Allied army besieging Sebastopol (see:Battle of Eupatoria
Battle of Eupatoria
The Battle of Eupatoria was the most important military engagement of the Crimean War on the Crimean theatre in 1855 outside Sevastopol.- Battle :...
) This victory brought him a second promotion in a year, making him a Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
(General), (specifically a Mirliva, equivalent of a Brigadier General).
The same year he commanded the advance guard of an expedition army under Omar Pasha which landed at Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
, in the hope of relieving the Eastern Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n fortress-city Kars
Kars
Kars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. The population of the city is 73,826 as of 2010.-Etymology:As Chorzene, the town appears in Roman historiography as part of ancient Armenia...
from a Russian siege (see: Siege of Kars
Siege of Kars
The Siege of Kars was the last major operation of the Crimean War. On June 1855, in an attempt to alleviate pressure on the troops at Sevastopol, Emperor Alexander II ordered General Nikolay Muravyov to lead his troops against areas of Ottoman interest in Asia Minor...
). The city fell to the Russians, however, before the two armies could engage.
In 1857 he was again called to duty by Omar Pasha, who was appointed as the Governor and General Commander of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. He went to Baghdad and was active in the repression of tribal uprisings around Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
and in the Nejd area.
On his return to Istanbul in 1861, he fell suddenly ill after an official banquet and died on June 2 1861. He was buried in Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery
Edirnekapi Martyr's Cemetery
The Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery is a burial ground located in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It consists of an old, historical part and a modern one....
in İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.