Jamshid Nakhichevanski
Encyclopedia
Jamshid Jafarqulu oglu Nakhichevanski , also known as Jamshid Khan Nakhichevanski, was a Russian Imperial, Azerbaijani
and Soviet military commander. He rose to the rank of Combrig
(equivalent to Brigadier General) in the Soviet army, .
Jafarqulu Khan Nakhichevanski who was the brother of General Adjutant
Huseyn Khan Nakhichevanski. Nakhichevanskis came from roots of Kangarli Oghuz Turks
tribes descendants of which ruled the Nakhichevan Khanate. At the age of seven, his mother Farrantaj-hanim taught him to write in Azerbaijani
and his nanny taught him Russian
and French
. In 1904, he was admitted to Tiflis Cadet Corps graduating in 1911.
of Yelizavetgrad Cavalry School. Having graduated the four month 1st-grade intensive course, he was appointed praporshchik
and assigned to Azerbaijani reserve cavalry regiment of the Caucasian Native Mounted Division
which was formed from Muslim volunteers from Caucasus
and Transcaucasus. On June 14, 1915 Jamshid Khan was transferred to the regiment and on August 22 he was promoted to the rank of Cornet
. On February 14, 1916 he was awarded with his first military award of Order of Saint Anna of 4th degree. On 26 January 1917 Jamshid Khan was decorated with St. George sword for defeating the enemy and leading a cavalry attack, despite being wounded twice. In March 1917, Jamshid Khan was awarded with Order of Saint Stanislaus of 2nd degree for his bravery on Romanian front
. On April 15 he was awarded with Order of St. Anna
of the 3rd degree and on August 22 with Cross of St. George
of 4th degree.
On October 30, 1917, Nakhichevanski was conferred the rank of stabs-rittmeister, and his regiment was made a part of the Russian Caucasus Army and relocated to the Caucasus. At the end of 1917, at Special Transcaucasian Committee
orders, formation of Muslim (Azerbaijani) Corps under Lieutenant General
Ali-Agha Shikhlinski
's command began.
on June 26, 1918 the corpus was transferred to Azerbaijani Army corps.
In July 1918, the corps dissolved and were partially integrated with newly arrived Turkish 5th Caucasian and 15th Chanahkala divisions and newly formed Caucasian army of Islam led by Nuru Pasha. During the battles in the outskirts of Goychay
on June 27 - July 1, 1918 the Army of Islam destroyed the 1st Caucasian corps of the Red Army
. Jamshid Khan took part in the Battle of Baku
against the Centrocaspian Dictatorship
and Armenian Dashnaks. Baku was liberated on September 15, 1918.
In the Azerbaijani Army, Jamshid Khan was the commander of the 1st company of 1st Azerbaijani regiment and assistant to regiment commander. On March 24, 1920 Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Samad bey Mehmandarov appointed Lieutenant Colonel
Jamshid Khan Commander of 2nd Karabakh cavalry regiment. While in Karabakh he participated in liberation of Shusha
.
, Bolsheviks arrested many Azerbaijani officers including Nakhichevanski. He was kept in prison on Nargin island in Baku Bay but was released in two months to serve in administration of Red Commanders School. He then served as Commander of Azerbaijani Rifle Division from 1921 to 1931.
On February 22, 1931 he was called to Red Army corps in Tbilisi
where he was arrested and accused of treason and anti-Soviet espionage. On September 30, 1931 he was sentenced to death but Sergo Ordzhonikidze prevented the execution by taking the issue to Politburo
where Joseph Stalin
ordered to release Nakhichevanski provided that he wouldn't work and live in Caucasus. Nakhichevanski was rehabilitated in the army and sent to Frunze Military Academy for further studies. In 1933, he completed his studies and stayed at the academy to teach military tactics. On December 5, 1935 by the order of People's Commissar of Defense Kliment Voroshilov
he was conferred the rank of Combrig
.
, Nakhichevanski was arrested on May 20, 1938 and was charged with anti-Soviet activities and espionage
on August 26, 1938 in Lefortovo prison
. He was sentenced to death and confiscation of all personal property. Nakhichevanski was executed by firing squad
. His body was transported and buried in Kommunarka, an NKVD
burial site for repression victims, 26 km outside of Moscow
. On December 22, 1956 he was rehabilitated
.
In 2007, 112th anniversary of Jamshid Nakhichevanski was celebrated in Azerbaijan. Streets in Baku and Nakhichevan as well as Jamshid Nakhichevanski Military Lyceum
were named after Jamshid Khan Nakhichevanski. A house museum in Nakhichevan was also opened by Azerbaijani government.
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
and Soviet military commander. He rose to the rank of Combrig
Combrig
Combrig was a military rank used in the Red Army for commanders of brigades between 1935 and 1940 . Kombrigs were senior to polkovniks and junior to comdivs...
(equivalent to Brigadier General) in the Soviet army, .
Early life
Jamshid Nakhichevanski was born to the family of retired Russian Imperial RittmeisterRittmeister
Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
Jafarqulu Khan Nakhichevanski who was the brother of General Adjutant
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
Huseyn Khan Nakhichevanski. Nakhichevanskis came from roots of Kangarli Oghuz Turks
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
tribes descendants of which ruled the Nakhichevan Khanate. At the age of seven, his mother Farrantaj-hanim taught him to write in Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
and his nanny taught him Russian
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...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. In 1904, he was admitted to Tiflis Cadet Corps graduating in 1911.
Imperial Russian Army
On August 30, 1914 he started his service as junkerJunker (Russia)
Junker has several meanings in the Imperial Russia. The word is from the German language, where it means "young lord".*Junker was a military rank for junior officers of dvoryan descent since 1902....
of Yelizavetgrad Cavalry School. Having graduated the four month 1st-grade intensive course, he was appointed praporshchik
Praporshchik
Praporshchik is a rank in the Russian military.-Imperial Russia:Praporshchik was originally a name of a junior commissioned officer rank in the military of the Russian Empire equivalent to ensign...
and assigned to Azerbaijani reserve cavalry regiment of the Caucasian Native Mounted Division
Savage Division
The Caucasian Native Mounted Division , or Savage Division was a cavalry division of the Imperial Russian Army, formed in 1914. It was composed of volunteers from Chechnia, Ingushetia, Daghestan, Karachay, Circassia, Kabarda and Azerbaijan...
which was formed from Muslim volunteers from Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and Transcaucasus. On June 14, 1915 Jamshid Khan was transferred to the regiment and on August 22 he was promoted to the rank of Cornet
Cornet (military rank)
Cornet was originally the third and lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop, after captain and lieutenant. A cornet is a new and junior officer.- Traditional duties :The cornet carried the troop standard, also known as a "cornet"....
. On February 14, 1916 he was awarded with his first military award of Order of Saint Anna of 4th degree. On 26 January 1917 Jamshid Khan was decorated with St. George sword for defeating the enemy and leading a cavalry attack, despite being wounded twice. In March 1917, Jamshid Khan was awarded with Order of Saint Stanislaus of 2nd degree for his bravery on Romanian front
Romanian Front (Russian Empire)
The Romanian Front was a formation of the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War.-Commanders:* 12.12.1916—01.04.1917 — General of Cavalry Vladimir Viktorovich Sakharov* 11.04.1917—25.03.1918 — General of Infantry Dmitry Shcherbachev...
. On April 15 he was awarded with Order of St. Anna
Order of St. Anna
The Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
of the 3rd degree and on August 22 with Cross of St. George
Cross of St. George
thumb|Original Cross of St. George.Ist and 2nd class were in gold.The Cross of St. George ', or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George....
of 4th degree.
On October 30, 1917, Nakhichevanski was conferred the rank of stabs-rittmeister, and his regiment was made a part of the Russian Caucasus Army and relocated to the Caucasus. At the end of 1917, at Special Transcaucasian Committee
Special Transcaucasian Committee
Special Transcaucasian Committee was established on March 9, 1917, with Member of the State Duma V. A...
orders, formation of Muslim (Azerbaijani) Corps under Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General 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 normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Ali-Agha Shikhlinski
Ali-Agha Shikhlinski
Ali-Agha Ismail-Agha oglu Shikhlinski was lieutenant-general of the Russian tsarist army and Deputy Minister of Defense and General of the Artillery of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.-Life and military career:...
's command began.
Azerbaijani Army (ADR)
By end of May 1918, the establishment of corps was completed. After declaration of independence of Azerbaijan Democratic RepublicAzerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
on June 26, 1918 the corpus was transferred to Azerbaijani Army corps.
In July 1918, the corps dissolved and were partially integrated with newly arrived Turkish 5th Caucasian and 15th Chanahkala divisions and newly formed Caucasian army of Islam led by Nuru Pasha. During the battles in the outskirts of Goychay
Goychay
Goychay is a rayon of Azerbaijan located in the central part of the county. The region is famous for its pomegranate growing industry.-Geography:...
on June 27 - July 1, 1918 the Army of Islam destroyed the 1st Caucasian corps of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. Jamshid Khan took part in the Battle of Baku
Battle of Baku
The Battle of Baku in June – September 1918 was a clash between coalitions of Ottoman–Azerbaijani forces led by Nuri Pasha and Bolshevik–Dashnak Baku Soviet forces, later succeeded by British–Armenian–White Russian forces led by Lionel Dunsterville as part of the final battle of the Caucasus...
against the Centrocaspian Dictatorship
Centrocaspian Dictatorship
The Central-Caspian Dictatorship , or the Centro-Caspian Dictatorship, was a short-lived anti-Soviet client state proclaimed in Baku, the capital of present-day Azerbaijan, during World War I...
and Armenian Dashnaks. Baku was liberated on September 15, 1918.
In the Azerbaijani Army, Jamshid Khan was the commander of the 1st company of 1st Azerbaijani regiment and assistant to regiment commander. On March 24, 1920 Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Minister of Defense (Azerbaijan)
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan is the Azerbaijani government ministry, associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan , and the...
Samad bey Mehmandarov appointed Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Jamshid Khan Commander of 2nd Karabakh cavalry regiment. While in Karabakh he participated in liberation of 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...
.
Soviet Army
After establishment of Soviet rule in Azerbaijan, Karabakh division was transferred under command of the Red Army. Following the suppression of the 1920 Ganja revolt1920 Ganja revolt
The 1920 Ganja revolt , also referred to as the Ganja Uprising, was an anti-Bolshevik rebellion that took place in Ganja, Azerbaijan from 26 to 31 May 1920 as a reaction to Azerbaijan's Sovietisation.-Prelude:...
, Bolsheviks arrested many Azerbaijani officers including Nakhichevanski. He was kept in prison on Nargin island in Baku Bay but was released in two months to serve in administration of Red Commanders School. He then served as Commander of Azerbaijani Rifle Division from 1921 to 1931.
On February 22, 1931 he was called to Red Army corps in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
where he was arrested and accused of treason and anti-Soviet espionage. On September 30, 1931 he was sentenced to death but Sergo Ordzhonikidze prevented the execution by taking the issue to Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
where Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
ordered to release Nakhichevanski provided that he wouldn't work and live in Caucasus. Nakhichevanski was rehabilitated in the army and sent to Frunze Military Academy for further studies. In 1933, he completed his studies and stayed at the academy to teach military tactics. On December 5, 1935 by the order of People's Commissar of Defense Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov , popularly known as Klim Voroshilov was a Soviet military officer, politician, and statesman...
he was conferred the rank of Combrig
Combrig
Combrig was a military rank used in the Red Army for commanders of brigades between 1935 and 1940 . Kombrigs were senior to polkovniks and junior to comdivs...
.
Death
During the 1937-1938 repressionsGreat Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
, Nakhichevanski was arrested on May 20, 1938 and was charged with anti-Soviet activities and espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
on August 26, 1938 in Lefortovo prison
Lefortovo prison
Lefortovo prison is a prison in Moscow, Russia, which, since 2005, has been under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. It was built in 1881...
. He was sentenced to death and confiscation of all personal property. Nakhichevanski was executed by firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
. His body was transported and buried in Kommunarka, an NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
burial site for repression victims, 26 km outside of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. On December 22, 1956 he was rehabilitated
Rehabilitation (Soviet)
Rehabilitation in the context of the former Soviet Union, and the Post-Soviet states, was the restoration of a person who was criminally prosecuted without due basis, to the state of acquittal...
.
In 2007, 112th anniversary of Jamshid Nakhichevanski was celebrated in Azerbaijan. Streets in Baku and Nakhichevan as well as Jamshid Nakhichevanski Military Lyceum
Jamshid Nakhichevanski Military Lyceum
Jamshid Nakhichevanski Military Lyceum , also known as Military Lyceum named after Jamshid Nakhichevanski, is a state school, specializing in education and training of students in military science and preparing them for professional military service. The lyceum is located in the suburbs of Baku,...
were named after Jamshid Khan Nakhichevanski. A house museum in Nakhichevan was also opened by Azerbaijani government.