| Bitlis uprising | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  BitlisBitlis uprising (1914) (Turkey) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kurdish rebelsSupported by:  Russian Empire |
 Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Mullah Selim Sayyid Ali Sheikh Şahabeddin Abd al-Salam Barzani  | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| "Thousands" |
Garrison at Bitlis: Unknown, but less than the Kurds Reinforcements: Unknown | ||||||
The Bitlis uprising was a Kurdish uprising in the Ottoman Empire in early 1914. It was supported by the Russian Empire. It was fought concurrently with an unrelated Kurdish uprising in Barzan in the Mosul Vilayet, which was also supported by Russia. Later Kurdish nationalist historiography portrayed the uprising as part of a Kurdish nationalist struggle, but its actual causes laid in opposition to conscription and taxation. The uprising began in early March, with a skirmish between Kurdish fighters and Ottoman gendarmes, where the latter was forced to retreat. The Kurds subsequently laid siege to the city of Bitlis, and captured the city on 2 April. Ottoman forces were then dispatched from Muş and Van and suppressed the uprising. After the defeat of the uprising on 4 April, one of the rebel leaders, Molla Selim, successfully sought asylum in Russia.
References
- ^ Demirtaş, Mehmet (2018). "1914 Tarihli Bitlis İsyanının Osmanlı Arşiv Belgelerindeki Yansımaları-Cezalar, Mükâfatlar". dergipark.org.tr. p. 433.
The leaders of the insurrection were Mullah Selim, Sayyid Ali and Sheikh Şahabeddin who were the religious scholars of Hizan Province.
- ^ Henning, Barbara (2018-04-03). Narratives of the History of the Ottoman-Kurdish Bedirhani Family in Imperial and Post-Imperial Contexts: Continuities and Changes. University of Bamberg Press. pp. 322–327. ISBN 9783863095512.
External links
- Demirtaş, Mehmet (2018). "1914 Tarihli Bitlis İsyanının Osmanlı Arşiv Belgelerindeki Yansımaları-Cezalar, Mükâfatlar". dergipark.org.tr.