Lost in history; Yar Mohammad khan, an unknown but brass hat of Persian Constitutional Revolution.
manshoretosehonline-ZahraAmiri-Journalist and researcher–
were influential in their own ear but yet they remained unknown to many of us. In our ancient land’s history so many kings, queens, and solders
sacrificed their life to protect the people and guaranteed the future for next generations. Some of historic figures are worshiped by most of the people, but some others have been forgotten by those who just worship the dignified ones. One of those loyal commanders whom was forgotten was Yar Mohammad Khan Kermanshahi who played an important role in Iran’s domestic battles for constitutional revolution. His name was mentioned in historic books, but there we can only find some fragmented details of his life and deeds, for instance in Ahmad Kasravi’s books. Ardeshir Keshavarz, a man from Yar Mohammad Khan’s mother land has gathered details in a book named “Gorde Kurd” which is the reference of this essay
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?Who was Yar Mohammad khan
Yar Mohammad, son of Mohamma_from Zardalan clan_, and Belqeis_ from Balvand clan_ was born in 1879 in Kermanshah[1] city. After finishing conventional education of that period of time, that in fact included the mere ability to write and read, he started his carrier as a farmer in Sar Firuzabad[2], and he spent some years as a fruit dealer. After some years he moved to Kermanshah city and expanded his career there[3].
In Kermanshah city he was fastened by pahlevani and zoorkhane rituals[4]. He attended the Zoorkhane[5] alongside his step brother Hussein Khan Kolah Mal every day and after entering the cycle of chivalric men of his day, he gathered fame and popularity in Kermanshah society.
After attending the governmental army, he emerged his talents in military fields, and he could easily operate different types of cannons. Despite the fact that he was a military man he attended Zealous committee which was a liberal organization of constitutional revolution. This chapter of his life was concurrent with the royal army’s attack on the strong supporters of the revolution by order of Mohammad Ali Shah. Kermanshah also was one of the important centres of revolutionary figures
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His great impact on constitutional revolution
Yar Mohammad Khan decided to resist against Mohammad Ali Shah’s tyranny beside supporters of the revolution and soon he became one of the most important leaders of the revolution. When the domestic conflict between the court and liberal leaders of revolution occurred, he had taken the side of the evolution’s supporters. For his unconditional support and administrating summons for revolution, he gained popularity among the supporters of the revolution. Alongside his step brother Hussein Khan Kolah Mal, and his brother-in-law Hussein Khan Nosrat almale, he marched on Tehran to fight side by side the revolutionists in Tehran. But in Qom and in the middle of his way he was informed that the king has ordered the Russian and Persian army to attack on the parliament, so after consulting other liberal fighters he decided to arch on Tabriz in order to fight side by side Sattar Khan. “Yar Mahammad Khan, his brother, his friend that both of them were named Hussein, and a servant of them who was blacksmith were the only ones who had come to aid Tabriz while the parliament had sent a message to all the cities for help. They bought weapons and horses, they ride from Tehran to aid Tabriz. While they were informed that the parliament has been bombard they had to hide themselves, but after a few days and hearing news from Tabriz they reached Tabriz after traveling bypaths courageously”. Ahmad Kasravi has mentioned in his book. Also Dr. Makekzadeh has cited that Yar Mohammad Khan is one of those historic figurers who deserved to be mentioned in history. This courageous and gallant man, made a lot of sacrifices in the conflict of the constitutional revolution.
Although during the war between the revolutionists and the royal army all the roads leading to Tabriz were closed by the royal army, he joined Sattar Khan as soon as he could.
As soon as he entered Tabriz, he was known by his courage among the revolutionists, and Sattar Khan has appointed him as a commander of a troop to protect a neighbourhood. After a while the attacks on Tabriz became heavier than ever; but he did not leave them and fought side by side Sattar Khan, so he became a dear comrade and companion to him. After the defeat of revolutionists in Sharamin war which took place 1909, he declared that they have been defeated just because of disarray and the lack of a qualified commander and they had to withdraw against their will. After that sad experience of war, Sattar Khan put him in charge of the liberators’ army.
Again in Alvar war that took place a few days later he fought bravely, Amir Khizi[6] has said that “but when all solders had returned to Sattar Khan there was no sign of Sattar Khan amongst them. One of the revolutionists’ commander has asked Yar Mohammad khan to know where Sardar[7] is. “he did not want to withdraw, and I think he is reproachful” answered Yar Mohammad Khan with sadness. I added if you are not satisfied with some issues I must say that this is not a good time to complain about it. Yar Mohammad Khan added that when he saw that the end of their army was near he talked to Sardar and persisted on withdrawal but Sardar was mad at him and preferred to stay in the battlefield. It was obvious that Sardar was anole in the battlefield and he was under the siege of the royal army. So both commanders had marched to the battle field to convince Sardar for a withdrawal.
Ana Khatoon war was the battle of fate for both the royal army and the revolutionist army. In 1910 and after a long siege, the royal army believed that people of Tabriz will surrender the city so that every royal commander tried to gather fame and record his name on the pages of history by planning different attacks on the city. Samad Khan[8] who was one of the seekers of fame in battle field tried to aggravate the siege to reach his aim without consulting prince Ein-odule and other commanders; but he did not triumph over his rivals.
Sardar marched to the battlefield as soon as he heard the news, and other commanders accompanied him to fight one of most important wars of Iran’s constitutional revolution’s history. The battle did not last more than four or five hours, but it was impotent because it happened in an open battlefield without any fortress or trench. I[9] was waiting on the other side of the bridge with people of Tabriz and I saw Yar Mohammad Khan riding his horse towards us with pale face, but the war continued. I realized that he has been wounded as I approached him, someone had shoot him in the leg. We moved him to the nearby coffeehouse and after he took some rest we mounted him on a carriage and sent him to his house.
As the time passed and the revolutionists resist against the court, Yar Mohammad Khan who was known as Sardar[10] Mojahed[11] became closer to Sattar Khan, and he was always at the frontier leading the army.
In the battle of Narin Ghalee[12] Sardar’s[13] army were outnumbered and they were about to be defeated, his solders recommended him to flee and save his life for their great purpose but he refused. Since Yar Mohammad Khan saw that he is not willing to flee, he used his own strength and physical power and mounted Sattar Khan on his horse, he told him that he must not cast his life away in vain while the revolution needed him.
“when I saw the defeat was near and the city was going to fall I talked to Sardar and asked him to flee and save our live, let the city get rid of siege and save the people. It is madness to bring our death upon ourselves this way. You should stay alive for our greatest porous. When I saw he was resisting I had no choice but using my strength to mount him on his horse” Sardar Mojahed Yar Mohammad Khan once told Dr. Malekzadeh.
When the siege of Tabriz was broken; the commanders and solders of revolution ride back to Tabriz, but Yar Mohammad Khan and his companions had decided to march on Tehran in order to fight side by side people of Tehran. Due to his great deed for the revolution, Sattar Khan ha wrote a letter to liberal officials of Tehran in order to suggest them to put Yar Mohammad Khan in charge of military posts and issues specially in Kermanshah. After the triumphal of the revolution every newspaper wrote about Sattar Khan who was known as Sardare Meli, but they closed their eyes to Yar Mohammad Khan’s military services and his courage in the battlefields so Sattar Khan wrote to Seyed Hassan Taghuzadeh[14] to cite Yar Mohammad Khan’s services: “I must admit that he fought bravely and courageously in the battlefields against tyranny and I approve him as a qualified man to be rewarded for his highly valuable services. He is truly worthy of being the commander of Kermanshah to serve the country in order to be the warmth in the hearts of all fighters of liberty”.
Servant of the country, Sattar
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His separation from other revolutionary figures
the flame of division between revolutionists sparkled after the war has finished and Mohammad Ali Shah has fled to Russia. With constitution of the second parliament the time for establishment of political parties has arrived. In 1910 the revolutionists have been divided into two major parties; the Democrats and the Moderates. Some of the revolutionists have attended to the Democrat party, for instance Seyed Hassan Taghizadeh, Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani, Seyed Mohammad Reza Mosavatand so on[15], they tried to attract other popular revolutionary figures such as Yar Mohammad Khan. The concentration of the Democrat party was to fight against feudalism and they declared that politics should be separated from religion.
On the other side the Moderate party was consisted of Mirza Mohammad Sadegh Tabatabaee, Mirza Ahmad Behbahani, Ali Akbar Dehkhoda, Mirza Qasem Khan Souresrafil, and so on[16]. They believed on the conventional financial system and old way of the cautious’ path of governing the country and most of them were in favour of feudalism. After this political determination every revolutionary commander had chosen one side; also did Sattar Khan, he attended the Moderate party. According to every political party that commander had chosen, they were appointed to serve the country in an official position. There were some people who believed that they did not earned what they deserved like Ibrahim Khan Zarqamo-l saltine Bahtiary and Sardar Mohi, so they decided to blacken the democrats in Sattar Khan’s eyes and lightened the flame of dissension between two parties specially between Sattar Khan and Yar Mohammad Khan.
As it is expected, in every political chaos political activists may try to terror the members of other parties to inflame the conflict between two parties. In 1911 with assassination of Seyed Abdullah Behbahani who was in favour of the Moderate party every one put the blame on the Democrats. Sattar Khan used to spend his evenings in Atabak park, where he met and greeted his friends and comrades. In one evening that Yar Mohammad Khan and other commanders of both political parties were his guess, Jafaar Gholi Khan Sardar Bahador son of Sardar Asa’ad Bakhtiyari attacked on Atabak park and assassinated many of Sattar Khan’s comrades. The incident of Atabak Park tore the revolutionists’ union part.
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The end of his life
With his enemies plotting against him he was accused of plotting the terrors, the officials had exiled him from Tehran. In fact, he was banished from all borders of Iran, but as soon as he arrived Kermanshah to go on his exile people of Kermanshah and his followers gathered around him ad did not let the solders to take him away. They signed a letter and asked the officials the let him stay in Kermanshah. The court accepted their request.
When disagreements and conflict between political parties intensified; fighters for liberty did not retreated from their goals, Farmanfarma marched his army from Sanandaj to repress the protesters. Yar Mohammad Khan and Salaro-dole gathered an army to stop him, but it was late and Farmanfarma was already in Kermanshah.
While Sardar Mojahed Yar Mohammad Khan was revising the last attack in Bazaar[17] someone has shot one of his comrades and as he raised his head to see what is going on another bullet flied into his own head. After his assassination most of his comrades were assassinated or exiled to unknown areas of Qazvin. He was buried in his own mother land, Kermanshah.
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Ershadi family
He had two children; a daughter Qamar Taj, and a son Shirzad. His family is known as Ershadi family in society. His son was employee in grain administration. His daughter was born in 1911, she finished elementary education in Kermanshah, but because of the fact that there was not any high school for girls to continue their education. But with the efforts of Seyed Hussein Kazazi the first high school in Kermanshah was established. She finished her education and started her career as a teacher at that school.
[۱] Although because of the fact that on that era, there was not any organization to record the birth and death rate the year of his birth is estimated by historians, and it not precise.
[۲] Sar Firuzabad is village in Sar Firuzabad rural district.
[۳] Some researchers believe that the fruit dealing store belonged to Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Mojtahed who was Yar Mohammad Khan’s employer.
[۴] A kind of ancient Persian athletic ritual to prepare warriors and amplify chivalry among male part of the society.
[۵] Persian ancient gym
[۶] One of the revolutionists’ fighters and commanders
[۷] Sattar Khan was known as Sardar amongst the revolutionists
[۸] A royal commander
[۹] The speaker of this part is also Amir Khizi who has participated in that war
[۱۰] warlord
[۱۱] Someone who devoted to a purpose, or a group
[۱۲]A fortress in Ardabil
[۱۳] Sattar Khan
[۱۴] One of the political leaders of revolution who was the speaker of the parliament for some years, he also was a minister in different ministries during his life
[۱۵] All of those people were influential and political figures of the revolution
[۱۶] All those people were policital or cultural figures and writers.
[۱۷] Specific type of shopping centers in Iran that they were consisted of many small store under a mutual ceiling
