ABSTRACT
Many Kurds participated in the war as irregular cavalry on both sides. One of the most interesting Kurdish leaders during this period was Yezdanşêr of Cizre. He succeeded to attract more than 20,000 rebels, including Kurds, Yezidis, Armenians and Nestorians. After revisiting the Turkish, Kurdish and Russian historiography on the rebellion, this study attempts to reconstruct the complexity of the Yezdanşêr revolt by employing the Ottoman, British and the Russian sources in combination. Yezdanşêr revolt is important because for the first time the Russian and the Kurdish leaders attempted to collaborate in political and military means. It is also important as the European powers initiated interest in Kurds as a strategic partner. British and French diplomats were actively involved in the revolt by extending diplomatic protection to Yezdanşêr and his entourage. As the Ottoman Empire financially became dependent on European great powers, the latter became more indispensable in politics in Kurdistan. Russian, British and Ottoman officials prepared detailed reports on Kurds. Even though the revolt took place as a reaction to the centralization policies of the empire rather than having a nationalist agenda, it pushed the European states and the Ottomans to recognize the emergence of “Kurdish Question”.
