Agha Petros

Petros Elia was born in 1880 in the village of Lower Baz, then part of the Ottoman Empire. He received his elementary education in his hometown before attending a European missionary school in Urmia, in Qajar Persia. Elia had a typical upbringing, living with his brother Agha Mirza, his father, and his mother Doreh. Upon completing his studies, he returned to Baz, where he worked as a teacher. It was thanks to his fluency in numerous languages, including Syriac, Turkish, Arabic, French, Persian, Kurdish, English, and Russian, he was appointed by the Ottomans as a secretary, and as a Consul in Urmia briefly in 1909.{{cite web|url=http://www.a-olaf.com/~olaf/Books/agh/agh_btrs.pdf|title=آغا بطرس: سنحاريب القرن العشرين|work=نينوس نيراري|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812213346/http://www.a-olaf.com/~olaf/Books/agh/agh_btrs.pdf|archive-date=2018-08-12}}{{Cite web |last=Salem |first=Chris |date=2023-01-29 |title=A Chaldean Catholic Hero of the Assyrian People - The Story of Agha Petros Elia of Baz |url=https://www.ninevehrising.org/post/a-chaldean-catholic-hero-of-the-assyrian-people-the-story-of-agha-petros-elia-of-baz |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Nineveh Rising |language=en}}

Prior to the First World War, Petros received military training at a Russian military academy. He later gained a notable reputation for his leadership and strategic abilities throughout the course of the war.{{Cite book |last=Baldwin |first=Oliver |url=https://books.google.se/books?id=W9tCAAAAIAAJ&q=agha+petros+russian+military&dq=agha+petros+russian+military&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwij1d6gmseMAxVMBxAIHY45CroQ6wF6BAgIEAU#agha%20petros%20russian%20military |title=The Questing Beast: An Autobiography |date=1932 |publisher=Grayson & Grayson |language=en}}

Petros became known for his actions alongside Russian forces in the Van and Bitlis regions during 1915–1916, where he earned a reputation for gallantry and for his resourcefulness in several military engagements.{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Arnold Talbot |url=https://books.google.se/books?id=ktpmAAAAMAAJ |title=Mesopotamia, 1917-1920 A Clash of Loyalties; a Personal and Historical Record |date=1931 |publisher=H. Milford |pages=35 |language=en}}

After the Russians entered Urmia, Agha Petros was appointed as a general with a small Assyrian force under his command. He later engaged and defeated forces of Ottoman and Kurds in a series of battles. He was later approached by the Allies and was given command of the left wing of the army of Assyrian volunteers (the right wing being commanded by Mar Shimun’s brother Dawid Mar Shimun, the center being under the command of Mar Shimun).Joseph Naayem, Shall this Nation die?, Chaldean Rescue, New York, 1920, p. 277 [http://www.aina.org/books/stnd.htm online version][https://books.google.com/books?id=hokGAQAAIAAJ&dq=Agha+Petrus++Malik+Khochaba&pg=PA281 Naayem, Shall This Nation Die?, p. 281]

{{Main|Battle of Suldouze}}

His volunteers had quite a few successes over the Ottoman forces, notably at Suldouze where Petros’ 1,500 horsemen overcame the forces of Kheiri Bey's (8,000 men). Petros also defeated the Ottomans in a major engagement at Sauj Bulak and drove them back to Rowanduz.[http://www.zahrira.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2024 استشهاد مارشمعون .ونزوح الاشوريين الى بعقوبة] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704081100/http://zahrira.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2024 |date=2010-07-04 }}, Zahrira.net

Agha Petros defeated the Turks in Sauj Bulak and drove them back to Rowanduz. He not only led the Assyrian forces, but also had some limited control over Armenian troops that fought alongside them.{{Cite book |last=Robins |first=James |url=https://books.google.se/books?id=7cQAEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA122&dq=agha+petros+control+armenians&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiCkvy0w8SMAxW4E1kFHU87O7oQ6wF6BAgLEAU#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=When We Dead Awaken: Australia, New Zealand, and the Armenian Genocide |date=2020-11-12 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-83860-751-7 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Bourne |first=Kenneth |url=https://books.google.se/books?id=XLUkAQAAIAAJ&q=agha+petros+command+armenians&dq=agha+petros+command+armenians&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwicmKLyxMSMAxVmE1kFHRIrMrA4FBDrAXoECAQQBQ#agha%20petros%20command%20armenians |title=British Documents on Foreign Affairs--reports and Papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print: From the First to the Second World War. the Soviet Union, 1917-1939. Part II. Series A |date=1984 |publisher=University Publications of America |isbn=978-0-89093-601-6 |language=en}} There was disunion in the ranks, and instead of posting a force to contain the Turks, whom he had defeated previously, he moved his forces to Sain Qaleh as encouraged by the British officials, who had promised him military help. Nevertheless, the British did not fulfill their promises. He reached Sain Kala seven days after the British detachment retired.The Tragedy of the Assyrians By R. S. Stafford [http://www.aina.org/books/tota.pdf online version]

After the invasion of Mosul by the Young Turks, the Assyrian army, led by General Agha Petros, fought intensively and successfully against the Ottoman army and their Kurdish allies, and pushed them out of Mosul and the whole area, leading to Britain's control of the region. The battles are described in detail by surviving letters of Petros and British officials.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=on0TaPqFXbcC&q=Assyrian+military+activity+in+iraq+during+ww1&pg=PA431|title = World War I}}

{{Main|Battle of Charah}}

Agha Petros also had some disagreements with Mar Shimun, the patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, and was often mistrusted by his family.Ashur Giwargis,[http://www.aina.org/articles/almatfi.htm The Assyrian Liberation Movement And the French Intervention (1919–1922)], AINA.orgJoseph Naayem, Shall this Nation die?, Chaldean Rescue, New York, 1920, p296 [http://www.aina.org/books/stnd.htm online version] : "The cause of our flight was Agha Petrus who had written to Mar Shimun at Salmas, advising him to commence the attack on the Turks, who had retired on Kara Tepe, and promising that he would reinforce him with 3,500 men. The attack began. Agha Petrus came two days later with only 300 men. Arrived at Salmas from Schakar Yazi, he retook the road to Urmia, whilst Mar Shimun's men advanced steadily." The Allied military advisors reported that he schemed against Mar Shimun, by trying to dissuade the Allies to trust the Patriarch.Viktor Shklovsky, Russian commissar in Urmia region wrote : " … he governed a certain locality in Turkey and ruined the populace with exorbitant taxes, while residing in America he was sentenced to a term of hard labor in Philadelphia. At the present time he sides with Russia and is our official dragoman. His services are to be used with extreme caution." [http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2001/7.23.01/index.php#Literatus Zindamagazine] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116034440/http://zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2001/7.23.01/index.php|date=2010-01-16}}

However, after the murder of Mar Shimun by the Iranian Kurdish leader Simko, Agha Petros joined forces with Malik Khoshaba and others in driving Simko from his stronghold at Kuhnashahir.

Petros was the head negotiator for the Assyrians between 1919 and 1923. On July 24, 1923, he took part in the League of Nations Peace Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he approached the Turkish delegation for the resettlement of the Assyrians in and around Hakkâri Province in exchange for the loyalty of the Assyrians. The then secretary/minister of foreign affairs of Turkey, İsmet İnönü who was heading the Turkish delegation at Lausanne was in favor of the resettlement but a telegram received from the central government in Ankara prevented that.[http://www.atour.com/~aahgn/news/20040306a.html Agha Petros and the Lausanne Telegraphs], atour.com

During his last years Petros moved near Toulouse, France, where he lived until his death of a cerebral attack at the railway station, on February 2, 1932.{{cn|date=January 2021}} In France, Agha Petros was called the Young Napoleon, and in journals and newspapers, he was referred to as the New Nebuchadnezzar due to his exceptional performance during the First World War.{{Cite book |last=David |first=Yousif| url= https://archive.org/details/bornkillernewhis0000yous/page/189/mode/1up?view=theater |title= Born killer : new history of Iraq during Saddam Husain 1920-1989 |date=2007|publisher= Medius Co.|pages=189|language=en}}

In his book The Cradle of Mankind, life in Eastern Kurdistan W.A. Wigram mentions that Petros was involved in fraudulent acts in British Columbia (Canada), where he resorted to collecting money purportedly for the building of an orphanage in Macedonia.{{cite book | title = The Cradle of Mankind, life in Eastern Kurdistan, Second Edition

| last = Rev. W.A. Wigram

| year = 1922

| publisher = A & C Black, Ltd

| location = London

| pages = 218–219}}

[http://www.aina.org/books/com/com.htm online version] According to some historians{{in lang|fr}} Méthy Daniel, L'action des grandes puissances dans la région d'Ourmia (Iran) et les Assyro-Chaldéens: 1917–1918 in Studia Kurdica n°1-

4.5,

5, Paris,1988, ISSN 0765-1074, p86.. [http://ggautierk.free.fr/f/assyr_f.htm online version] he fled the country as the Canadian police was about to arrest him, He was later to be found in Rome where he passed himself off as an Assyrian tribal chief desirous to bring his tribe from the Assyrian Church of the East over to the fold of the Chaldean Catholic Church. Impressed and grateful for this decision, the Catholic authorities granted him an official decoration. Petros then returned to the Ottoman Empire and displayed his decoration from the Pope to local authorities to ask for a job at an Ottoman Consulate. A job that he did get, as a secretary, and as a Consul in Urmia in 1909. Other historians like David Gaunt labeled his time in Canada as a vacation, and that he was simply doing a fund raising rather than fraudulent acts.

Some historians believe Petros Elia was merely concerned by his own ambition.{{Cite book

|title = The Assyrians and Their Neighbours

|author = Rev. W.A. Wigram

|year = 2002

|publisher = Gorgias Press LLC

|isbn = 1-931956-11-1

}} The Allied military advisors reported that he schemed against Mar Shimun, by trying to dissuade the Allies from trusting him. He was also reportedly mistrusted by the Allies. Lieutenant Gasfield and French Surgeon-Major Caujole have recorded his subordinates' low esteem in their reports.Viktor Shklovsky, Russian commissar in Urmia region wrote: "… he governed a certain locality in Turkey and ruined the populace with exorbitant taxes, while residing in America he was sentenced to a term of hard labor in Philadelphia. At the present time he sides with Russia and is our official dragoman. His services are to be used with extreme caution." [http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2001/7.23.01/index.php#Literatus Zindamagazine] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116034440/http://zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2001/7.23.01/index.php |date=2010-01-16 }}

• Assyrian people
• Assyrian genocide
• Assyrian nationalism

{{reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090324040311/http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/archives.php Zindamagazine Archives]
• {{cite book

| title = The Cradle of Mankind, life in Eastern Kurdistan

| url = https://archive.org/details/cu31924028549925

| last = Rev. W.A. Wigram

| year = 1914

| publisher = A & C Black, Ltd

| location = London

}} [http://www.aina.org/books/com/com.htm online version]

• {{Cite book

|title = The Assyrians and Their Neighbours

|author = Rev. W.A. Wigram

|year = 2002

|publisher = Gorgias Press LLC

|isbn = 1-931956-11-1}}

• The Tragedy of the Assyrians By R. S. Stafford [http://www.aina.org/books/tota.pdf online version]
• Joseph Naayem, Shall this Nation die?, Chaldean Rescue, New York, 1920 [http://www.aina.org/books/stnd.htm online version]
• {{in lang|fr}} Méthy Daniel, L'action des grandes puissances dans la région d'Ourmia (Iran) et les Assyro-Chaldéens: 1917–1918 in Studia Kurdica n°1–5, Paris,1988, ISSN 0765-1074 [http://ggautierk.free.fr/f/assyr_f.htm online version]
• [http://www.a-olaf.com/~olaf/Books/agh/agh_btrs.pdf آغا بطرس: سنحاريب القرن العشرين, نينوس نيراري] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812213346/http://www.a-olaf.com/~olaf/Books/agh/agh_btrs.pdf |date=2018-08-12 }}

{{refend}}

• [http://www.atour.com/~history/1900/20030929a.html 1923: Agha Petros and the Lausanne Telegraphs]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petros, Agha}}

Category:1880 births

Category:1932 deaths

Category:People from Hakkari

Category:Ottoman Assyrian politicians

Category:Chaldean Catholics

Category:Ambassadors of the Ottoman Empire

Category:Military leaders of World War I

Category:Assyrian military leaders

Category:Assyrians from the Ottoman Empire