| Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji | |
|---|---|
| Sheikh Mahmudi Hefîd | |
| Reign | 1922–1924 |
| Born | 1878 |
| Birthplace | Kingdom of Kurdistan |
| Died | October 9, 1956 |
| Place of death | Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq |
| Buried | Sulaimaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan Region |
| Predecessor | British Empire |
| Successor | Faisal I of Iraq |
Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji or Mahmud Berzenji (1878 – October 9, 1956) was the leader of several Kurdish uprisings against the British Mandate of Iraq. He was sheikh of a Qadiriyah Sufi family from the city of Sulaymaniyah, which is now in Iraqi Kurdistan. He twice proclaimed himself king of an independent Kurdish state.
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Sheikh Mahmud led the first Kurdish revolt in British controlled Southern Kurdistan (Iraqi Kurdistan) in May 1919. Shortly before being appointed governor of Sulaimaniyah, he ordered the arrest of all British political and military officials in the region. After seizing control of the region, Sheikh raised a military force from his Iranian tribal followers and proclaimed himself "Ruler of all of Kurdistan".
As the British became aware of the sheikh's growing political and military power, they were forced to respond militarily. Two British brigades were deployed to defeat Sheikh Mahmoud's fighters at Darbandi Bazyan near Sulaimaniyah in June 1919. Sheikh Mahmoud was eventually arrested and exiled to India in 1921.
Mahmoud's fighters continued to oppose British rule after his arrest. The success of the Kurdish fighters' anti-British revolts forced the British to recognize Kurdish autonomy in 1923. Returning to the region in 1922, Sheikh Mahmoud continued to promote raids against British forces, and declared himself the king. On September 14, 1922, the British recognized Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji as the first King of Kurdistan under the British mandate.[1] The Kingdom of Kurdistan lasted from 1922 to 1924. After the British government finally defeated Sheikh Mamoud, they signed Iraq over to King Faisal I and a new Arab-led government. Sheikh Mahmoud retreated into the mountains, and later signed a peace accord with the Iraqi government and settled in the new Iraq in 1932.[2]
Kurdish people were unfamiliar with the Western system that was set up by the French and English that evolved in the Middle East after World War I. After the Great War, the British and other western powers controlled the land once held by the Ottoman Empire (later Turkey). Due to plans made with the French in the Sykes–Picot Agreement, Britain was designated as the mandate power. The British were able to form their own borders to their pleasure to gain an advantage in this region. The British had firm control of Baghdad and Basra and the regions around these cities mostly consisted of Shiite and Sunni Arabs. In 1921, the British appointed Faisal I the King of Iraq. This was an interesting choice because Faisal had no local connections because he was part of the Hashemite family in Western Arabia. As events were unfolding in the southern part of Iraq, the British were also developing new policies in northern Iraq which was primarily inhabited by Kurds. The borders that the British formed had the Kurds between central Iraq (Baghdad) and the Ottoman lands of the north. The Kurdish people of Iraq lived in the mountainous and terrain of the Mosul Vilayet. This was a difficult region to control from the British prospective because of the terrain and tribal loyalties of the Kurds. There was much conflict after the Great War between the Ottoman government and British on how the borders should be established. The Ottomans were unhappy with the outcome of the Treaty of Sèvres. This treaty allowed the Great War victors control over much of the former Ottoman lands. In particular, the Turks felt that the Mosul Vilayet was theirs because the British had illegally conquered it after the Mudros Armistice which had ended hostilities in the war. With the discovery of oil in northern Iraq, the British knew they were unwilling to relinquish the Mosul Vilayet. Also, it was to the British advantage to have the Kurds play a buffer role between themselves and the Ottoman Empire. All of this leads to the importance of Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji. With the Kurds in the middle of the new Iraqi state and the Ottoman Empire, Britain could gain a protector shield for Iraq. The British made promises to the Kurds during the Great War that they would receive their own land to form a Kurdish state however the British were not certain they would keep their promise, and ultimately they did not, and this is the first of many instances the British manipulated the Kurds and lied to them. This initial lie formed mistrust on the part of the Kurds and left a bad taste in their mouth. In 1919 uneasiness began to evolve in the Kurdish regions because they were unhappy with the situation the British forced upon them. Thus the British tried to establish a puppet government in the region so they appointed a popular leader of the region, and this was Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji who became governor of southern Kurdistan.
Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji was a very proud person and had ambitions for the Kurdish people to control their own state and gain independence from the British. As Charles Tripp relates, The British appointed him governor of Sulaimaniah in southern Kurdistan as a way of gaining an indirect rule in this region. The British wanted this indirect rule with the popular Mahmud at the helm which they believed would give them a face and a leader to control and calm the region. However with a little taste of power, Mahmud had ambitions for more, not only for himself, but for the Kurdish people. He declared himself the "King of Kurdistan" and claimed to be the ruler of all Kurds. Yet the opinion of Mahmud among Kurds was mixed because he was becoming too powerful and ambitious for some.[3] Mahmud was a very charismatic and energetic leader who hoped to create Kurdistan and initially the British allowed Mahmud to pursue has ambitions because he was bringing the region and people together for the British to control. However, by 1920, Mahmud, to British displeasure, was using his power against the British by capturing British officials in the Kurd region and starting uprisings against the British.[4] As historian Kevin McKierman writes, "The rebellion lasted until Mahmud was wounded in combat, which occurred on the road between Kirkuk and Sulaimaniah. Captured by Crown forces, he was sentenced to death but later imprisoned in a British for in India."[5] Sheikh remained in India until 1922.
With the exile of Sheikh in India, Turkish nationalists in the crumbling Ottoman Empire were causing a great deal of trouble in the Kurdish regions of Iraq. The Turkish nationalists, led by Mustafa Kemal, were riding high in the early 1920s after their victory against Greece and were looking to take that momentum into Iraq and take back Mosul. With the British in direct control of northern Iraq after the exile of Sheikh Mahmoud, the area was becoming increasingly hostile for the British officials due to the threat from Turkey. At this time the region was led by Sheikh's brother, Sheikh Qadir, who was not capable of handling the situation and was seen by the British as an unstable and unreliable leader. Sir Percy Cox, a British military official and administrator to the Middle East especially Iraq, and Winston Churchill, a British politician, were at odds on whether to release Sheikh from his exile and bring him back to reign in northern Iraq. This would allow the British to have better control over the hostile but important region. Cox argued that the British could gain authority in a region they recently evacuated and Sheikh was the only hope of gaining back a stable region.[6] Cox was aware of the dangers of bringing back sheikh but he was also aware that one of the main reasons for the unrest in the region was the growing perception that the earlier promises of automony would be abandoned and the British would bring the Kurdish people under direct rule of the Arab government in Baghdad. The Kurdish dream of an independent state was growing less likely which caused conflict in the region.[7] Bringing Sheikh back was their only chance of a peaceful Iraqi state in the region and against Turkey. Cox agreed to bring back Sheikh and name him governor of southern Kurdistan. On December 20, 1922 Cox also agreed on a joint Anglo-Iraqi declaration that would allow a Kurdish government if they were able to form a constitution and agree on boundaries. Cox knew with the instability in the region and the fact that there were many Kurdish groups it would be nearly impossible for them to come to a solution.[8] Upon his return, Mahmud proceeded to pronounce himself King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan. Sheikh rejected the deal with the British and began working in alliance with the Turks against the British. Cox realized the situation and in 1923 he denied the Kurds of any say in the government and withdrew his offer of their own independent state. Sheikh was the king until 1924 and was involved in uprisings against the British until 1932 when the Royal Air Force and British-trained Iraqis were able to capture Sheikh again and exile him to southern Iraq.[8]
Sheikh sued for peace and was exiled in southern Iraq in May 1932 and was able to return to his family village in 1941 where he remained the rest of his years.[9] He ultimately died in 1956 with his family. He is still remembered today with displays of him around northern Iraq and especially Sulaimaniah. He was a brave leader against the British Mandate in Iraq and fought for the independence and respect of his people. He was the first Muja leader to emerge in the 20th century in Kurdistan and was the pioneer to many future Kurd leaders. He is a hero to the Kurd people to this day.