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Yakub Beg of Yettishar

For other uses, seeYakub Beg (disambiguation).

Muhammad Yakub Beg[a](c. 1820– 30 May 1877), later known asYakub Padishah,[b][1]was theKokandiruler ofYettishar(Kashgaria), a state he established during his invasion ofXin gian gfrom 1865 to 1877.[2]He was recognized as Emir of Yettishar by theOttoman Empireand held the title of "Champion Father of the Faithful".[3][4]

Yakub Beg
Champion Father of the Faithful(اتالیق غازی)
Emir ofYettishar
Reign1865–1877
Born1820(1820)
Piskent,Kokand(present-dayUzbekistan)
DiedMay 1877 (aged 56–57)
Korla,Yettishar(present-dayChina)
Chinese name
ChineseMohammed · nhã hoắc phủ bá khắc
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinMùhǎnmòdé Yǎhuòfǔbókè
Wade–GilesMu4-han3-mo4-te2Ya3-huo4-fu3-po2-k'ei4
Alternative Chinese name
ChineseA cổ bách (· khăn hạ )
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinĀgǔbó (Pàxià)
Wade–GilesA1-ku3-po2(P'a4-hsia4)
Uyghur name
Uyghurمۇھەممەت ياقۇپ بېك‎
Persian name
Persianمحمد یعقوب بیگ
Uzbek name
UzbekЁқуб Бек/Yoqub Bek

Spelling variants

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In English-language literature, the name Yakub Beg has also been spelt asYaqub Beg,Yakoob Beg[5]orYaʿqūb Beg.[6]Authors using Russian sources have also used the spellingYakub-bek.[7]A few publications in English written by Chinese authors transcribe his name asĀgǔbó,which is thepinyintranscription his name in Chinese,A cổ bách,a shortened form ofChinese:A cổ bách khăn hạ;pinyin:Āgǔbó Pàxià.

The first name, Muhammad, is subject to the usual variations in spelling.Yaʿqūbis anArabic analogue of Jacob,andBegis a Turkic noble title. His noble titleBegwas later elevated toPadishahafter his rise to power.[1]He was also given the titleAtalıqGhazi(Chagatay:اتالیق غازی,romanized:Ataliq Ghazi,lit. 'Champion Father of the Faithful') by theEmir of Bukharain 1866, and theOttoman Sultangranted him the title ofEmir.[8]

Background

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Beg's ethnic background is uncertain. According to his biographerD. C. Boulger,Beg was aTajikand a descendant ofTimur.However, this claim is self-contradictory: as a Tajik, Beg would have had to have a link on his mother's side in order to be considered Timur's offspring, but Timur was actually aTurco-Mongolfrom theBarlastribe.[clarification needed]Korean historianHodong Kimsuggests the claim of descent from Timur was an unsupported fabrication intended to glorify Beg's genealogy by ascribing his descent to both Timur andGenghis Khan.[9]

According to theGreat Soviet Encyclopedia,Yakub Beg was ethnically a Tajik.[10]British surveyorThomas George Montgomeriestated that, although he was a Tajik whose native tongue wasTajiki Neo-Persian,he rarely spoke anything but the local Turkic dialect once his rule over Kashgaria began.[11]

Beg's forefathers had lived in the mountainous part ofKarateginbefore moving toDehbid,nearSamarkand.Beg's father, Pur Muhhammad,[c]was born in Samarkand and completed his education inKhojent,later working as aqadi(a judge) atPiskent.He married a local qadi as his second wife. She gave birth to his son Yakub Beg in 1820.[9]

Life

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Early life

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Yakub Beg was born in the town ofPskent,in theKhanate of Kokand(now inUzbekistan).[12]At a young age, he was orphaned, and was thereafter raised by his uncle.[13]

Career

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Beg's lax lifestyle worried his uncle who sent him to Tashkent to become a weaver. However, Beg quickly became bored and returned to Piskent where he obtained a minor job under the general Ghadai Bai.[14]

He later worked under the governor ofKhojent,Muhhammad Karim Khaska. When Aziz Bacha was appointed as the governor ofTashkent,Muhhammad Karim Khaska was transferred to theKhanate of Kokandalong with Beg, but Kashka was soon assassinated by Musulman Quli. This juncture caused Beg to seek service in cavalry under Bacha. Kilauchi's governor Nar Muhhammad married Beg's sister around this time. In 1847, Nar Muhhammad succeeded Kashka as governor of Tashkent, and Beg was appointed as Beg ofChinaz.Around 1849, he was transferred and appointed as commander ofAk-Mechet,primarily owing to his brother-in-law's influence.[15]Beg soon amassed a large fortune. He was involved in the complex factional shifts of the Khanate of Kokand. The internal rivalry between Musalman Quli who was theMingbashiat the time and Nar Muhhammad led to a clash in 1852 where Quli fled, and one of Nar's allies Utambai became Mingbashi. Beg was subsequently recalled back to Tashkent where he was promoted to the rank of military officer with the title ofBaturbashi.[16]

Qipchaq massacre

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In late 1852,Muhammad Khudayar Khan,taking advantage of the disunity between the nomadicQipchaqsand wishing to end their interference in the politics of the Khanate, attempted a coup. The rival Qipchaqs, Nar Muhhammad and Quli, were both captured and executed. According toVladimir Nalivkin,Beg conspired against the Nar and allied himself with Khudayar, however the veracity of this claim is doubtful. Many Qipchaqs were massacred, and this led to an end of the domination of the Qipchaqs over Khokand. There is some uncertainty as to the whereabouts of Beg between 1852 and 1864. In 1864, however, he helped defendTashkentduring the first Russian attack.[17]

Invasion of Xin gian g

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Main article:Xin gian g
Yakub Beg

Initial conquest

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As a result of theDungan Revolt (1862–77),by 1864, the Chinese held only the citadels of Kashgar and a few other places. The Kyrgyz, or Kazakh Sadic Beg, entered Kashgar but were unable to take the citadel and were sent to Tashkent as aKhojato become ruler. Burzug Khan, the only surviving son ofJahangir Khoja,left Tashkent with six men. He joined Yakub Beg, left Kokand with 68 men, and crossed the border of China in January 1865. Sadic Beg, defeated by Yakub Beg, was driven beyond the mountains. Yakub went southeast to Yarkand, the largest town in the region, and was driven out by an army from Kucha. He next besieged the Chinese atYangi Hissarfor 40 days and massacred the garrison. Sadic Beg reappeared, was defeated, and talked into becoming an ally. Invaders from Badakshan were also talked into an alliance. ADunganforce from Kucha and eastward arrived atMaralbeshiand was defeated with 1,000 of the Dungans joining Yakub Beg. Yarkand had decided to submit to Burzug Khan and his great vizier. In September 1865, the second in command and 3,000 men surrendered, converted to Islam, and joined Yakub Beg. The commander refused and blew himself up along with his family; the commanders of Yarkand and Kulja had done the same. An army of rebels from Kokand arrived and joined Yakub. Later in the year, Burzug Khan and Yakub went to Yarkand to deal with a disturbance. The Dungan faction suborned Yakub's Dungans and he was reduced to a few hundred men. Burzug drew off to a separate camp, Yakub defeated the Dungans, Burzug Khan fled to Kashgar and declared Yakub a traitor. The religious leaders supported Yakub, and Burzug was seized in his palace. He was confined for 18 months, exiled to Tibet, and later found his way to Kokand. In little more than a year, Yakub had become master of Kashgar, Yarkand, and Maralbashi, areas stretching roughly from the western end of theTarim Basinto as far as theYarkand River.[citation needed]

The Tarim Basin was conquered by Beg, who was viewed as aKhoqandiforeigner and not as a local.[18]

Kashgar
Maralbashi
Uqturpan
Aksu
Kucha
Lontai
Korla
Karashar
Toksun
Turfan
Hami
Jade Gate
Yangi Hissar
Yarkand
Khotan
Tacheng
Kulja
Manas
Urumchi
Gucheng
Jade Gate
Kokand
class=notpageimage|
Map of places of Yakub Beg, about 800 miles wide.

Later reign

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The Khan of Kokand had some claim over Barzug Khan as a subject, but did nothing in practice. Yakub entered into relations and signed treaties with the Russian Empire and Great Britain, but failed in trying to get their support for his invasion.[19]

Popularity

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Yakub Beg's rule was unpopular among the natives, with one of the localKashgaris,a warrior and a chieftain's son, commenting: "During the Chinese rule there was everything; there is nothing now." Trade also declined.[20]Yakub was disliked by his Turkic Muslim subjects, burdening them with heavy taxes and subjecting them to a harsh interpretation of IslamicSharia law.[21][22]

Korean historianKim Hodongpoints out the fact that his disastrous and inexact commands failed the locals and they, in turn, welcomed the return of Chinese troops.[23]Qing dynasty generalZuo Zongtangwrote that "The Andijanis are tyrannical to their people; government troops should comfort them with benevolence. The Andijanis are greedy in extorting from the people; government troops should rectify this by being generous."[24]

Map titled Chinese Empire & Japan byJohn Bartholomew& published, in 1893 by John Walker and Co Ltd, London in The Handy Reference Atlas of the World depicting the International Boundary ofIndiawithEast Turkistanon the Kuen Lun Range & depicting Kukalang &HindutashPasses, & the Raskam Tract adjoining the Kuen Lun Range in northern Kashmir & theKarakash Riverin Kashmir as part of India and depicting the provinces of Bengal, Nepal, Assam including the Assam Himalaya, and Kashmir as part of India prior to 1947

Death

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Qing dynasty's campaign against Yakub Beg and his allies

His precise manner of death is unclear.The Timesof London and the RussianTurkestan Gazette[uz]both reported that he had died after a short illness.[25]HistorianMusa Sayramistated that he was poisoned on 30 May 1877, inKorlaby the formerhakim(local city ruler) ofYarkand,Niyaz Hakim Beg, as part of a conspiracy withQing Dynastyforces inJungaria.[25]However, in a letter to the Qing authorities, Niyaz denied any involvement in the death of Yakub, claiming that the Kashgarian ruler had committed suicide.[25]Other sources also state that he was killed in battle with the Chinese.[26]

While contemporaneous Muslim writers usually explained Yakub Beg's death by poisoning, and the suicide theory was the accepted truth among the Qing generals of the time, modern historians, according to Kim Hodong, think that natural death (of astroke) is the most plausible explanation.[25][27][28][29]

The exact date of Yakub's death is uncertain. Although Sayrami claimed that he died on 28 April 1877, modern historians think that this is impossible, asNikolay Przhevalskymet him on 9 May. Chinese sources usually give 22 May as the date of his death, whileAleksey Kuropatkinthought it to be 29 May. Late May 1877 is therefore thought to be the most likely time.[25][30][31][32][33]Official sources from the US State Department and activists involved in the incident state that Yakub's sons and grandson had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment with a fund provided for their support.[34][35][36]

Legacy

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Night interview with Yakub Beg, King of Kashgaria, 1868

Rebiya Kadeerpraised Yakub Beg.[37]

Tributes

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A son of general and politicianYulbars Khanwas named after Yakub Beg.[38][39][40]

In media

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Yakub makes an appearance in the second half of George Macdonald Fraser's novelFlashman at the Charge.[41]

Al Qaeda

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Al-QaedaideologueMustafa Setmariam Nasarpraised Yakub and his establishment of educational institutions for Islam, and mosques called him "Attalik Ghazi" and a "good man" for his war against Buddhists and the Chinese.[42]

TheDoğu Türkistan Haber Ajansı(East Turkestan News Agency) published an article from Al-Qaeda branchAl-Nusra Front's English languageAl-Risalahmagazine (مجلة الرسالة), second issue (العدد الثاني), translated from English into Turkish and titled Al Risale: "Türkistan Dağları" 2. Bölüm (The Message: "Turkistan Mountains" Part 2), which praised the Sharia implemented by Yakub and cited him as an upholder of Jihad, attacking the Qing.[43][44]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^
  2. ^
  3. ^he was also known as Muhhammad Lațit

References

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Notes

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  1. ^abVambery, Arminius(1874).Central Asia and the Anglo-Russian Frontier Question.Books on Demand. p. 149.ISBN978-3-368-82568-3– viaGoogle Books.Yakub-Beg, now of course Yakub-Padishah, is of Persian descent - i.e. in the Turkish language a Sart. (...) His birthplace was Pishad.
  2. ^Olivieri, Chiara (2018)."Religious Independence of Chinese Muslim East Turkestan" Uyghur "".In Dingley, James; Mollica, Marcello (eds.).Understanding Religious Violence: Radicalism and Terrorism in Religion Explored Via Six Case Studies.Springer.ISBN9783030002848.
  3. ^"Atalik".Encyclopaedia of Islam: Supplement.Vol. 12. 1980. p. 98.ISBN9004061673.Retrieved22 August2010.
  4. ^"Yakub Beg".Encyclopædia Britannica.15 September 2019.Retrieved15 November2019.
  5. ^Boulger 1878.
  6. ^Kim 2004.
  7. ^"Imperial Rivals: China, Russia, and Their Disputed Frontier", by Sarah C. M. Paine (1996)ISBN1-56324-723-2
  8. ^Boulger, page 118 and 220
  9. ^abKim 2004,p. 77.
  10. ^Якуб-бек (Yakub-bek)in theGreat Soviet Encyclopedia(in Russian) – via Great Scientific Library
  11. ^Montgomerie, Thomas George(1871).Report of "The Mirza's" Exploration from Caubul to Kashgar.pp. 171–172.Mahomed Yakub Beg, a native of the village of Pishkadh, between Tashkend and Kokhan, (...) is a Tajuk, and his native language is Persian, though he now seldom speaks anything but Turkish.
  12. ^"Yakub Beg: Tajik adventurer".Encyclopædia Britannica.
  13. ^Pevtsov, Mikhail Vasilyevich(1894).Journey to Kashgariya and Kun-Lun.p. 422 – viaGoogle Books.Yakub-bek was born in Central Asia (city of Pskent, south of Tashkent). His father was Tadzhik. He was orphaned at an early age and was brought up by his uncle.
  14. ^Kim 2004,p. 78.
  15. ^Kim 2004,p. 79.
  16. ^Kim 2004,p. 80.
  17. ^Kim 2004,pp. 78–80.
  18. ^James A. Millward (2007).Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xin gian g.Columbia University Press. pp. 117–.ISBN978-0-231-13924-3.
  19. ^Herbert Allen Giles (1898).A Chinese biographical dictionary, Volume 2.London: B. Quaritch. p.894.Retrieved13 July2011.(STANFORD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY)
  20. ^Demetrius Charles de Kavanagh Boulger (1878).The life of Yakoob Beg: Athalik ghazi, and Badaulet; Ameer of Kashgar.London: W. H. Allen. p.152.Retrieved18 January2012.
  21. ^Wolfram Eberhard (1966).A history of China.Plain Label Books. p. 449.ISBN1-60303-420-X.Retrieved30 November2010.
  22. ^Linda Benson; Ingvar Svanberg (1998).China's last Nomads: the history and culture of China's Kazaks.M.E. Sharpe. p.19.ISBN1-56324-782-8.Retrieved30 November2010.
  23. ^Kim 2004,p. 172.
  24. ^John King Fairbank (1978).The Cambridge History of China: Late Chʻing, 1800–1911, pt. 2.Cambridge University Press. pp. 221–.ISBN978-0-521-22029-3.
  25. ^abcdeKim (2004), pp. 167–169
  26. ^"Central and North Asia, 1800–1900 A.D."metmuseum.org. 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 14 December 2006.Retrieved14 December2006.
  27. ^The stroke (Russian:удар) version e.g. here:N. Veselovsky(Н. Веселовский),Badaulet Yaqun Beg, Ataliq of Kashgar (Бадаулет Якуб-бек, Аталык Кашгарский),in «Записки Восточного отделения Русского археологического общества», No. 11 (1899).
  28. ^George Curzon Curzon (2010).Problems of the Far East – Japan-Korea-China.READ BOOKS. p. 328.ISBN978-1-4460-2557-4.Retrieved28 June2010.
  29. ^John Stuart Thomson (1913).China revolutionized.INDIANAPOLIS: The Bobbs-Merrill company. p.310.Retrieved28 June2010.
  30. ^Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events, Volume 4.New York: TD. Appleton and company. 1880. p. 145.Retrieved12 May2011.
  31. ^Herbert Allen Giles (1898).A Chinese biographical dictionary, Volume 2.London: B. Quaritch. p.894.Retrieved13 July2011.(STANFORD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY)[1]
  32. ^Translations of the Peking Gazette.Shanghai. 1880. p. 83.Retrieved12 May2011.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)(Original from the University of California) REPRINTED FROM THE "NORTH-CHINA HERALD AND SUPREME COURT AND CONSULAR GAZETTE."
  33. ^Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events.Vol. 4. New York: D. Appleton and Company. 1888. p. 145.Retrieved12 May2011.
  34. ^James D. Hague (1904).Clarence King Memoirs: The Helmet of Mambrino.New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. p.50.Retrieved19 September2016.Cruelty to Children Yakoob Beg.
  35. ^"THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN.; CASE OF THE KINGMA CHILDREN--LETTER FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT".The New York Times.New York. 20 March 1880.Retrieved19 September2016.
  36. ^Jung Chang (2014).Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China.New York: Anchor. p. 131.ISBN978-0-385-35037-2.Retrieved3 November2016.
  37. ^Rebiya Kadeer; Alexandra Cavelius (2009).Dragon Fighter: One Woman's Epic Struggle for Peace with China.Kales Press. pp.6–.ISBN978-0-9798456-1-1.
  38. ^Thwaites, Richard (1986)."Real Life China 1978–1983".Rich Communications, Canberra, Australia. 0-00-217547-9.Retrieved14 December2006.
  39. ^Michael Dillon (1 August 2014).Xin gian g and the Expansion of Chinese Communist Power: Kashgar in the Early Twentieth Century.Routledge. pp. 11–.ISBN978-1-317-64721-8.
  40. ^Andrew D. W. Forbes (9 October 1986).Warlords and Muslims in Chinese Central Asia: A Political History of Republican Sinkiang 1911-1949.CUP Archive. pp. 225–.ISBN978-0-521-25514-1.
  41. ^Ildikó Bellér-Hann (2008).Community matters in Xin gian g, 1880–1949: towards a historical anthropology of the Uyghur.BRILL. p. 74.ISBN978-90-04-16675-2.Retrieved28 June2010.
  42. ^Mustafa Setmariam Nasar (aliases Abu Musab al-Suri and Umar Abd al-Hakim) (1999)."Muslims in Central Asia and The Coming Battle of Islam".
  43. ^
  44. ^Zelin, Aaron Y. (25 October 2015)."New issue of the magazine:" al-Risālah #2 "".JIHADOLOGY: A clearinghouse for jihādī primary source material, original analysis, and translation service.

Sources

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In literature

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