Christapor Mikaelian facts for kids
Christapor Mikaelian (Armenian: Քրիստափոր Միքայէլեան, Krisdapor Mikaelyan; born October 18, 1859 – died March 17, 1905) was a very important leader in the Armenian national liberation movement. He was one of the three people who started the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, a major political party. He was also known by his nicknames Hellen, Topal, and Edward.
Early Life and Education
Christapor Mikaelian was born in a village called Agulis. This village was in a part of the Russian Empire that is now in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. His father was a respected person in the village, often helping people solve their disagreements.
Mikaelian lost his mother when he was four and his father when he was ten. He was a very bright student and finished his local school with excellent grades. Because of this, he received a scholarship to study in Tiflis (which is now Tbilisi, Georgia). He promised to return and teach in his home village after his studies.
He went to Tiflis in 1874 and started at the teaching institute in 1876. While studying, he became involved with a student group called Narodnaya Volya (People's Will). This group wanted to bring about big changes in society. He read many books about revolution and was especially inspired by the ideas of Robert Owen, a social reformer.
In 1880, Mikaelian graduated and went back to Agulis to teach, just as he had promised. In 1884, he returned to Tiflis. He found a student group called the Armenian Patriotic Union that was not doing well. He helped bring members together and taught them. He gave lectures, taught basic subjects, and even trained them in using weapons on Sundays. Important Armenian revolutionary figures like Arabo came from this group. Mikaelian also taught older students about society. During this time, he became very interested in issues facing Armenians. He visited famous Armenian writers like Raffi and Grigor Artsruni.
In 1885, the government closed many Armenian schools, leaving thousands of students and teachers without places to learn or work. Mikaelian and his friends protested, but it didn't help much. Later that year, Mikaelian went to Moscow to continue his studies at the Petrovskaya Agricultural Academy. There, he met Stepan Zorian (Rostom) and Simon Zavarian, who would later become his co-founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He studied science and economics and was active in student movements. Due to money problems, he left his studies in 1887 and returned to Tiflis to focus on revolutionary work. He tried to start a secret printing press with Rostom, but they couldn't find enough money.
Leading the Armenian Cause
When Mikaelian returned to Tiflis, he started organizing and training groups of working-class people. To unite Armenian fighters known as fedayees, he created an organization called Young Armenia. Later, he became one of the key founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), along with Simon Zavarian and Stepan Zorian. He was a member of the ARF's main leadership group until he passed away.
In 1891, the Russian authorities sent him away to Kishinev (now Chișinău) in Bessarabia. From there, he went to Galatz, Romania. In Romania, he helped produce Droshak, which was the official newspaper of the ARF.
Mikaelian came back to the Caucasus region in 1892 and continued his activities until 1898. He was put in jail by the Russian authorities for six months in 1895. In 1898, he went to Geneva to edit Droshak again.
Mikaelian played a big part in starting Pro Armenia in 1900. This was a publication that brought together French thinkers who supported the Armenian cause. From 1901 to 1904, Mikaelian led an effort called Potorik ("Storm") to raise money for the ARF from wealthy Armenians.
Mikaelian was also central to planning a major action against the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II. This plan was known as the Yıldız assassination attempt. Sadly, he died while testing bombs for this plan in a mountain village in Bulgaria. He was 45 years old when he passed away on March 17, 1905.
See also
- Armenian Revolutionary Federation
- Stepan Zorian
- Simon Zavarian
