Yeghishe Ishkhanian was a prominent Armenian politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and statesman

Statesman

A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...

, who held high offices in the Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...

 in the beginning of the 20th century. From July 27, 1918 to February 20, 1919, Ishkhanian headed the People's Government of Karabakh (subsequently renamed the Karabakh Council). Subsequently he was elected to be vice-president of the National Council.

Early life

Yeghishe Ishkhanian was born in the capital city Shusha

Shusha

Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...

 (local name: Shushi). He was the son of Hovhanes-Bek Ishkhanian, a civil servant in the Customs and Excise, a well-known man in Nagrono-Karabakh and a close friend of Armenian bishop Vahan Ter-Georgian.

Ishkhanian received his primary and secondary education in Shusha and graduated from Yerevan

Yerevan

Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...

's Diocesan School. After that, he left for Petrograd, where he studied at the Agronomic High School until the February Revolution

February Revolution

The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...

 of 1917.

Back to home

In May 1917, Ishkhanian returned to Shusha and actively participated in the organization of the social order and the establishment of a self-government in Nagorno-Karabakh. On 24 December 1917 he was elected to be vice-president of the Interparty Bureau (the Provisional Government). Simultaneously he was appointed as member of the Armenian-Tatar Committee (which had the chief task to maintain peaceful coexist between the Armenian

Armenians

Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....

 majority and the Azeri

Azerbaijani people

The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...

 minority in Nagorno-Karabakh, particularly in Shusha).

On July 27, 1918, when the 1st Karabakh Congress elected the People's Government of Karabakh (an independent government in Nagorno Karabakh during 1918-1920), Ishkhanian was elected prime minister.

Administration

The administration of Ishkhanian (1918–1919) was full of political vicissitudes. First the Transcaucasus was occupied by the Ottoman Turks

Ottoman Turks

The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...

, next the Britain military mission took command there. As the head of the People's Government of Karabakh, Yeghishe Ishkhanian had to enter to negotiations with the new commanders of the region, as well with the government of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan. Moreover The People's Government of Karabakh faced an influx of about 3.000 Armenian refugees from the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...

 and about 5.000 from the village Berdadzor (in the Lachin corridor

Lachin corridor

The Lachin corridor is a mountain pass within de-jure borders of Azerbaijan, it is the shortest route which connects Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...

), which was attacked by Azeri forces in August 1918

However, they saw as the greatest threat for Nagorno-Karabakh was the government of Azerbaijan's attempst to annex Nagorno-Karabakh. Being a co-editor of the government's official newspaper "Artsakh", Ishkhanian wrote an article on March 7, 1919, entitled "Get your bloody hands off." .

In his speech in the 4th Karabakh Congress Ishkhanian expressed his concern thus:

Exile

But the new rulers of Transcaucasia were unable to deal with the recalcitrant republic.

On October 1, 1918, the Ottoman Turks arrested many of the members of the Government, including Yeghishe Ishkhanian. During the interrogation, not obtaining what they wanted to get from him, they beat him up.

The Britain Mission, which fallowed the Ottoman Turks, brought in fact no better condition for Nagorno-Karabakh, moreover it helped Khosrov Sultanov to get authority over Nagorno-Karabakh. In April 1919 general Shatelwort tried for the last time to persuade the 5th Karabakh Congress to "temporary recognize the Azerbaijani jurisdiction", but in vain.
On June 5, 1919, Ishkhanian, along with two other government leaders, was banished from Shusha.

In Armenia

Following his expulsion, Ishkhanian lived in the Democratic Republic of Armenia

Democratic Republic of Armenia

The Democratic Republic of Armenia was the first modern establishment of an Armenian state...

. He met with the country's government leaders, in particular Hamo Ohanjanyan

Hamo Ohanjanyan

Hamo Ohanjanyan was an Armenian politician of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He served as the third Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Armenia from May 5 to November 25, 1920.-References:...

, and hold discussion about the Karabakh-issue.

In July he went to Vayots Dzor

Vayots Dzor

Vayots Dzor is a province of Armenia. It lies in the south-east of the country, bordering the Nakhichevan exclave of Azerbaijan in the west and the Azerbaijan in the east. It covers an area of 2,308 km². With a population of only 53,230 , it is the most sparsely populated province in the country...

, and was appointed as secretary of the regional executive branch. He remained there until 1920 and worked with Drastamat Kanayan

Drastamat Kanayan

General Drastamat Kanayan , known as General Dro, Դրօ, May 31, 1884 March 8, 1956), was a politician, revolutionary, military commander of Hitler’s Armenian Legion of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, and part of Armenian national liberation movement as a member of the A.R.F...

, Garegin Nzhdeh and others. In April 1920, after the Bolsheviks had suppressed the February Uprising, many Armenian politicians and officers moved to Syunik

Syunik

Syunik is the southernmost province of Armenia. It borders the Vayots Dzor marz to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave to the west, Karabakh to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital is Kapan. Other important cities and towns include Goris, Sisian, Meghri, Agarak, and Dastakert...

. In 1921, after the fall of Mountain-Armenia

Republic of Mountainous Armenia

The Republic of Mountainous Armenia was a short-lived and unrecognized state in the South Caucasus, roughly corresponding with the territory that is now the present-day Armenian provinces of Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and parts of the present-day Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.- Turkish–Armenian War :On...

, they crossed the river Arax and escaped to Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. Among them was Yeghishe Ishkhanian.

Journal

Ishkhanian spent the rest of his life in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. In 1966 he recounted the events of 1917-1920 in a journal. He remembered with inspiration the government they had formed, where statesmen of different political ideas worked together, but with pain and regret - the next tragic developments in Nagorno-Karabakh, the destruction and the Shusha pogrom

Shusha pogrom

The Shusha pogrom of 1920 or the Massacre of Shusha"In March, 1920 a terrible pogrom took place in Shushi, organized by Azerbaijanis with the support of Turkish forces...

, (at the time he had been in Karakilisa

Vanadzor

-Industry:Vanadzor is dominated by large chemical plants which include: "Prometey-Khimprom", "Vanadzor Chemical Plant", "Vanadzor Khimprom" and "Vanadzor Chemical Fiber Plant". Another big enterprise is the "Vanadzor Thermal Power Plant....

), where among many others, his parents were killed.