1889 Bashkale clash
Battles involving Armenian National movement
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The Bashkale Resistance (Armenian: 1889 Õ©Õ¾Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶Õ« Ô²Õ¡Õ·Õ¯Õ¡Õ¬Õ¥Õ« Õ¢Õ¡ÕÕ¸ÖÕ´) was the bloody encounter between three revolutionaries of Armenakan and some Ottoman officials in May 1889.[1] It is named after the town of BaÅkale in the Van Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, today in Van Province of Turkey. The event was important as it was reflected on main Armenian newspapers as the recovered documents on the Armenakans showed an extensive plot for an uprising.[2]
| Bashkale Resistance | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Ottoman Empire | Armenakan Party | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 4 zaptiyes[1] | 3 revolutionaries[1] | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| None | 2 killed | ||||
The event
The comrades Karapet Koulaksizian, Hovhannes Agripasian, and Vardan Goloshian, left the village of Haftvan (Salmast district of Persia), for Van on May 16, 1889.[1] They were stopped near Van by Ottoman police. The police demanded that they disarm to protect the accompanying caravan. In the conflict Goloshian and Agripasian died and Koulaksizian escaped. The police recovered two letters (accompanying documents) addressed to Koulaksizian, one from Avetis Patiguian of London and the other from Mekertitch Portugalian in Marseille.
Reflections
Ottoman Empire believed that the men were members of a large revolutionary apparatus and the discussion was reflected on newspapers, (Eastern Express, Oriental Advertiser, Saadet, and Tarik) and the responses were on the Armenian papers. In some Armenian circles, this event was considered as a martyrdom and brought other armed conflicts.[3]