Mihran Damadian (Armenian: Միհրան Տամատեան; 1863 – 1945) was an Armenian freedom fighter, political activist, writer and teacher.
Mihran Damadian | |
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| Birth name | Mihran Damadian |
| Born | 1863 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 1945 (aged 81–82) Cairo, Egypt |
| Allegiance | Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Armenian Democratic Liberal Party |
| Years of service | 1890s—1920 |
| Battles / wars | Armenian Revolutionary Movement Kum Kapu demonstration (1890) 1894 Sasun Resistance |
He was educated at the Collegio Armeno Moorat-Raphael in Venice, Italy. He then became a teacher in the Sassoun district. With Medzn Mourad, he led the Sassoun Resistance in 1894. He was captured and taken to prison where his captors broke his leg to prevent any possibility of escape.[1] He was sent in chains to Constantinople, and stayed for some time there in prison.
Mihran Damadian was a notable Hunchak (and subsequently a Reformed Hunchak which became known as Ramgavar) activist.[2] He was also the chief negotiator with the French authorities. As negotiator, he proposed that France take the mandate of independent Cilicia in 1920.[3] On 5 August 1920, Damadian declared the independence of Cilicia as an Armenian autonomous republic under French protectorate.[4]
He ran the gauntlet of Turkish guerrillas on the mountain road to Adana.[5]
His grand-grandson is stage and opera director and actor Gerald Papasian.
References
edit- ^ Blackwell, Alice Stone. Armenian Poems, Rendered into English Verse. Boston, MA: Atlantic Printing Company, 1917
- ^ Revolutionary Figures by Mark D. Gavoor
- ^ Armenian Library & Museum of America to Honor the Forgotten Heroes of the Armenian Legion - The Armenian Reporter
- ^ Hovannisian, Richard, and Simon Payaslian. Armenian Cilicia. Costa Mesa: Mazda Publishers, Inc., 2008. 483. Print.
- ^ Double Vision: Reflections on My Heritage, Life, and Profession - by Ben Haig Bagdikian, p.83