Krikor Amirian
| Krikor Amirian Գրիգոր Ամիրյան |
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|---|---|
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| Personal details | |
| Born | June 20, 1888 Bayburt, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | August 1, 1964 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Nationality | Armenian |
| Political party |
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Republican Party (United States) |
| Spouse(s) | Siranoush Garabedian (1896–1975) |
| Children | Christine (1924–2010) Sebouh (1925-2013) Dro (1928-) |
| Religion | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Ottoman Empire (to 1914) Armenia
|
| Service/branch | Ottoman Army |
| Years of service | 1908–1917 |
| Rank | Colonel (Çorbacı) |
| Unit | First Armenian Volunteer Regiment |
| Battles/wars |
First Balkan War World War I |
Krikor Amirian (Armenian: Գրիգոր Ամիրյան, June 20, 1888 – August 1, 1964) was an Armenian Revolutionary, who participated in the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia.
Krikor Amirian was born on June 20, 1888, in Bayburt, Turkey. The Amirian family had been influential citizens in Bayburt. Amirian had grown up during the Hamidian Massacres, which was a tumultuous period in Armenian history. In early 1895, Sultan Abdul Hamid II ordered the extermination of specific Armenian districts in the Ottoman Empire. He had ordered thousands of Turkish troops to take control of Bayburt, because it was one of the most heavily populated Armenian cities on the eastern side of the Ottoman Empire. When Turkish troops had entered the city, a massive revolt erupted on October 26, 1895. After relentless fighting, the Armenian rebels wanted to make peace with its invaders. Eryia Amirian, Amirian's father, was chosen to represent the city in order to negotiate a truce with Ottoman officials. Instead, he was shot and left on the side of a road to die. The next day, he was eventually found and given a proper burial.
Amirian had been educated at a local Armenian school in Bayburt, and then eventually went to the Turkish Army Officers Academy. In 1908, he graduated from the academy and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He had served during the First Balkan War, which took place from 1912 to 1913. In early 1913, Amirian was arrested by Bulgarian soldiers and thrown in prison. In mid-1913, after the signing of the Treaty of London, Amirian and countless other were released.
In 1914-1915, Amirian served as General Andranik Ozanian's personal bodyguard and tutor. He was also a personal friend of famed General Drastamat Kanayan, also known as General Dro. On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip decided to make a decision that changed the map of Europe forever by assassinating the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Gavrilo Princip was part of the Black Hand, which was an organization that committed terrorist like acts in order to secure the freed of Bosnia-Herzegovina. One month later, World War I erupted in Europe. By 1915, the war reached the Ottoman Empire and triggered the Armenian Genocide, which resulted in the death of over 1.5 million Armenians. Amirian was traumatically affected because of the massacre. The Amirian family was driven out of Bayburt and were forced to march until they reached their deaths. As the Amirian family and thousands of other Armenian reached Erzincan, Amirian's mother, Vartanoush had committed suicide by jumping into the Tigris river. The rest of the family, which consisted of 50 members, marched throughout the Ottoman Empire until all of them had perished. The only surviving member of the Amirian family was Haiganoush, Krikor Amirian's oldest sister. Haiganoush was able to escape before the Ottoman soldiers had reached Bayburt.
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