Kevork Aroyi Ghazarian () (1865 - May 27, 1907) commonly known as
Kevork Chavush or
Gevorg Chaush (), was an
Armenian fedayee in the
Ottoman Empire.
Kevork Chavoush was a legendary fedayee whose main goal was to ameliorate the plight of the Armenian peasantry in the face of harassment by marauding Turks and Kurds. To this end, he advocated armed resistance. Chavoush's extraordinary daring and valor inspired his men as he led the resistance in the region of
Daron-
Sasun from 1904 until 1907, when he was killed in battle. Kevork Chavush was known to have
good relations with some
Kurdish leaders of the region. He would openly meet and dine with them and at the same time, try to persuade them to not obey orders by the Sultan, who had hired the
Kurds as part of his
Hamidieh guards. This was in vain as the Kurds ended up not joining the Armenian revolutionaries.
Early life
Kevork Chavush was born to a family of
hunters in Sasun, in the village of Bsamats. He receiving his education in
Mush's
Arakelots monastery's school. He left school to join
Arabo, a leading fedayee at the time. After Arabo was arrested, Chavush tracked down Arabo's traitor and assassinated him. From 1885-1888, he travelled to and found residence in
Aleppo. He worked to raise enough money to buy a rifle. He returned to Taron in 1890 to join his friend's,
Hampartsoum Boyadjian's, group of Armenian fighters with the aim...
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