Emin Joseph Emin, Life and Adventures of Emin Joseph Emin (1792)

Joseph Emin (1726 - 1809) was an Armenian merchant and writer who spent most of his life trying to achieve the liberation of Armenia. 

Born into an Armenian merchant family in Iran, he followed in his father's footsteps in pursuing a career in trade. In 1744 Emin moved to India where he settled in Calcutta and successfully traded across much of Western Asia. 

An Armenian patriot, he desired to see his compatriots free from the Iranian and Ottoman yoke. While in Calcutta that Emin came into direct contact with the British and embraced European way of life. He was convinced that the Armenian path to freedom lay in the pursuit of Western education and practices. 

To facilitate this process, Emin travelled to Europe throughout the 1750s and 1760s, seeking support for the liberation of Armenia.  While in Britain, Emin befriended Lord Northumberland and other aristocrats, and, with their help, was admitted to the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich. After graduating, he briefly served in the British army during the Seven Years War (1756-1763) in order to gain practical experience. 

Emin left Britain in 1759. He first visited Prussia, where he tried to secure Frederick the Great's support, before proceeding to Eastern Anatolia, where he intended to launch a movement to liberate Armenia. He visited the courts of the Armenian meliks of Karabagh and King Erekle II [Heraclius] of Kartli-Kakheti, seeking their support for his liberation plans. But neither party supported him at the time. So in 1761 Emin returned to Europe where he spent two more years trying to get support, including contacting the Russian imperial court. Emin's dream was to establish an independent kingdom of Armenia in alliance with Georgia and under Russian protection. 

In 1763 Emin returned to Georgia and met King Erekle II whom he urged to support Armenian liberation. Unable to convince the king, Emin travelled to the North Caucasus where spent four years among the tribes of Daghestan. 

In 1767, he traveled to Karabagh and Zangezur to incite a rebellion but could not overcome Armenian Catholicos Simeon who was staunchly opposed to any rebellion and refused to provide any support for Emin's schemes. Thus, Emin once again chose to solicit King Erekle's support. After another failed attempt at the Georgian court in 1767-1768, Emin decided to return to India and he spent years trying to convince Armenian merchant communities in India and Iran to raise funds for the Armenian liberation movement. Yet again, he failed again. 

Bitterly disillusioned, Emin remained in India for the rest of his life, and devoted his time and energy to keeping the idea of the liberation of Armenia alive. He wrote, in English, his two-volume autobiography where he described his numerous adventures. Entitled "Life and Adventures of Joseph Emin, 1726-1809," the book was first published in London in 1792 and was later expanded (with Emin's letters) and reprinted by Emin's great granddaughter in Calcutta in 1918.

In his autobiography (written in third person), Emin devoted several chapters to discussing his visits to the Georgian court, meetings with King Erekle and interactions with the Georgian nobility. He has little good to say about the Georgians, frequently accusing them of treachery and cowardice, and comparing them unfavorably to other peoples, above all the Armenians. Below is the passage from the book describing a battle between the raiding Lezgin party and the Georgian troops led by King Erekle II in 1767.

It was then the beginning of autumn [1767]; and, in the latter end of December, Shaverdy Khan of Ganja began again his undermining politics, writing letters to the Lazguis [Lezgins, residing in present-day Daghestan] for troops to reduce the great tribe of Shamsadin, who had put themselves under the prince’s protection; but Heraclius [Erekle II], fearing some ill consequence, sent five hundred Georgian horse[men] to Ganja, in order to keep the khan quiet. He, not minding them much, laid a scheme, on the arrival of the Lazguis, to put them all to the sword in cold blood. Since the Shamsadin tribe, like others, was divided into two parties, one for the prince, and the other for the khan, one party would have joined to put the design into execution; but, luckily for the Georgians, a young Armenian mountaineer, a new apostate to the Mohamedan faith, had been a few days before made a servant to Shaverdy; who being in bed and asleep, the young man, not contented with his new religion, took the gun hanging in the same room, and shot the khan to death, which ended all the mischief, and saved the lives of many thousands. The young man was put to the sword by the khan’s son, called Agajar Beg ; and from that time Ganja by degrees became a province under Heraclius.

[...]

It may not be improper to recapitulate here three remarkable circumstances in regard to the Armenian nation, which were of service to Heraclius. The first was, David his subject, discovering the horrid conspiracy of thirty-two Georgian noblemen, headed by Heraclius’s own uncle by his mother’s side, Prince Pala; the second, that Emin, when commanding the Lazguis, discomposed Shaverdy Khan’s government, by freeing the Colan Curd tribe mentioned before; the third, that the young mountaineer put an end to the khan’s life, when he was near recovering his dominions from disorder, and preparing to overset the prince’s power, who being just on the brink of downfall, was fortunately saved from one of his greatest rivals.

The Armenian merchants or tradesmen of Tiflis have served the prince and his family, on all occasions, with troops, money, quarters, provisions, and forage, for forty years last past, most truly and affectionately; yet the prince [Erekle II] was never mindful of them, nor showed them any regard. Emin cannot in conscience blame the poor prince on that head; he is rather to be pitied; since the force of his religion, and the holy ministers of the sacred Greek church, being predominant in his mind, he was not endowed with probity sufficient to shake off its spiritual influence; not resembling those great-souled heroes, who disdained partiality, and rewarded merit wherever it was found. Such has been the chief curse to some Christian powers, for the vengeance of the Almighty falling upon them, when Mahomed mounted on a camel from Arabia came to scourge them; and they are treated with indignity by all nations.

Emin, from day to day, flattered himself, through the smooth words of the prince, that he would assist him, by giving the command of a detachment to him. In this manner full nine months passed; but Heraclius could not afford to bestow on him a single abasy, nor any thing else, except half a Tabriz maund, or pound, of bread, (little ‘more than three English penny loaves,) half a maund of mutton, and half a maund of weak wine, for the allowance of two hungry persons. Emin and his relation Mussess, who through necessity were thankful for being taught economy by His Highness. Emin did not much mind it, having inured himself to living by that rule all his lifetime. Poor Mussess persevered as well as he could; but it must be supposed that he sufiered greatly. This way of victualling was on feast days; but on fast days they had no more than half a maund of bread and half a maund of wine: for the Armenians feast six months in the year, and fast six months without eating either fish or flesh. Those who can afford it, may have all sorts of fruits, fine olives, and pilau with oil; but God help those that are poor; they can enjoy nothing. In any part of Armenia they may have plenty of fruits, but not at Tiflis where everything is proportionably dear; it being in some sort a metropolis. 

In one of the last battles against the Lazguis, in the depth of winter, they were no more than a hundred men, each having an Emeral: the Lazghis were commanded by Michael the Centurion, an Armenian by birth, who had been taken captive when an infant, and brought up in Daghestan. This brave man happened to be one of the captains of the Lazguis sent to Solomon, prince of Emeral, as auxiliary troops. He came from Daghestan, joined his troops, and defeated 4o,ooo Turks and Dadians [?] belonging to a petty Georgian prince of the Turks party, whose country the Lazguis ruined and took slaves for their pay, to the number of one hundred, chiefly females. Others, more prudent, staid where they were, in Emeral Georgia, till the melting of the snow, knowing that prince Heraclius would not keep his covenant, made when they were invited by his son-in-law prince Archil, brother to Prince ‘Solomon. 

But this Michael being originally an Armenian, and credulous by nature, trusted to prince Heraclius’s honour, who having intelligence before of his intention to march through the snow on the Plain of Samigory (or the Three Miles) lay in his way near a forest, half a mile’s distance from the river Chabry, one the branches of the Cur. There he remained a fortnight, with four thousand chosen Georgians, cavalry and infantry. In the afternoon the Georgian sentries brought word that the Lazguis were coming, upon which every man mounted readily, but without any order, making a confused effeminate noise, with the sound of a long "i", as far as their breath could go. 

The Lazguis not apprized of the prince’s hostile intention, took it to be a hunting party. Before they came up, prince Heraclius’s eshikagesies, or aides-du-camp, said to Emin, “It is his Highness’s express command that you go out of his band to charge the enemy before.” 

[Emin] instantly obeyed, spurring and whipping his horse; but he was hardly gone ten yards, when the Georgians began firing behind him, and the Lazguis scarce fifty yards from him in front; so that he was between two fires, both taking aim at him. The Lazguis took him to be a Georgian, and the Georgians were glad of the opportunity to make an end of a poor single Armenian, whose great faith was his armour and shield. [Emin] called upon God, and rushed through the enemy without being hurt, so that he went round and stood at some distance to see the operation. While he was between, those two savages fired balls that flew close to his ears, and killed fifty Georgians, with some men of note, and as many of the Lazguis. 

Being opposite, Emin then fell upon them sword in hand, surprising them in close quarter; while the Lazguis, fighting like tigers, laughed and spit in the Georgians faces, calling them treacherous Caffirs [Infidels], for not keeping true to their word. Michael the Centurion signalized himself in a most surprising manner, as he was surrounded by three hundred Georgians for his share, and firing his piece, he killed one first, and not having time enough to load again, he clubbed it, and holding it by the muzzle, fell among the Georgians, and knocked down six or seven of them. When his firelock was broken, he drew his sword, and with his dagger in his left hand, defended himself, fighting and calling Heraclius by all manner of bad names. The prince took care to go upon a high eminence. Michael received nine balls through his body before he fell, pronouncing, "Lallah, Ilalah, etc."; then he laid himself down with as much composure as if he was going to sleep, and with his right hand under his head, looked as fresh as a rose. 

The Georgians behaved like savages; for when [Michael] was dead and gone, some of them came and took his head off, some his hands, some his feet, and others ripped open his chest to see his heart, which was amazingly large, and his liver was as black as jet; which puts me in mind of an expression of the sailors as a rebuke to a cowardly man, "Go your way, you white-livered fellow!" The appellation signifies that a black liver belongs to a brave man. When his son was taken he said that his father was seventy-two years of age. 

Forty of the Lazguis fought retreating composedly till they got to the top of an eminence, the ground being soft and mixed chiefly with saltpetre. In five minutes they dug holes with their daggers deep enough to entrench themselves; in the mean time the whole army of Georgians formed a circle round them. The Lazguis fought desperately. When any of them had exhausted his ammunition, he left his post, drew his sword, or clubbed his firelock like Hercules, came out of the entrenchment, rushed among the Georgians, and fought till he was destroyed. This continued till eleven o’clock at night, when the snow began to fall very thick, each flake being as big as an English shilling. Both sides were tired, partly by the cold, partly by the fatigue; those left in the entrenchment having no more powder or ball, cried out, Barish! (or peace,) on condition that the prince would grant quarter, and not molest them, to which his Highness consented; but after they came out, they were stripped stark naked; and after the army had marched back to the camp seventeen of them were put to the sword, and three only left, whom the prince ordered to receive a Tabriz maund of flour for four or five days journey, through snow half a yard deep, to the foot of Daghestan. 

Among them an Armenian boy, sixteen years of age, was taken prisoner and preserved. Emin had the curiosity to ask him, “Who were those twenty-four men among the dead, and not circumcised?” He said, “They are Armenians, brought from Armenia when children, and brought up as Lazguis in Daghestan; for the Lazguis seldom sell the Armenian boys to the Turks as they do the Georgians. The Armenian infants brought up by the Lazguis, turn out brave, and faithful to their masters; whereas the Georgians are not so, but false and treacherous. There is no occasion to say more; you have been in Daghestan, where you hardly saw a Georgian male slave made free, as we emancipate the Armenians, who live there like princes, and when they descend from Daghestan into Georgia for plunder, a few of them stand against thousands of Georgians. You have seen a proof of their behavior to-day, by Michael our leader; who, trusting to Heraclius’s false word, lost his life bravely." Emin then said, “Why did not those Lazguis keep the grown men and women as well as the children?” Then he said, “O, good Sir, how can you be so ignorant of the world. The Armenians will never turn Mahomedans, if they were cut to pieces; nor are their women so beautiful as the Georgians; and in their slavery they are most unhappy; they are therefore ransomed by their own countrymen, and become free again.”

That very night [King Erekle II] asked Emin the reason of his not bringing the heads of two Lazguis, which, as he had been told, he killed in the action. Emin swore by his honour that it was not true; and declared honestly, that he did not even fire his piece at them; when he had an opportunity, showing the pan of it to the prince, that it was fresh and the muzzle not at all dirty. The prince said, “ Why so, my, Emin Agha?" Emin said, “May it please your Highness, they are my best friends. I have been treated by them like their own eyes, as it is known to all men; it would be dastardly for any man of the least principle, to hurt his friends without provocation; especially as it is against the law of nations, to attack these brave men who were called at the desire of prince Solomon and your son-in-law prince Archil his brother, and became the chief instruments of rescuing their principalities out of the hands of the cruel Turks.”

 The prince, at this reasonable answer, hung his head, and after casting his eyes five minutes on the ground, said to him, “May God reward you according to your heart!”