Origins & Early Life

Zeki Velidi Togan (10 December 1890 – 26 July 1970) was a Turkish-Bashkir historian, Turkologist, and leader of the Bashkir revolutionary and liberation movement, doctor of philosophy (1935), professor, and honorary doctor of the University of Manchester (1967). He was born in Kuzyanovo (Bashkir: Көҙән) village of Sterlitamaksky Uyezd, Ufa Governorate (in present-day Ishimbaysky District, Bashkortostan). From 1912 to 1915, Velidi taught in the madrasa in Kazan (Qasimiyä), and from 1915 to 1917, he was a member of the bureau, supporting Muslim deputies at the State Duma. In 1917, he was elected to the Millət Məjlisi, and with Şərif Manatov, he organized the Bashkir Shuro (Council).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

During the Bashkir Congress in Orenburg from December 1917, he declared autonomous Bashkiria. However, he was arrested on 3 February 1918 by the Soviet forces. In April 1918, he escaped and joined the forces confronting the Bolsheviks. In 1918 and 1919, Velidi's Bashkir troops first fought under Ataman Alexander Dutov, then under Admiral Kolchak against Bolshevik forces. After the RSFSR promised autonomy to Bashkirs, Velidi switched allegiance, fighting with the Bolsheviks.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

From February...

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