Samad bey Sadykh bey oghlu Mehmandarov (, ; 16 October 1855 – 12 February 1931) was an Azerbaijani General of the Artillery in the Russian Imperial Army, a member of the Independence faction of the Parliament of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the Minister of Defense of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and a military figure of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union.
A participant in the Russo-Japanese War, Mehmandarov commanded an artillery division in the defense of Port Arthur from 1904 to 1905. During World War I, he first led an infantry division and later commanded an army corps. For his service in the Tsarist army, he was awarded various orders and medals, including the 3rd and 4th degrees of the Order of Saint George and a Golden Weapon for Bravery. He was also honored with the Grand Cross of the British Order of St Michael and St George.
Following the declaration of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918, Mehmandarov was invited to serve in the Republic’s government. He held the position of Minister of Defense in the third, fourth, and fifth cabinets of the Azerbaijani government. After the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was occupied by Soviet Russia in 1920, Mehmandarov taught at military schools and worked as a special advisor in the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs of Azerbaijan. He retired in 1928.
Active duty Early career There are various theories regarding the origin of the Mehmandarov surname. One suggests that it comes from a military and administrative position within the governance structure of the Karabakh Khanate, known as a mehmandar (guest officer). The mehmandar was responsible for receiving and escorting honorary guests visiting the khanate. During the reign of Ibrahim Khalil Khan Javanshir (1762–1806), Mirza Ali Bey held the position of mehmandar. His descendants later adopted the surname Mehmandarov. One branch of the Mehmandarov family eventually settled in Lankaran. Mirza Sadig Bey Mehmandarov, born in Shusha, graduated from the Faculty of Law in Saint Petersburg, where he became acquainted with Haji Mir Abbas Bey Talishinski. Haji Mir Abbas invited him to Lankaran to serve as the chief legal officer of his estate, and later, Mirza Sadig Bey married into the Talishinski family.
Samad Bey Mehmandarov hailed from a prominent noble family in Karabakh. His father, Mirza Sadiq Bey Mehmandarov, moved from Shusha to Lankaran in the early 1840s due to his official duties. He served as the Mugan district police officer in the Lankaran Uyezd administration and held the rank of titular counselor. Born on October 16, 1855, in Lankaran, Mehmandarov received his primary education at the Baku Gymnasium. On September 1, 1873, he began his military service as a cadet at the 2nd Konstantinov Military School in Saint Petersburg.
After graduating in 1875, Mehmandarov was assigned to the 1st Turkestan Artillery Brigade with the rank of praporshchik. He commanded a mountain unit in the 3rd Battery and took part in the Kokand campaign from November 1875 to February 1876. He was awarded a medal for the conquest of the Khanate of Kokand. For his service during the campaign against the Matcha mountaineers, he was awarded the 3rd Class Order of Saint Stanislaus on October 12, 1876. In December of that year, he was promoted to podporuchik (second lieutenant) and further advanced to poruchik (lieutenant) in December 1877. In the fall of 1879, Mehmandarov was transferred to the 2nd Artillery Brigade in Saint Petersburg. On March 13, 1881, he was awarded the 3rd Class Order of Saint Anna. Later that year, on October 25, he was reassigned to the 2nd Artillery Brigade, and on November 29, 1882, he was promoted to staff captain. On June 17, 1885, he was transferred to the 38th Artillery Brigade in the Caucasus, where he served for the next nine years. From July 8 to November 8, 1887, he was a member of the Caucasus Military District Court. Beginning August 31, 1889, he served as the commander of the 2nd Half-Battery and administrative officer of the 4th Battery. On December 16, 1890, Mehmandarov was promoted to captain. He later received the 2nd Class Order of Saint Stanislaus on May 21, 1891.
On September 30, 1894, the 38th Artillery Brigade was transferred to the Warsaw Military District. Mehmandarov served as a member of the brigade court from November 12, 1894, to February 25, 1895, and as the chairman of the brigade court from February 25, 1895, to March 22, 1896. Between January 22 and June 1, 1896, he temporarily served as a member of the Warsaw Military District. On May 14, 1896, he was awarded the 2nd Class Order of Saint Anna. On July 22 of the same year, he was assigned to the 6th Battery "for his valuable service" and later transferred to the 3rd Battery on November 11, where he was appointed as the administrative officer of the battery. From April 22 to September 26, 1897, Mehmandarov temporarily commanded the 3rd Battery. On January 1, 1898, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed commander of the 2nd Battery of the 3rd Rifle Artillery Division. Following the transfer of the 1st Battery to Transbaikal and its renaming to the 2nd Transbaikal Artillery Division, Mehmandarov was reassigned to this unit with his battery on April 17, 1898. On August 23, 1898, he arrived in Nerchinsk, the service location of the division in the Transbaikal region, along with his battery. On September 24, 1899, Mehmandarov was awarded the 4th Class Order of Saint Vladimir.
Boxer Rebellion in China (1900–1901) From July 2, 1900, to March 26, 1901, Mehmandarov's battery was assigned to the Zabaykal Artillery Division, serving in a detachment commanded by Major General Paul von Rennenkampf. This deployment was part of the China Relief Expedition, a campaign aimed at suppressing the Boxer Rebellion. According to the memoirs of general Aliagha Shikhlinski, during this campaign, Rennenkampf ordered Mehmandarov to destroy the Chinese troops attempting to escape through the southern gates of the besieged city of Tsitsihar. However, the Chinese soldiers were unarmed as they emerged.
Columns of Chinese troops marched past Mehmandarov, but they were unarmed. When Rennenkampf ordered him to open fire, Mehmandarov refused, stating that he could not shoot at unarmed people. However, he received a follow-up order threatening him with a court-martial if he disobeyed. Mehmandarov fired several shots, but over the heads of the unarmed people. The Chinese immediately retreated back into the city.
For his distinction in the battles against the Chinese, Mehmandarov was promoted to the rank of colonel by the highest decree on January 31, 1901. On August 18 of the same year, under the orders of the commander of the Priamur Military District, he was sent to the city of Hulunbuir, where he assumed command of the units within the Zasunkaria Division. From May 14 to July 17, 1902, he temporarily commanded the Zabaykal Artillery Division. On February 1, 1903, he was appointed to the Officer Artillery School located in Tsarskoye Selo as part of the rotating contingent. During Mehmandarov's absence, Captain Aliagha Shikhlinski temporarily commanded his battery. Upon completing the Officer Artillery School with distinction, Mehmandarov returned to Zabaykalia on October 1, 1903, resuming his leadership of the 2nd Battery. On October 14 of the same year, he was awarded a Golden Weapon for Bravery for "distinction in battles against the Chinese."
Russo-Japanese War
In 1904, at the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, Samad bey Mehmandarov was forty-eight years old. On the night of January 26, the Japanese attacked the Russian squadron anchored at Port Arthur, setting ablaze the battleships Retvizan and Tsesarevich as well as the cruiser Pallada. The war had begun. The following morning, Samad bey Mehmandarov was appointed commander of the 7th Siberian Rifle Artillery Division by the commander of the ground forces, Major General Roman Kondratenko.
Following the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, on February 18, 1904, Mehmandarov was officially assigned as commander of the 7th Eastern Siberian Rifle Artillery Division by imperial decree. His biography prominently features the heroic defense of Port Arthur. During this operation, the land defense line was divided into three fronts. To enhance the management of artillery fire, artillery commanders were appointed to each front, and headquarters were established under their supervision. Colonel Mehmandarov was appointed artillery chief of the Eastern Front, actively participating in the frontlines throughout the defense of Port Arthur. This was considered the most crucial front in the defense, where the Japanese concentrated their strongest forces. The diary of Port Arthur Gazette (Novy Kray) correspondent P. N. Larenko provides insights:
Colonel Mehmandarov (commander of all artillery on the right flank) and Lieutenant Colonel Stolnikov displayed remarkable indifference to personal danger. During bombardments, they walked among the guns, seemingly oblivious to the exploding shells, thus inspiring others. The first, as a Caucasian, was naturally brave; the second, as a devout man, faced fate with calm and selfless acceptance.
On October 13, 1904, during another Japanese assault, Colonel Mehmandarov sustained a concussion while stationed at the Third Redoubt. Larenko’s diary further notes:
From conversations with wounded officers, I learned several details about Colonel Mehmandarov. He is a demanding, courageous man who is strict with his subordinates, insisting on setting a personal example of bravery. As a man of temperament, he expresses himself quite harshly. He values only those who are genuinely proud and capable of heroic deeds, while dismissing careerist officers whose primary concern is saving their own lives and securing undeserved decorations. He despises those who use Tolstoyan ideas of ‘non-resistance to evil’ and ‘do not kill’ to mask cowardice, and he strongly opposes such individuals entering military service.
Aliagha Shikhlinski, recounting Mehmandarov’s fearlessness, wrote:
On October 14, during the shelling of the fortress, Samad bey Mehmandarov came to my position. This position was under fire from Japanese guns ranging from 11-inch artillery to 37-millimeter small naval cannons, as well as rifle and machine gun fire. At that time, a six-inch shell exploded near Mehmandarov, and the black mud thrown into the air splattered onto him. Unfazed and uninjured, Mehmandarov calmly took out a white handkerchief and began wiping the mud off his new coat.