Jafargulu agha Javanshir

Jafargulu agha Javanshir (Cəfərqulu xan Məhəmmədhəsən ağa oğlu Sarıcalı-Cavanşir; 1787 — 1866) – is an Azerbaijani poet and public figure and was a major-general of the Russian Army.

Biography
Javargulu Agha was born in 1787, in Shusha. He was elder son of Mammadhasan agha Javanshir – major-general of the Russian army and legatee of Ibrahimkhalil khan of Karabakh. After his father’s death in November, 1805 “he was recognized as a legal heir of Karabakh Khanate by Russian Government” and conferred a gold medal with an inscription “Karabakh’s Legatee”.

Nevertheless, Jafargulu Agha’s uncle major-general Mehdigulu khan was promoted to khan of Karabakh “for political reasons” by a supreme order, after murder of Ibrahimkhalil khan, by lieutenant-colonel Lisanevich in 1806.

Jafargulu Agha was especially distinguished during the Russo-Persian War on 1804-1813, when he destroyed Iranians under Ordubad and Qafan, in 1806, by commanding horse cavalry of Karabakh. On January 2, 1807 he was promoted directly to colonel by a supreme order.

On February 20, 1820 colonel Jafargulu Agha was conferred a golden gun “with diamonds and jewel adornments” with a ligature “For Courage”.

Mehdigulu khan carried on a struggle against him, but in the issue he was forced to escape to Iran. Karabakh khanate was abolished and became a province of Russia. Jafargulu Agha wrote poems under a pseudonym “Nava”.

Jafargulu agha died in 1867 and was buried in an ancestral cemetery, in Shusha.

Family
He was married to Ajaibnisa khanim Tuni bey gizi and Yetar khanim Huseyngulu bey gizi. From these marriages Jafargulu agha had three sons – Abdullapasha Agha, Kerim Agha and Hidayet Agha. His granddaughter Gamar Bayim Sheyda was famed as a poetess writing rubai and ghazals.