Nene Hatun

Aziziye Fort in Erzurum with the grave of Nene Hatun

Nene Hatun, aka Nenehatun, (1857 – 22 May 1955) was a Turkish folk heroine, who at her age of twenty showed bravery during the recapture of Fort Aziziye in Erzurum from Russian forces at the start of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.

This war is known in Turkish historiography as "The war of '93" (Turkish: '93 Harbi) to refer the year 1293 AH in Rumi calendar. She had been living in a neighborhood of Erzurum called Aziziye that was close to an important fortification defending the city. On the night of 7 November 1877, Fort Aziziye was attacked by the Russian army, which captured it on the evening of 9 November with the help of Turkish speaking local Armenian gangs, killing all Turkish guards. Nene Hatun's brother Hasan who was heavily wounded and came back from war one day ago had just died that evening. In the morning when the news of Russian invasion of Aziziye was heard, she kissed her dead brother's head and taking an oath to avenge his death, left her three-month old baby girl and a few years older son at home, she joined the attack against Aziziye with her dead brother's rifle and her hatchet. The counter-attack was launched by Turkish civilians who were mostly women and elderly men armed with axes and farming equipments. Hundreds of Turkish civilians were killed by Russian gunfire^{[citation needed]} but their numbers were so overwhelming they managed to enter the fortifications breaking down its iron doors. A hand-to-hand fight ended with around 2000 Russian soldiers being killed and rest ran away. Nene Hatun was found unconscious, wounded and her bloodied hands still firmly grasping her hatchet. She was identified as being the most heroic of them all and became a symbol of bravery.

Third-party reports on the battle for Fort Aziziye shed a less-favorable light on the events and speak of terrible mutilations being inflicted on the Russian soldiers. C. B. Norman, reporter for the Daily News, recorded that

Nearly every Russian found lying on the ground was decapitated or otherwise mangled; and the dreadful crimes appear to have been perpetrated by women from the city who, when it was seen that the Russians were defeated, issued forth with knives, hatchets, and other household weapons, to dispatch the wounded who lay gasping on the ground.^[1]

Nene Hatun (literally: grand lady) lived the rest of her life in Aziziye. She lost her husband in the following years and her son Yusuf was killed in Gallipoli wars (1915–1918). In March 1918 she was reported to be seen chasing the Armenian gangs who massacred many Turkish civilians of Erzurum and burnt down the city while they retreated before the advancing Turkish army. After independence war she had a difficult life depending on food (bread) help given by local municipality even sending a letter in 1943 to President Inonu asking for reinstatement of her one bread a day allowance. American General Ridgway visited her in 1952 and when he asked her if she could join a new war she told him "of course I will." In 1954 she was remembered as the last survivor of the Russian war of 93(1877) and was visited by General Baransel, commander of the 3rd Turkish army, and from then until her death she was known as the "Mother of the Third Army". She was named as "Mother of the Mothers" on the Mother's Day in 1955. She died of pneumonia on 22 May 1955 at the age of 98 and was laid to rest in the martyrs' cemetery at Fort Aziziye.^[2]

There is a project about shooting a movie about the heroic life of her. The project is expected to be ready by November 2007.^[3] A novel titled "Efsane Kadın Nene Hatun" (Legendary Woman Nene Hatun) was written by M. Talat Uzunyaylalı to tell her life story.

Nene Hatun should not be confused with Mama Hatun who, although associated with the same geography of Erzurum, was an important figure of the 12th century Saltukids.

Nene Hatun in film

Nene Hatun was depicted in the 1973 Turkish movie Gazi kadin (Nene hatun) starring Türkan Şoray and Kadir İnanır.^[4]

References

1. ^ Ollier, Edmund (1878). Cassell's Illustrated History of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. London. p. 506. 
2. ^ "93 Harbi'nde Nene Hatun". Tarihin Tanıkları. http://www.tarihintaniklari.com/contents/haber_oku.asp?haber=31. Retrieved 2007-08-30. 
3. ^ "The Life of a Turkish Heroine On Screen". Turkish Daily News. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=82031. Retrieved 2007-08-30. 
4. ^ "Gazi kadin (Nene hatun) (1973)". IMDb The Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0263373. 

External links

• Nene Hatun biography (Turkish)
• Nene Natun's letter to President Inonu (Turkish)

Persondata
Name	Nene Hatun
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1857
Place of birth
Date of death	22 May 1955
Place of death