Kurmanjan Datka (General) was born into a rich Kirghiz family of the Mongush clan in the Osh. At the age of 18 she was supposed to be married to a man whom she did not see until her wedding day. When she met him, she did not like him and broke with tradition — first fleeing into neighboring China and later staying with her father. In 1832, the local feudal lord, Alimbek, who had taken the title, Datka, and ruled all the Kyrgyz of the Alai, was attracted by the young, vivacious woman, and married her. An instrumental politician in the increasingly decrepit Kokand khanate, Alimbek was murdered in the course of a palace coup in 1862 and Kurmanjan was recognized by the khans of Bukhara and Kokand as ruler of the Alai and given the title of Datka. In 1876 the Alai region was annexed by the Russian Empire. Recognizing the futility of resistance, Kurmanjan Datka persuaded her people to accept Russian overlordship. During the subsequent unrest and sporadic attempts by the local population to shake off Russian supremacy, two of Kurmanjans sons and two of her grandsons were charged with contraband trade and murdering customs officials. When her favourite son was sentenced to death, she refused the urging of some of her followers to effect a rescue, saying that she would not let her private hopes and ambitions be the cause of suffering for her people; she actually attended her sons public execution. The others were then exiled to Siberia and she essentially retired from public life. A film was recently made about her (see comments for trailers). This is in Central Asia. Thanks to Peter Wullum for pointing me to her.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 23:03:03 +0000