Gertrude Bell - Assignment Example

Recognized as one of the key persons in building the foundations of a Middle Eastern country, Gertrude Bell is one of the world’s remarkable women who had great contributions to the political arena, in archaeology, and most importantly in human history. Gertrude’s contributions in forming a country was not only well documented in her letters, diaries and other accounts but were also given analytical insights thus making her writings important historical chronicles of how the Middle Eastern country came forth. Bell’s fondness of the place which was not her country of origin made her exert great efforts almost all her life and even made her reside in the country until her death which had resulted into the establishment of the country we now know as Iraq. Gertrude Bell’s roots can be traced from her great grandfather Thomas Bell, an ironsmith from Carlisle who married Katherine Lowthian, daughter of Isaac Lowthian from Newbiggin, Cumberland, England (Mosley vol. 1, 331). Thomas Bell and Katherine Lowthian bore Gertrude’s grandfather, Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell who was the father of iron industry during the late Victorian era in Middlesbrough and one of the important figures in the British steel industry (Carr 13). Sir Lowthian Bell married Margaret Pattinson who was the daughter of Hugh Lee Pattinson, Cumberland, England’s inventor of the process of silver from lead (Lonsdale 273-320). Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell and Margaret Pattinson had two children, Mary Katherine Bell and Gertrude’s father Sir Thomas Hugh Bell (Mosley, volume 1, p. 331). Thomas Hugh Bell married Maria Shield and had two children, Gertrude Margaret and Maurice Hugh Lowthian Bell (Mosley, volume 1, p. 331). Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell was born on July 14, 1868 (Lukitz 13), an era when massive industrialization and colonial conquests had swept England. It was also in this era that women became popular in literature, the theater, the arts, business, in alleviating poverty and obviously in politics as the ruler of England then was Queen Victoria. Gertrude was born at a time when women play important roles in the society but their rights as citizens were still unclear one major issue on women’s rights were their right to suffrage. Amidst this period and with strong political blood in her veins, Gertrude was destined to be more than just a plain housewife. Her lineage bearing a conferred baronetcy, Gertrude was given an edge from other women in England due to her heritage. Her strong political views and her analytical skills were the most important legacy that she had inherited from her ancestors. Prior to her quest to the east, the makings of a strong woman started barely at the age of three when her mother, Maria, died on April 1871 (Lukitz 13). Gertrude was left with her little brother, Maurice and their father Hugh Bell. Years later, her father remarried Florence Oliffe and had three children. The idea of having a mother was appealing to Gertrude as she expected Florence to provide her the maternal void her biological mother had left. Florence’s maternal role went even beyond the confines of their house as she influenced and supported the young Gertrude in her views and opinions. Gertrude’s learning outside their home was in London’s Queen’s College and later on in Oxford where she gained the reputation of being a very opinionated and highly intellectual young woman. In Oxford, Gertrude had encountered and had learned about poverty, the lower class men, the working class, affairs of the state, and the much debated theory of Darwin. Her nonconformist spirit was still, in someway, restricted when she was in Oxford. Being too outspoken and smart was very much praised in Oxford not unless you are a woman. Gertrude had her share of being reprimanded for being smart and too vocal because at times, the young lady puts up arguments even against her professors. Her honest commentaries later on were heard in the halls of the London School of Economics. Discussions in the then new school were liberally held constantly and even accommodated intellectual women such as Gertrude. Vivaciously smart and verbally expressive of her clever thoughts, other than Gertrude’s achievements in the Middle East, her expeditions to sate her appetite for archaeology and her zest to conquer mountains took her almost around the globe. As a mountaineer she had climbed in the European region as well as in the Arab regions. Her archaeological finds include the Byzantine coins and pottery (Bell 44), and her extensive work in Ukhaidir. Her archaeological accounts were published in her books such as Safar Nameh, Persian Pictures, a Book of Travel; Amurath to Amurath; The Desert and the Sown; and The Palace and Mosque of Ukhaidir. Despite her strong opinions on social and political issues, Gertrude was ironically a member of the Women’s Anti-Suffrage League. This anti-suffrage league was formed on 1908 later becoming the National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage (Feuchtwanger 335). This involvement of Gertrude in the anti-suffrage movement only proved that she was unlike other notable women in England who were active in feminist movements. Gertrude’s view on opposing women’s suffrage comes from her experience of having a comparison of a woman inside the household and a woman who is involved in the affairs of state and she sees that women are still inexperienced and not fully aware of the social and political issues in their time. A view which is a stark contrast to Gertrude’s character but a very strong argument since in experiencing the political arena and her first hand experience of the social issues, she had a very rational reason to take the side of the anti-suffragists. As much as Gertrude’s nonconformist attitude which was very much different from British women attracted many admirers, this attitude also posed as a threat to men. At her age and her status in the British society, Gertrude had her share of suitors and was paired off to bachelors who are equally of importance in the British society. She had only been interested in two of her suitors; a London Times correspondent, Valentin Chirol and young British diplomat, Henry Cadogan (Duncan 45). Gertrude grew fonder on Cadogan but he was set to give Gertrude her first heartbreak. Henry George Gerald Cadogan was the Secretary of the Legation in Iran (Mosley 637). He was the son of Honorable Frederick Cadogan and Lady Adelaide Paget (Mosley 637). Coming from lowly beginnings, Gertrude’s parents deemed Henry to be unfit to be their daughter’s husband. After her parent’s refusal of her idea of marrying Henry, Gertrude had set off to her journey to the rest of the Middle East region. Bell traveled from Baghdad to Damascus to Syria. She even studied Arab languages which lead her to translate Arabic poems and published them in the book Poems from the Divan of Hafiz. Her travel extended to the forbidden areas of the Arabian Desert wherein she had encountered different Arab tribes. She was then held captive in Hail but was later released after she had diplomatically talked her way to freedom. During her trip across the Arabian Desert, she took note of the routes and the people she had encountered. Knowledge gained from this experience was later used by Bell to qualify for the British force in the Middle East serving as a political assistant. It was during her travels to the Middle East that she had met Thomas Edward Lawrence to be known later in history as Lawrence of Arabia. Proving her worth through her massive knowledge of the Arabian terrain and people, Gertrude collaborated with T.E. Lawrence during the British reinforcement for the Arab Revolt. In overthrowing the rule of the Ottoman Turks from Mesopotamia and some parts of the Middle East, Gertrude charted the tribes she had met during her vast journeys throughout the Middle East and mapped the routes she had taken during her trips; these were mainly her great contributions to the British force. The political advice she had provided were largely based on her trips as she had relied on the associations she had established with the people she had met during her travels. Her field planning and liaison works for the British force were results of the knowledge of the Arabian terrains which she had gained from her expeditions. This is somehow ironical because before Gertrude had embarked on her journey to the rarely explored parts of the Arabian Desert, the British government had told her that they would not be liable for her safety and that she would be entirely on her own in her travel to the Arabian Desert. Triumphing against the Ottoman Turks with the fall of the empire in 1919, the British force reinstated King Faisal bin Al Hussein Bin Ali El-Hashemi of the Hashemite dynasty (The Hashemite Royal) to be the head of Greater Syria the following year and in 1921 as the king of Iraq. Gertrude was among the British officials who planned the structure of the Iraqi government. A policy on the British intervention in the affairs of Iraq was made by British officials Percy Cox, A.T. Wilson, Henry Dobbs, and Ken Cornwallis including Gertrude Bell. This policy was opposed by some of the citizens of Baghdad since the policy stated that the British would be in control of the Military and the Administrative offices of the government (Lukitz 14). This agreement puts Iraq under the colony of the Britain. Gertrude Bell worked for King Faisal I as an Honorary Director for Antiquities (Longrigg 170). One of her notable works under the emir was the establishment of the Baghdad Museum in 1924 and the passing of the Antiquity Law (Longrigg 170) which safeguarded the ancient treasures of Iraq. She also secured the archaeological sites of Iraq from the explorations and exploitation of a number of foreign voyagers excavating the Iraqi territories for valuable artifacts which were sold for hefty sums. Gertrude Bell’s engaging story of an adventure-filled life and her grand achievements were not as appealing as the way she passed away. Two years after establishing the Baghdad Museum; in July 10, 1926, four days before her 58th birthday, Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell died of pill overdose (Lukitz 234). Speculations of suicide surround her death due to the fact that she was lonely, remained unmarried, and had no children. She was buried in the Middle Eastern country that she had worked hard for and come to love as her own. In July 12, 1926, Gertrude was laid to rest in Baghdad with a funeral procession and the Iraqi king mourning for the loss of a fine consultant who had chosen to spend almost her whole life and had finally chosen to die in the foreign land that became her home. In memory of Gertrude’s works in the archaeological field in Iraq, the British School of Archaeology was established on 1929. Gertrude Bell’s legacy to Iraq was the foundation of the country’s distinction as a nation. Her efforts in helping Iraq to find its identity as a nation were noted as she worked and fought for the freedom of Iraq from the oppressing invaders and she had aided in preserving the cultural ancestry of Iraq with her archaeological endeavors. Though she may not be properly given her proper credits for the establishment of the Iraqi nation, the valuable pieces in the Baghdad Museum houses the evidences and the most suitable recognition that Gertrude Bell could ever receive for her lifetime’s share of work in preserving and creating the Middle Eastern country of Iraq. WORKS CITED Bell, Gertrude. Amurath To Amurath: A Journey Along The Banks Of The Euphrates. New Jersey: Gorgias Press LLC, 2004. Carr, J.C., W. Taplin. History of the British Steel Industry. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1962. Duncan, Joyce. Ahead of Their Time: A Biographical Dictionary of Risk-Taking Women. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2002. Feuchtwanger, E. J. Democracy and Empire: Britain, 1865-1914. London: Arnold, 1985. “Gertrude Bell.” Gertrude Bell 1868-1926. Newcastle University. 28 November 2008 . Longrigg, Stephen. Iraq, 1900 to 1950: A Political, Social, and Economic History. London: Oxford University Press, 1953. Lonsdale, Henry. Worthies of Cumberland. London: George Routledge, 1875. Lukitz, Liora. A Quest in the Middle East: Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq. London: I.B. Tauris, 2005. Lukitz, Liora. Iraq: The Search for National Identity. London: F. Cass, 1995. Mosley, Charles (ed.). Burkes Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington: Burkes Peerage Genealogical Books Ltd, 2003. The Hashemite Royal Family. The Royal Hashemite Court. 28 November 2008 . Read More