SYKES, SIR MARK, 6 (1879-1919), English traveller and politician, was born on March 16, 1879, in London, the only son of Sir Tatton Sykes, 5th baronet. He was educated at Beaumont college, Windsor, at Monaco, at Brussels and at Jesus college, Cambridge. He served with the Yorkshire Militia in the South African War (1902). On his return he travelled for some time in Syria, Mesopotamia and southern Kurdistan, and, after a short period (19o4—o5) as secretary to George Wyndham in Ireland, was appointed honorary attaché to the British embassy in Constantinople.
At the outbreak of the World War he raised a battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, but did not accompany it to France. He was sent by the Government on important special missions to Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, Mesopotamia and Syria. His special knowledge and qualifications led, in 1915, to his participation in the Anglo-French conversations in London on the Syrian question. He was an enthusiastic advocate of Arab independence. The
settlement arrived at is known as the "Sykes-Picot Agreement." Sykes then became attached to the Foreign Office and was on several occasions sent on missions to Egypt. He was on friendly terms with the Arabs and designed the flag under which they marched to Damascus. In 1918, hoping to reconcile the aims of the French and the Arabs, he established himself at Aleppo, and his diplomacy in a difficult position rendered valuable service to the Government. His efforts, however, told on his health and he died in Paris of influenza on Feb. 16, 1919.
His publications include: Through Five Turkish Provinces (1900) ; (1904); Five Mansions of the House of Othman (1909) ; The Caliph's Last Heritage (1915).
See Shane Leslie, Mark Sykes, his Life and Letters (1923) ; for the terms of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, see Temperley, History of the Peace Conference at Paris (vol. vi.,