|
Following the weakening of the Anatolian Seljuk State, several beylics from
various Turkish tribes emerged in Anatolia. One of these beylics was the Ottoman
Beylic, a member of the Kayi tribe of Oghuz Turks from the Sögüt-Yenisehir-Bilecik
region. The Ottoman Beylic succeeded in establishing the union of the beylics
in Anatolia in a short period of time. The Ottomans who fought against the
neighboring Byzantine State, first crossed into Rumelia and then captured
Constantinople in 1453 during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (1451-1481), putting
an end to the Byzantine Empire and thus, to the Middle Ages. In the reign
of Sultan Mehmed II, who assumed the title of "the Conqueror", the
Ottoman State entered into an era of rapid development which would last until
the end of the sixteenth century.
The Ottomans fought with the Serbs, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Venetians, the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, Britain, the Vatican, Spain and also France and Russia
from time to time in the West; and in the East and the South, the Akkoyunlus,
Tamerlanes, Mamelukes, Safavids and the Karamanids, which were all Turkish
states. During the reign of Sultan Selim I (1512-1520), Egypt was conquered
and the "Caliphate" passed from the Abbasids to the Ottoman dynasty.
During the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566), the Ottoman State
had a developed state organization, a powerful army and finances. The borders
of the Empire extended from the Crimea in the North to Yemen and Sudan in
the South, and from Iran and the Caspian Sea in the East to Vienna in the
Northwest and Spain in the Southwest.
However, the Ottoman Empire lost its economic and military superiority vis-a-vis
Europe, which had developed rapidly with the Renaissance and the geographical
discoveries starting with the sixteenth century and failed to adapt to the
new developments.
Thus, the balance of power developed in favor of the European States starting
in the same century. The nationalist movements that started in the nineteenth
century and the rebellions of the Balkan nations organized and supported by
the European States and Russia brought about the emergence of independent
states within the Ottoman territories in the Balkans. The military defeats
which exacerbated the process of dissolution of the Empire forced the Ottoman
administration to take steps to modernize the country. Thus, reform efforts
were made constantly in the Empire throughout the nineteenth century. The
most significant characteristic of the First Constitutional Period in 1876,
which coincided with the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II (1876-1909), was that
it provided a constitution in the Western model for the first time. The constitution,
which had been prepared by a group of intellectuals called the "Young
Turks" forced Sultan Abdülhamid to accept this constitution and the Ottoman
state was transformed into a constitutional state. However, Sultan Abdülhamid
disbanded the Parliament in 1877 and terminated constitutional rule, using
the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-1879 as a pretext. The Committee of Union
and Progress which started activities as an opposition organization founded
by the Young Turks, first forced the Sultan to repromulgate the Constitution
in 1908 and later seized power. However, the liberalization which started
after
Abdülhamid with the Second Constitution did not last long. The Tripoli War
(1911-1912) against the Italians and the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) which erupted
in the wake of these political developments weakened the new administration
and the environment of freedom that started with the Second Constitution transformed
the democratic environment into a single-party autocracy. The territories
of the Ottoman State, which had allied with Germany in the First World War
(1914-1918), were occupied by Britain, France, Russia and Greece following
the Moudhros Armistice signed in 1918, after the Central Powers were defeated.
The occupation of the homeland and the helplessness of the Istanbul government
left no other choice but resistance for the Turkish people in Anatolia and
Thrace. The Greek occupation accelerated the establishment of small defense
fronts and the formation of regional resistance organizations.
The Ottoman Empire had a state identity which provided the most tolerant
administration of its age throughout the Middle Ages and the New Age. In fact,
throughout the six hundred years of its administration it was able to hold
together people of different religions, languages and races and undertook
an important role in the protection of cultures and languages of these nations
by providing freedom of religion and conscience. Furthermore, it contributed
significantly to the history of civilization with both scientific and cultural
masterpieces due to its cultural, scientific, artistic and state administrative
experience and acquisitions of the previous Turkish states.
The Ottoman Empire created rare masterpieces with its unique architecture,
stone and wood carving, the art of tile-making, ornamentation, the art of
miniature painting, calligraphy and bookbinding. Above all, it was influencial
for hundreds of years in world politics.
|
