Browsing by Subject "Eastern Question"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Open Access
Murder in Salonika, 1876 : a tale of apostasy turned into an international crisis
(2009) Torunoğlu, Berke
The intent of this thesis is to narrate the Salonika Incident of May 1876 and analyze this highly politicized micro case within the framework of the 19th century Ottoman history. In the scope of this work, the event itself and its aftermath will be covered in detail. The Salonika Incident was a Muslim public outrage caused by the kidnapping of a Bulgarian girl by Christians based on the reason that she wanted to embrace Islam, and the following public displays resulted in the murder of French and German consuls by a Muslim mob at May 6, 1876. The war of pen and ink between the Sublime Porte and the Great Powers that held the first accountable for the double crime was the consequence of this incident. Through a detailed and meticulous account of this neglected and falsely told episode of history, this thesis aims casting light on a virgin issue, therefore to contribute to the literature on the Ottoman Balkan History and inter-communal relations.
Open Access
A Russian intellectual in the Ottoman Empire : Konstantin N Leontiev (1831-1891) on the Eastern question
(2008) Üre, Pınar
This thesis intends to analyze the ideas of a nearly forgotten Russian intellectual, Konstantin Nikolaevich Leontiev on the Eastern Question in the light of his opinions on democracy, liberalism, nationalism, and the East-West dichotomy. Leontiev spent nearly ten years in various parts of the Ottoman Empire as a diplomat, where he had made noteworthy comments about international politics, as well as interesting observations about the Balkan peoples. Leontiev’s political utopia, namely Byzantinism, was formed during his diplomatic service. Byzantinism came into being as a result of the interaction of various aesthetic and religious elements with Leontiev’s unique theory of history. It may be claimed that at the basis of Leontiev’s approach to politics, history, and iv religion laid a theory of aestheticism. Leontiev, in line with his historical theory explaining the rise and fall of civilizations, underlined the necessity for Russia to hold fast to the Byzantine heritage in order to escape from cultural decline. The anti-nationalist but theocratic Byzantinist discourse, accompanied by aesthetic considerations, is instrumental in understanding his approach to the Eastern Question, the Ottoman Empire, and its peoples, particularly, Turks, Greeks, and Bulgarians. Leontiev’s conservative utopia, though it is far from desirable, presents a sui generis assessment of the theoretical deficiencies of such concepts like nationalism, democracy, and liberalism.
Open Access
Sheikh Ubeydullah's movement
(2003) Kılıç, Mehmet Fırat
In 1880, a group of Ottoman tribes attacked land held by Persia. As a result, the whole area to the west of Lake Urumiye was affected. The extent of the attacks reached even the city of Tabriz. The leading figure in this movement was an Ottoman Naqshebandi Sheikh named Ubeydullah. His movement is considered to be the first Kurdish uprising that had national aspirations. The stance of the Ottoman Empire towards this movement had various considerations that shall be evaluated in the context of the depressed time, an era in which pressures toward the empire’s dissolution were keenly felt. The aim of the present study is to understand the nature of the sheikh’s movement and how it was shaped by international conditions, especially the Ottoman involvement in it.