The Last Sultan: Mehmed VI's Exile and the End of the Ottoman Dynasty

The Ottoman Empire's Last Census 1914

In 1914, the Ottoman Empire conducted its last comprehensive census. Lucas and Luna explore how this massive bureaucratic project aimed to count a crumbling multi-ethnic empire on the eve of World War I. They discuss the challenges of enumerating nomadic tribes, the role of religious millets, the controversial population figures for Armenians and Arabs, and how the census data was later weaponized during wartime deportations. The episode also touches on the census's legacy for modern Turkey and the Middle East, including debates over pre-war demographics in the Armenian Genocide and the population exchange with Greece. Featuring terms like nüfus sayımı, İstanbul, and the Sublime Porte. #OttomanCensus1914 #NüfusSayımı #OttomanEmpire #WorldWarI #ArmenianGenocide #PopulationHistory #Tanzimat #İstanbul #SublimePorte #MilletSystem #Demographics #YoungTurks #MehmedV #EnverPaşa #TalatPaşa #CemalPaşa #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

How the 1918 Armistice of Mudros Dismantled an Empire

Episode 162 of How World War I Ended the Ottoman Empire Forever examines the Armistice of Mudros, signed on October 30, 1918, aboard HMS Agamemnon. Hosts Lucas and Luna explore the secret negotiations between Ottoman Naval Minister Rauf Orbay and British Admiral Somerset Gough-Calthorpe, the harsh terms that allowed Allied occupation of the Straits and key provinces, and how the armistice effectively ended Ottoman sovereignty before the Treaty of Sèvres. They discuss the role of the Sublime Porte, the impact on the Ottoman army and navy, and the immediate aftermath including the Allied occupation of İzmir. The episode also touches on the legacy of Mudros in Turkish national memory, contrasting it with the later Armistice of Lausanne. Specific terms like 'Altı Vilayet' (six provinces), 'Boğazlar' (Straits), and 'Kuva-yi Milliye' (National Forces) are explained in context. A fresh angle contrasts the armistice's official language with the reality on the ground, highlighting how Mudros paved the way for the Turkish War of Independence. #Mudros #Armistice #OttomanEmpire #WWI #RaufOrbay #SomersetGoughCalthorpe #HMSAgamemnon #SublimePorte #AltıVilayet #Boğazlar #İzmir #Kuva-yiMilliye #TreatyOfSevres #Lausanne #TurkishWarOfIndependence #History #FexingoHistory #EndOfEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

How the Ottoman Sultan Became a British Prisoner in Malta

In 1922, the last Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed VI Vahdettin, fled Istanbul aboard a British warship and was exiled to Malta. This episode explores his dramatic escape, the occupation of Istanbul, the British decision to host the Sultan in Malta, and the end of 600 years of Ottoman rule. We discuss the role of General Harington, the HMS Malaya, the Sultan's stay at the Verdala Palace, and the legal and political fallout of his exile. The episode also touches on the Sultan's death in Sanremo, Italy, in 1926, and the fate of his family. Featuring details on the Ottoman dynasty's final years, the Turkish War of Independence, and the abolition of the sultanate. #OttomanEmpire #MehmedVI #MaltaExile #HMSMalaya #VerdalaPalace #GeneralHarington #Sanremo #AbolitionOfSultanate #TurkishWarOfIndependence #MustafaKemal #TBMM #1922 #BritishOccupation #Istanbul #SultanExile #History #FexingoHistory #EndOfEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Last Ottoman Debt: How WWI Finances Sank an Empire

Long before the guns of August 1914 fell silent, the Ottoman Empire was already drowning in debt. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the Ottoman Public Debt Administration — a European-controlled agency that collected Ottoman taxes — became the financial leash that strangled the empire during World War I. From the 1854 Crimean War loans that started the spiral, to the 1881 Decree of Muharrem that handed over key revenues like salt, tobacco, and silk to foreign bondholders, to the final wartime inflation that turned the Ottoman lira into worthless paper. Along the way, they meet figures like Galib Pasha, the finance minister who tried to resist, and examine how the Düyûn-ı Umûmiyye (the Ottoman Debt Administration) forced the empire to keep paying its creditors even as soldiers starved at the front. A story of financial imperialism, wartime desperation, and how a centuries-old empire was ultimately bankrupted before it was defeated. #OttomanDebt #DuyunuUmumiye #WWI #FinancialHistory #CrimeanWar #GalibPasha #OttomanLira #EconomicImperialism #SublimePorte #TreatyOfParis1856 #DecreeOfMuharrem #SaltTobaccoSilk #TevfikPasha #MiddleEast #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #EmpireCollapse Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

How the Sykes-Picot Agreement Carved Up the Ottoman Empire

In 1916, as World War I raged, two men—Sir Mark Sykes of Britain and François Georges-Picot of France—drew lines on a map that would redraw the Middle East. Their secret agreement, later revealed by the Bolsheviks, carved Ottoman territories into spheres of influence, creating nations like Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon from whole cloth. This episode explores how Sykes-Picot ignored ethnic and sectarian realities, setting the stage for a century of conflict. Lucas and Luna discuss the negotiations, the infamous map, Arab reactions, and the agreement's legacy, from the 1917 Balfour Declaration to the 1918 Anglo-French Declaration that tried to walk it back. They trace how borders drawn in ink became blood-soaked lines, and why the name 'Sykes-Picot' still resonates in modern Middle Eastern politics. A deep dive into the agreement that, more than any battle, ended the Ottoman order. #SykesPicot #OttomanEmpire #WorldWarI #MiddleEast #MarkSykes #FrancoisGeorgesPicot #BalfourDeclaration #AngloFrenchDeclaration #HusseinMcMahon #ArabRevolt #SecretTreaties #Bolsheviks #LeagueOfNations #MandateSystem #1916 #FexingoHistory #History #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]