How World War I Ended the Ottoman Empire Forever — Fexingo History

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

5 min · 14. juli 2026
episode The Last Sultan: Mehmed VI's Exile and the End of the Ottoman Dynasty cover

Description

When the Ottoman Empire officially dissolved in 1922, Sultan Mehmed VI Vahdettin fled Istanbul aboard a British warship, never to return. This episode follows his final days as sultan, the Grand National Assembly's decision to abolish the sultanate, and the exile of the Ottoman royal family. We explore the last sultan's controversial reign, his cooperation with the Allies after World War I, the nationalist backlash, and the quiet departure that marked the end of 600 years of dynastic rule. We also discuss the fate of other Ottoman princes and princesses scattered across Europe and the Middle East, and how the new Republic of Turkey grappled with its imperial legacy. #MehmedVI #Vahdettin #OttomanSultanate #OttomanExile #TurkishWarOfIndependence #TBMM #MustafaKemal #AbolitionOfSultanate #LausanneConference #Ankara #Istanbul #BritishWarship #MaltaExile #OttomanDynasty #Sultan #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

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168 episodes

episode The Final Oath: How the Ottoman Parliament Defied the Allies in 1920 artwork

The Final Oath: How the Ottoman Parliament Defied the Allies in 1920

In January 1920, the last Ottoman Parliament met in occupied Istanbul and adopted the Misak-ı Milli — the National Pact. This declaration of the empire's minimum territorial demands would become the blueprint for the Turkish Republic. But it also sealed the parliament's fate: on March 16, 1920, Allied forces dissolved it by force, arresting deputies and declaring martial law. Lucas and Luna explore the frantic weeks of debate, the key figures like Rauf Orbay and Kara Vasıf, the secret communications with Mustafa Kemal in Ankara, and how the parliament's defiance set the stage for the Turkish War of Independence. They also examine the overlooked role of women's protests in Sultanahmet Square and the British decision to crush the last vestiges of Ottoman sovereignty. #MisakıMilli #OttomanParliament #TurkishWarOfIndependence #RaufOrbay #KaraVasıf #MustafaKemal #IstanbulOccupation #AlliedPowers #1920 #SultanahmetProtest #HalideEdib #TurkishHistory #WorldWarI #FexingoHistory #History #Empire #Diplomacy #Resistance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

20. juli 20267 min
episode The Ottoman Empire's Last Census 1914 artwork

The Ottoman Empire's Last Census 1914

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20. juli 20268 min
episode The Ottoman Empire's Last Caliph: Abdülmecid Efendi's Exile artwork

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Yesterday9 min
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Yesterday7 min
episode The Ottoman Sultan Who Burned His Own Capital artwork

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In 1912, a catastrophic fire swept through Istanbul's Eminönü district, destroying over 2,000 buildings and leaving 60,000 people homeless. But the disaster wasn't just a tragedy—it was a turning point. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Great Fire of Constantinople of 1912, a largely forgotten catastrophe that exposed the Ottoman Empire's crumbling infrastructure, deepened ethnic tensions, and accelerated the centralization of power under the Committee of Union and Progress. They follow the heroic efforts of the firefighting crews, the political fallout that doomed the Grand Vezir's government, and how the fire shaped the landscape of modern Istanbul. From the crooked wooden streets of Tahtakale to the rise of concrete construction, this is a story of ruin and renewal at the empire's twilight. #GreatFireof1912 #OttomanEmpire #Istanbul #Eminönü #Tahtakale #SublimePorte #CUP #MehmedV #GrandVezir #İtfaiye #Firefighting #UrbanHistory #EthnicTensions #1910s #LateOttoman #DisasterHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

18. juli 20268 min