The Ottoman Empire's Last Epidemic: Typhus, Plague and the Collapse of 1918

The Ottoman Empire's Last Food Fight: The Sugar Crisis of 1917

In 1917, the Ottoman Empire faced a bizarre and devastating shortage of something we take for granted: sugar. This episode explores how the wartime blockade, speculation, and a government monopoly on sugar led to riots, black markets, and even a sugar-based currency in some Ottoman cities. We follow the story of the Ottoman Sugar Company (Şeker Şirketi) and the failed attempt to control the sweetener. Along the way, we meet the merchants who hoarded sugar, the soldiers who traded their rations for bread, and the ordinary people who turned to honey and molasses—only to find those supplies were also failing. We also touch on the role of the Hilal-i Ahmer (Red Crescent) in distributing what little sugar remained to hospitals. This episode sheds light on how a single commodity can reveal the crumbling infrastructure of an empire at war, and how the sweet tooth of a nation became a bitter symbol of its end. #OttomanEmpire #SugarCrisis1917 #WWI #Hilal-iAhmer #ŞekerŞirketi #Blockade #BlackMarket #Istanbul #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanHomeFront #FoodShortage #EconomicHistory #SublimePorte #CommitteeOfUnionAndProgress #DüyunuUmumiye #SugarRationing #MiddleEast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Ottoman Empire's Last Sultan: Mehmed VI's Exile

In this episode of How World War I Ended the Ottoman Empire Forever, Lucas and Luna explore the final days of the Ottoman sultanate through the tragic figure of Mehmed VI Vahdettin. After the Allied occupation of Istanbul and the rise of Mustafa Kemal's nationalist movement in Ankara, the sultan found himself caught between foreign powers and his own people. Lucas traces Mehmed VI's reluctant cooperation with the Allies, his flight from Istanbul aboard the HMS Malaya, and his lonely exile in Sanremo, Italy, where he died in 1926. The conversation touches on the abolition of the sultanate in 1922, the caliphate's end in 1924, and the fate of the Ottoman royal family. How did the last sultan's choices shape the transition from empire to republic? Tune in for a nuanced look at a ruler who lost his throne, his legacy, and his home. #MehmedVI #Vahdettin #OttomanEmpire #LastSultan #AbolitionOfSultanate #Sanremo #HMSMalaya #MustafaKemal #TurkishRepublic #Caliphate #AbdulmecidII #Istanbul #Ankara #WorldWarI #History #FexingoHistory #MiddleEastHistory #Empire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Last Ottoman Ambassador in Washington: Ahmet Rüstem Bey's Lonely War

While the Ottoman Empire crumbled on multiple fronts, its diplomatic outposts fought a losing battle for relevance. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable story of Ahmet Rüstem Bey, the Ottoman Empire's last ambassador to the United States. A former cavalry officer turned diplomat, Rüstem Bey found himself in Washington as the Great War erupted, struggling to counter relentless anti-Ottoman propaganda, secure loans, and prevent the U.S. from entering the war. His efforts were doomed: the Wilson administration, swayed by accounts of Armenian atrocities and German influence, severed ties in 1917. Rüstem Bey's subsequent return to Istanbul, his disillusionment with the Committee of Union and Progress, and his quiet retirement during the Turkish War of Independence offer a poignant coda to Ottoman diplomacy. We discuss diplomatic cables, the role of Morgenthau, and the curious detail that Rüstem Bey was actually of Polish Tatar origin, born Alfred Biliński. A forgotten figure who embodied the empire's last, futile grasp at international standing. #AhmetRüstemBey #OttomanDiplomacy #WWI #WashingtonDC #HenryMorgenthau #ArmenianAtrocities #WilsonAdministration #OttomanEmpire #CommitteeOfUnionAndProgress #TurkishHistory #PolishTatar #AlfredBiliński #WWIDiplomacy #LastAmbassador #FexingoHistory #History #MiddleEastHistory #WWIOttoman Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Ottoman War Bonds That Bankrupted an Empire

In this episode of How World War I Ended the Ottoman Empire Forever, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known financial catastrophe: the Ottoman war bonds, or istikraz, that financed the Great War and then collapsed, taking the empire's economy with them. They trace the story from the 1914 German-backed bond issue through the devastating inflation, the printing of mountains of paper money (kaime), and the desperate attempts by Finance Minister Mehmed Cavid Bey to keep the treasury afloat. Along the way, they discuss the role of the Düyun-u Umumiye, the Ottoman Public Debt Administration, which had controlled Ottoman finances since 1881; the secret gold shipments from Berlin; and how ordinary people — from Istanbul merchants to Anatolian farmers — lost their life savings when the bonds became worthless. The episode ends with a reflection on how economic collapse, not just military defeat, sealed the empire's fate and paved the way for the Turkish Republic's radical financial reforms. #OttomanEmpire #WWI #WarBonds #Istikraz #MehmedCavidBey #DüyunuUmumiye #Kaime #OttomanFinance #Inflation #GermanLoans #GoldShipments #EconomicCollapse #TurkishRepublic #SublimePorte #History #FexingoHistory #MiddleEast #FinancialHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Battle of Megiddo 1918: Ottoman Army's Final Collapse

In September 1918, the Ottoman Empire's Yıldırım Army Group faced its final defeat at the Battle of Megiddo in Palestine. This episode follows the British Empire's lightning offensive under General Edmund Allenby, which shattered the Ottoman front in a matter of days. Lucas and Luna discuss the strategic importance of the Jezreel Valley, the role of cavalry and aircraft in breaking trenches, and the fate of commanders like Liman von Sanders and Mustafa Kemal Pasha. They also explore the controversial decision to surrender Damascus and how the battle directly led to the Armistice of Mudros. Drawing on Ottoman and British sources, the episode highlights the collapse of the Ottoman 7th and 8th Armies, the escape of the German general, and the aftermath that saw the empire lose all its Arab provinces. A pivotal moment in World War I that sealed the Ottoman fate. #BattleOfMegiddo #OttomanEmpire #WorldWarI #Allenby #YildirimArmyGroup #LimanVonSanders #MustafaKemal #JezreelValley #PalestineCampaign #MudrosArmistice #CavalryCharge #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanCollapse #DamascusFall #MiddleEast #1918 #MilitaryHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]