The Last Ottoman Debt: How WWI Finances Sank an Empire

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]

How the Ottoman Empire Lost Its Oil: The Mosul Question 1918-1926

When the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I, one of the most contentious issues was control over the oil-rich region of Mosul. This episode explores how the Mosul Question unfolded between 1918 and 1926, pitting the newly-formed Turkish Republic against British imperial interests. We follow the diplomatic maneuvering at the Lausanne Conference, the role of the League of Nations, and the 1925 Brussels Line that ultimately awarded Mosul to Iraq under British mandate. Key figures include İsmet İnönü, Lord Curzon, and Sir Percy Cox. We also examine the curious incident of the 'Mosul oil' that may not have been fully exploited until decades later. This is the story of how Ottoman petroleum reserves became the new battleground for post-war empire. #Mosul #OttomanOil #BritishEmpire #LeagueOfNations #İsmetİnönü #LordCurzon #LausanneConference #BrusselsLine #TurkishRepublic #MosulQuestion #SirPercyCox #KurdishQuestion #FexingoHistory #WorldWarI #MiddleEastHistory #OilPolitics #History #SèvresTreaty Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

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

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]

How the Turkish War of Independence Ended Ottoman Rule

Lucas and Luna explore the final chapter of the Ottoman Empire through the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923). After the Armistice of Mudros left the empire vulnerable, Mustafa Kemal Paşa organized a resistance that fought Greek, Armenian, French, and British forces. Key events include the Sivas Congress, the Battle of Sakarya, and the Great Offensive. The episode examines how the Grand National Assembly in Ankara challenged the sultan's government in Istanbul, leading to the abolition of the sultanate in 1922 and the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. Figures like İsmet İnönü, Fevzi Çakmak, and Halide Edib Adıvar play crucial roles. The conversation highlights the strategic use of railways, the role of women in the resistance, and the ideological shift from Ottomanism to Turkish nationalism. #TurkishWarOfIndependence #MustafaKemalAtaturk #TreatyOfLausanne #Sakarya #SivasCongress #ErzurumCongress #MisakiMilli #KuvaYiMilliye #GrandNationalAssembly #İsmetİnönü #FevziÇakmak #HalideEdibAdıvar #BattleOfDumlupınar #GreatOffensive #WarOfIndependenceTurkey #OttomanEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]