Sultan Mahmud II and the Auspicious Incident

The 1877 Parliament That Tried to Save the Ottoman Empire

In 1877, as the Ottoman Empire teetered on the edge of collapse after the Great Eastern Crisis, the first Ottoman Parliament—the Meclis-i Mebusan—convened in Istanbul. This episode explores the short-lived experiment in constitutional rule, the diverse deputies from across the empire, and the political battles that pitted reformists like Midhat Paşa against Sultan Abdülhamid II. We delve into the parliament's debates over military spending, the rights of non-Muslims, and the war with Russia, culminating in Abdülhamid's decision to prorogue the assembly in 1878, suspending the constitution for three decades. The story reveals how the promise of representative government was crushed by autocracy, setting the stage for later revolutionary movements. #OttomanEmpire #Meclis-iMebusan #MidhatPaşa #AbdülhamidII #1876Constitution #Kanun-ıEsasi #OttomanParliament #FirstConstitutionalEra #GreatEasternCrisis #RussoTurkishWar #Tanzimat #Reform #Autocracy #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanPolitics #ConstitutionalMonarchy #19thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Sultan Mahmud II and the Auspicious Incident

In this episode of Why the Ottoman Empire Slowly Collapsed, Lucas and Luna explore the 1826 Auspicious Incident (Vaka-i Hayriye), when Sultan Mahmud II destroyed the centuries-old Janissary corps. They discuss the Janissaries' evolution from elite infantry to a conservative political force, the strategic use of the Sekban-ı Cedid and Asakir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye, the bloody massacre at Etmeydanı, and how this reform paved the way for the Tanzimat. They also touch on the Bektashi order's suppression and the long-term effects on Ottoman military modernization. This episode focuses on the internal resistance to reform, a topic not covered in prior episodes about the 1908 Revolution or economic capitulations. #OttomanEmpire #Janissaries #MahmudII #VakaiHayriye #AuspiciousIncident #AsakiriMansure #Bektashi #Etmeydani #SekbaniCedid #Tanzimat #OttomanReform #MilitaryHistory #Istanbul #Topkapi #Devshirme #OttomanDecline #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Ottoman Empire's 1913 Coup That Sealed Its Fate

In January 1913, the Ottoman Empire was on the brink. The First Balkan War had stripped it of nearly all its European territories, and a peace conference in London was about to formalize the loss of Edirne, the former capital. In response, a small group of young officers from the Committee of Union and Progress stormed the Sublime Porte, assassinated the war minister, and forced the grand vizier to resign at gunpoint. This was the Bab-ı Ali Baskını, the 1913 Ottoman coup d'état. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Enver Bey, Talat Bey, and Cemal Bey — the future Three Pashas — seized absolute power, why they were willing to risk civil war, and how this violent takeover set the empire on a path to World War I and ultimate dissolution. They discuss the role of the Albanian revolt, the loss of Edirne, and the coup's aftermath: a military dictatorship that sidelined the parliament, allied with Germany, and led the empire into catastrophe. #OttomanEmpire #1913Coup #BabıAliBaskını #EnverPasha #TalatPasha #CemalPasha #ThreePashas #YoungTurks #FirstBalkanWar #Edirne #LondonConference #MahmutŞevketPaşa #KamilPaşa #NazımPaşa #OttomanHistory #MiddleEastHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Ottoman Empire's 1856 Islahat Fermanı Reforms That Backfired

In 1856, Sultan Abdülmecid issued the Islahat Fermanı, a sweeping reform edict promising equality for all Ottoman subjects. But this decree, championed by Grand Vizier Âli Pasha and pressured by European powers like Stratford Canning, ended up alienating both Muslim and non-Muslim communities. We explore how the reforms inflamed sectarian tensions in places like Damascus and Mount Lebanon, triggered resentment among Muslim elites, and ultimately destabilized the empire further. Drawing on Şerif Mardin's analysis of the Young Ottoman movement and the rise of constitutionalist thought, this episode traces the unintended consequences of trying to modernize from above. #OttomanEmpire #IslahatFermanı #SultanAbdülmecid #ÂliPasha #Tanzimat #StratfordCanning #Damascus1860 #MountLebanon #MilletSystem #YoungOttomans #ŞerifMardin #Constitutionalism #19thCentury #MiddleEastHistory #Reform #ImperialDecline #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Why the Ottoman Navy Never Recovered from Navarino

In 1827, the Ottoman Empire's Mediterranean fleet was annihilated at the Battle of Navarino. This episode follows the catastrophe and its aftermath — the destruction of over 60 ships, the political chaos in Istanbul that followed, and Sultan Mahmud II's halting efforts to rebuild. We explore the role of the Greek War of Independence, the intervention of Britain, France, and Russia, and the long-term naval weakness that left the empire dependent on foreign shipyards and loans. Along the way, we meet the Kaptan-ı Derya (Grand Admiral) who lost the fleet, the British admiral who commanded the allied squadron, and the quiet decay of Ottoman sea power that would haunt the empire for decades. A story of one battle and its hundred-year consequences. #BattleOfNavarino #OttomanNavy #MahmudII #KaptanIDerya #GreekWarOfIndependence #Navarino #CodemoreEdwardCodrington #IbrahimPasha #TahirPasha #MehmedAli #TreatyOfLondon #OttomanEmpire #19thCentury #NavalHistory #Mediterranean #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanDecline Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]