The March 31 incident ( tour. 31 Mart Vakası ) - events in the Ottoman Empire that began as a result of the abolition of the country's constitution by Sultan Abdul-Hamid II in 1909.
Content
- 1 Background
- 2 Young Turks Actions
- 3 Consequences
- 4 Sources
Background
On April 13, 1909 (according to the Gregorian calendar , or March 31, 1325 according to the Romanian calendar then in force in the Ottoman Empire), the troops of the Istanbul garrison revolted and demanded that the Sharia law be respected, the leaders of the Young Turks expelled from the country and the officers sympathetic to them be dismissed from the army. The Sultan immediately satisfied their demands.
Young Turk Actions
Young Turk leaders based on army corps stationed in Thessaloniki and Adrianople have created an “ ” of over 100 thousand people. Numerous supporters flocked to Thessaloniki, ready to fight with arms in hand to restore the constitution.
On April 16, 1909, the Army of Action detachments moved to Istanbul. When they approached the capital, the navy moved to their side, blocking the city from the sea. The Army of Action was led by Mahmoud Shevket Pasha .
On April 23, the "Army of Action" moved to Istanbul, and as a result of fierce fighting on April 24-26 took control of the city. Many of the rebels were hanged on streetlights and trees without trial, and about ten thousand people were exiled to remote areas of the empire.
Consequences
On April 27, a joint meeting of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies took place, at which the fatwa of Sheikh-ul-Islam was read out about the deposition of Sultan Abdul-Hamid II and the deprivation of his rank of caliph. The new sultan was appointed by the parliament of his brother Mehmed, who began to rule as Sultan Mehmed V.
In honor of the 74 soldiers who died in battles with the rebels, the Freedom Monument was erected in Istanbul in 1911.
Sources
- Drogovoz I. Turkish march. Turkey is on fire. - Minsk: Harvest, 2007. - ISBN 978-985-16-2075-9