Causes, Consequences and Importance of the Abolition of the Sultanate

Unfortunately, the Ottoman Empire, which ruled the world for hundreds of years, was on the verge of extinction in the 19th century. With the First World War, this threshold was officially crossed and all our lands, including the capital Istanbul, were occupied by western powers and their supporters. With Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s arrival in Samsun Thanks to the War of Independence that started, the actual occupation ended.

The actual occupation was over, but there were two administrations that would sit at the table with the occupying forces; Istanbul government and Ankara government. In order to eliminate this duality, It was decided to abolish the sultanate. With this decision, the sultanate and caliphate offices, which had been running together for many years, were also separated. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons, consequences and importance of the abolition of the sultanate.

Actually, everything started with the First World War:

During the First World War, which took place between 1914 and 1918, the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers. Even though he wrote epics on many fronts, especially the Battle of Gallipoli, has been defeated. As a result, the occupation process of the empire officially began and even the capital Istanbul was officially occupied.

Unfortunately, the Ottoman sultan of the period, Sultan Vahdettin, could not put up a great resistance against this occupation. Thereupon, Mustafa Kemal Pasha said, He went to Samsun in 1919 He gathered the Turkish nation, which was already resisting the invaders, and started the War of Independence. The Turkish Grand National Assembly was established and decisions began to be made here.

The national struggle has always been carried out by the Ankara government:

Let’s not offend anyone, both Sultan Vahdettin and the members of the Istanbul government wanted to resist the occupation, but They could not achieve this in an occupied city. The Turkish Grand National Assembly, chaired by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, was already established for this purpose and carried out every step of the national struggle.

However, Anatolian lands were occupied inch by inch and At a time when the Turkish nation was fighting them with everything it had. Having two governments made things a little difficult. In fact, it made it more difficult, not just a little bit, because all the occupying forces, especially the British, were supporting the Istanbul government, which was in harmony with them, not the resisting Ankara government.

Things broke with the call to the Lausanne Peace Conference: Here are the reasons for the abolition of the sultanate

• The sultanate is contrary to the understanding of national sovereignty
• The Sultan and the Istanbul government are not pro-national struggle
• Problems brought by two-headed management
• The success of the Ankara government against the invaders

Realizing that the shoe is expensive, the western states decided to join the peace talks to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland. With an invitation dated October 28, 1922 They called both the Ankara government and the Istanbul government. Grand Vizier Tevfik Pasha sent a telegram to Mustafa Kemal, writing that they were in agreement and that they had no other purpose than to cancel the Treaty of Sevres.

But see that such promises should not be trusted anymore. Mustafa Kemal learned through many bitter experiences. For this reason, he saw the elimination of the Istanbul government as a necessity. The abolition of the Istanbul government meant the abolition of the sultanate, that is, the sultanate.

Hundreds of years of Ottoman sultanate are no more:

The Turkish Grand National Assembly convened on 30 October 1922 and the Istanbul government, that is, He started discussing the Ottoman sultanate. While some accused the Istanbul government and Sultan Vahdettin of opposing the national struggle and being traitors, others argued that the sultanate should not be abolished.

The Turkish Grand National Assembly, which convened again on November 1, 1922, took a two-article decision called the General Assembly Decision Concerning the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as the True Representative of the Sovereignty and Sovereignty. In this decision, the sultanate and caliphate authorities were separated and the sultanate was abolished. In the decision taken, the abolition provision was carried back and it was stated that the formal government in Istanbul became history on 16 March 1920.

On November 4, 1922, the Istanbul government gathered for the last time and submitted its resignation to the sultan. Government buildings were closed. Takvim-i Vekayi, the official newspaper of the Ottoman Empire, ceased publication on 7 November. Later, the Treason Law was enacted on April 15, 1923, and speaking against the abolition of the sultanate was considered as treason.

Let’s look at the consequences of the abolition of the sultanate in items:

• The Ottoman sultanate ended.
• The way for national sovereignty has been cleared.
• The process of declaring the Republic accelerated.
• Religion and state affairs were separated.
• Sultan Vahdettin left the country.
• The framework of the intellectual structure of the new Turkish state was formed.
• The new caliph was elected by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

After the sultanate was abolished on 1 November 1922, the Istanbul government resigned and Sultan Vahdettin was now just Caliph Vahdettin. Vahdettin, who attended the last Friday salute on November 10, left the country on the British battleship HMS Malaya in the early hours of November 17, saying that he was at risk of life, and took refuge in Malta.

The Caliphate was still in existence, but Vahdettin was no longer in the country and was even criticized by some people. for being accused of treason Another caliph was needed. Thereupon, the Turkish Grand National Assembly declared Abdülmecid Efendi as caliph on 19 November. This decision was also an indication that the parliament was superior to the caliph.

Why is the abolition of the sultanate so important?

There are countless comments and criticisms about the abolition of the sultanate, but instead they come to you directly: During the negotiations for the abolition of the sultanate of Mustafa Kemal Pasha Let’s quote the words he said in the parliament;

“Dominion and sultanate cannot be given to anyone by anyone through negotiation or argument, just because it is a matter of knowledge. Domination and sultanate are taken by force, might and force. The Ottoman Empire was forced to take over the sovereignty and sultanate of the Turkish nation. They have continued this oppression for six centuries. Now, the Turkish nation has warned these aggressors to their limits and has actually taken their sovereignty and sultanate into their own hands by rebelling. This is a fait accompli. The issue at stake is not whether we will leave the sultanate and sovereignty to the nation or not. The issue is simply expressing a truth that has already become a reality. This will happen without fail. If the parliament and everyone who meets here sees the issue as natural, I think it will be appropriate. Otherwise, it will be expressed in accordance with the truth procedure. But probably some heads will be cut off.”

The decision that abolished hundreds of years of Ottoman sultanate What is the abolition of sultanate? We answered the question and talked about its causes, consequences and importance. You can share your thoughts on the subject respectfully in the comments.

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