The Ottoman Empire, which ruled all over the world for hundreds of years, entered a period of disintegration as a result of numerous mistakes and became a sick man in the eyes of Europe in this period. The sick man, who later entered the political literature as a term, was describing the situation of the Ottoman Empire in its most naked form.
The Ottoman Empire, which was founded as a principality in 1299, then turned into a state and finally an empire; ruled all over the world for hundreds of years. Unfortunately due to wrong moves by failed statesmen The great Ottoman Empire lost great power and by the 19th century, he had become the sick man in the eyes of Europe.
Although the term sick man was used for the first time for the Ottoman Empire, it took its place in the political literature over time. later on This term, used as the sick man of Europe, It tells about the countries that need to be fought for recovery, but during the period when it was used for the Ottoman Empire, it was depicted as a patient whose pain should be relieved by being killed. Let’s take a closer look at the last years when the Ottoman Empire became a sick man.
Actually it all started in the late 18th century:
The Yassi Treaty, which was signed after the Ottoman-Russian war between 1787 – 1792, It is considered to be the date when the Ottoman Empire entered the period of disintegration. In fact, throughout the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire tried to survive by following balance policies, on the other hand, it struggled to keep up with the changing world order by making innovations.
During the 19th century the Russians were our scourge:
II. During the 19th century, which started with Mahmud, many new reforms were made, especially in the military field. Because it was clear that our Our janissaries marching against the infidels with the shouts of Allah they could no longer achieve the desired success. During this period, we gave our biggest fight against the Russians.
The Ottoman-Russian War, which started in 1806, lasted until 1812. The war centered on Wallachia and Moldavia Discontinued due to French pressure and the Treaty of Bucharest was signed. With the Treaty of Edirne signed at the end of the war with the Russians between 1828 and 1829, Greece became independent.
When we came to the reign of Abdülmecit I, the Ottoman Empire had become a ‘sick man’:
Abdulmecit I, who came to the throne in 1839, was aware of everything that was going on and knew what would happen if he did not accelerate this process of change. Because On November 3, 1839, the Tanzimat Edict was proclaimed. London Conferences were held in 1840 and 1841. But Europe, especially the Russians, was obsessed with us.
The Russian Tsarist Emperor of the time, Nicholas I, was born on January 9, 1853. st. He held a ball in his winter palace in St. Petersburg. Later in the night, the British ambassador to Russia, George Hamilton, expressed his thoughts on the Ottoman Empire with the sentences he made to Seymour;
“There is a sick man in our arms. He is very sick. I must tell you frankly that it will be a great disaster if we lose him one day before we take all the necessary precautions. The Ottoman Empire may die suddenly. In this case, it will stay on us, we cannot resurrect the dead. When the Ottoman Empire dies, it will die, never to be resurrected. That’s why I’m asking you: Wouldn’t it be wiser to take precautionary measures in the face of such an event than to face confusion, anarchy or even a European war?”
Even though Nicholas I was the first to voice this idea, Europe actually thought so for a long time. But the problem was how they were going to dismember this sick man’s body. For this reason, the British ambassador did not agree with this idea with all his coldness. Of course, the reason for this was not that he was friendly to the Ottoman Empire, but that he wanted the whole Turkish land for himself.
The Crimean War was the beginning of the end:
The Crimean War, which was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Tsardom between 1853 and 1856, is actually He made it clear that the period of collapse of the Ottoman Empire had arrived. The Russians wanted to go to warm seas, they wanted control over the Orthodox Church, and most importantly, they wanted to take advantage of this situation in Europe, which was already sufficiently mixed.
We took the first blow with the burning of our navy in Sinop. When England and France appeared on our side, Sevastopol Fortress was taken back and great success was won against the Russians. However, the western states that were with us throughout the war He didn’t do it for free. With the Treaty of Paris signed at the end of the war, European states began to interfere in the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottomans were now doing whatever Europe said:
After the Treaty of Paris signed in 1856, the Reform Edict was declared in the Ottoman Empire. Although it was declared by the Ottoman We had to take such a decision because of the insistence of France. and the provisions of the edict were determined by Austria, England and France. With the Reform Edict, the minorities and foreigners in the country were given unprecedented rights.
II. With the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-1878, known as the 93 War during the reign of Abdulhamid, it is now A corridor was opened through which Russia could descend into warm seas. When we entered the 20th century, the Ottomans had broken all the ropes. After being defeated in World War I, the sick man was now a cake ready to be shared. Fortunately, Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the Turkish nation were determined not to let anyone eat this cake. Later date.
The term sick man, which was used for the first time for the Ottoman Empire, entered the political literature of Europe:
For the first time in 1853, the term “sick man” used by Nicholas I for the Ottoman Empire did not include a European alpha. Sick man of Europe for the Ottomans in the issue of The New York Times dated May 12, 1860 that is, the expression “sick man of Europe” was used. During the First World War, the term for the Ottoman Empire was used with disdain.
When the Turkish Republic was established and an Ottoman slap was embroidered to the west, Europe began to sink the sack itself. UK in the 1970s In the 1990s, Germany was called the sick man of Europe.
The real sick man of Europe for Italy in the May 2005 issue of The Economist magazine, Morgan Stanley Bank is Europe’s new sick man for France, in 2007 In the April 2007 issue of The Economist magazine, the new sick man of Europe for Portugal, The Daily Telegraph newspaper used similar expressions for Italy in 2008. Finally, in the April 17 issue of 2020, the Daily Mail newspaper announced the UK with the headline of the sick man of Europe, as it is the country most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Known as the sick man by Europe because he lost his former power. We talked about the last years of the Ottoman Empire and how the term sick man was used in the following years. When you see the words spoken in the following years, one cannot help but think, where to go to Europe.