The Tripoli War, one of the most important wars in the Ottoman collapse period, started with the Italian occupation of Tripoli and its surroundings, and as a result, the Ottoman Empire lost its last piece of land in Africa. Let’s take a closer look at the causes and consequences of the Tripoli War.
The 19th century was very difficult for the Ottoman Empire. The colonial policies of the Western states were already showing their effect in the distant provinces of the Ottoman Empire, which had weakened. Who doesn’t want to be left behind while everyone is trying to get a share of somewhere The Italians set their sights on Tripoli and its surroundings. Before long, an invasion followed, followed by the Tripoli War.
The Tripoli War is one of the most important battles of the Ottoman collapse period. The war that the Ottomans started as a just defense unfortunately, it resulted in the loss of our last piece of land in Africa and moreover, our 12 islands in the Aegean Sea. Let’s take a closer look at the Tripoli War and see its causes and consequences.
For those who don’t know, let’s briefly explain; What is the Tripoli War?
between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire, and The Tripoli War, also known as the Turkish-Italian War, It started with the Italian occupation of Tripoli, Fezzan and Cyrenaica, a province of the Ottoman Empire. The winner of the war, which ended with the Treaty of Ushi, was the Italians.
When did the Tripoli War take place?
At the beginning of 1910, the Italians started their occupation activities in the Tripoli region. When the Ottomans objected to this situation In 1911, the Kingdom of Italy gave notes to the Ottoman Empire. In September of the same year, the Tripoli War began.
Although it is called the Tripoli War, in fact, two states are the Adriatic Sea, the Aegean Islands, the Dardanelles and the Red Sea. He waged land and naval warfare in many different regions. With the start of the First Balkan War, the war was ended in October 1912 and the Ushi Treaty was signed. In other words, the Tripoli War took place between 1911 and 1912.
Before the Tripoli War, both states had internal turmoil:
In 1908, the Second Constitutional Monarchy was proclaimed in the Ottoman Empire and the Kanun-i Esasi was put into effect. Bosnia was invaded, the people of Crete revolted. A group that rebelled against the Committee of Union and Progress was suppressed by the Army of Action in Istanbul. In 1911, the ideology of Ottomanism was wanted to be implemented, but due to the support of the western states, the rebellions in and around Montenegro were gaining momentum.
1911 was the 50th anniversary of Italy’s founding. The newly enthroned III. Vittorio Emanuele and then Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti, they were fed by the nationalist vein in the country. It was impossible for them to turn a blind eye to the voice of the people who said that France, England and other states are exploiting the Ottoman lands, why are we stopping? The only piece of land to be exploited in the Ottoman Empire was Tripoli.
Italy’s greed is one of the main causes of the Tripoli War:
Tripoli, which was conquered by the Ottomans in 1551, has been a central province since 1877. Due to the colonial activities that started in the 16th century In the 19th century, almost all of Africa was colonized by western states, with the exception of Tripoli and its environs. Of course, this situation caused all eyes to be on these lands.
France had captured Tunisia, England had captured Egypt, and Italy was telling me. Italy was not strong at that time. but it was still a European country and therefore other states supported him. Tripoli and its environs were left to the Italians with both official and unofficial treaties.
Of course, Italy could not immediately go and invade the region, it progressed step by step. He started an economic colony in the region with a method called peaceful occupation. The event that the Ottomans finally objected to was the arrival of heavily armed Italian soldiers in the region. Since the number of Ottoman soldiers in the region was not very large, Italy easily managed to occupy the region.
And finally the Tripoli War began:
Having the support of the British and the French, the Italians took the first step of the Tripoli War. He sank several Ottoman ships in the Adriatic Sea. Having blockaded the port of Tripoli, Italian ships began to bombard the city. The Italians, who occupied Benghazi, increased their power even more by landing soldiers there.
Unfortunately, during this period, we had to fight not only with the Italians, but also with the Arab tribes that made a deal with the invaders. In Tobruk and Derne regions, the Turks resisted the invaders with guerrilla warfare. However, this was not enough because naval battles were also very intense and 12 islands in the Aegean Sea were occupied in this process.
With the Italians landing on Rhodes, things got worse and invaders entered the Dardanelles. Although the irregular Turkish forces were slowing down the Italians with their guerrilla attacks, the situation was getting worse. With the Karabakh Kingdom’s declaration of war on the Ottoman Empire, that is, with the start of the First Balkan War, we lost the Tripoli War.
The results of the Tripoli War were determined by the Treaty of Ushi:
After the Italian forces prevented the Ottomans from sending aid to the Balkans, it was decided to make peace. Both sides, on October 15, 1912 They signed the Treaty of Ushi in Ouchy, Switzerland. According to this;
- The Ottoman Empire, which had withdrawn its forces in Tripoli and Benghazi, would leave these places to Italy.
- The rights of Muslims in Tripoli would continue to be protected by the Ottoman Empire.
- 12 islands in the Aegean Sea would be left to the Ottoman Empire.
Yes, 12 islands were officially left to the Ottoman Empire with the Treaty of Ushi, but due to the wars at that time. Since it was feared that these islands would fall into the hands of the Greeks, their administration was left to the Italians. During the Second World War, 12 islands were occupied by Germany and wanted to be given to Turkey as a gift. However, Turkey did not accept this so that its independence in the war would not be damaged and the islands were given to Greece.
Heroes like Atatürk appeared in the Tripoli War:
Young officers at that time Turkish heroes such as Enver Pasha, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Fuat Bulca, Nuri Conker, Fethi Okyar, While the Tripoli War was taking place, they went to the region with secret identities and started a guerrilla war by organizing the people. Atatürk received the wound that caused his eye to remain with a conjunctiva during the war here.
It went down in history as the war in which the Ottoman Empire lost its last piece of land in Africa. We shared the causes and consequences of the Tripoli War. We should never forget the heroism and treachery of that period.