Event of Edirne
The Edirne incident ( Edirne Vakası in Turkish ), also Edirne incident , was a revolt of the Janissaries in Istanbul in 1703. The revolt was a reaction to the Karlowitz Treaty and territorial loss, Sultan Mustafas II's absence in the capital and the growing power of Sheikh al-Islam Feyzullah Efendi and his interference in state affairs. As a result of the event, Feyzullah Efendi was killed and Sultan Mustafa II was taken over by his brother Ahmed III. ousted from the throne. The uprising lasted 36 days.
prehistory
The Treaty of Karlowitz was signed on January 16, 1699. It was the result of the Ottoman wars with the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy , the Republic of Venice , Poland-Lithuania and the Russian Empire. The Treaty of Karlowitz ended a fifteen-year period of war after the failed siege of Vienna by the Ottomans in 1683. The peace negotiations began only after numerous and entreaties of the Ottomans for peace after the Ottoman army of Eugene of Savoy in the Battle of Zenta was destroyed . The treaty outlined the post-war agreements between the Ottomans, the Venetians, the Poles and the Habsburg Monarchy; a peace treaty with Russia was only concluded in 1700. The Treaty of Karlowitz forced the Ottomans to give up a considerable area to the Habsburgs and Venetians. The Habsburgs captured Hungary , Croatia and the Principality of Transylvania from the Ottomans. The Venetians got Dalmatia and Morea and Poland-Lithuania won Podolia . These territorial losses had a drastic impact on the geopolitical power of the Ottoman Empire. With the Treaty of Karlowitz, the Ottoman Empire lost its dominance in Central and Eastern Europe.
After the signing of the treaty, Sultan Mustafa II withdrew to Edirne and left the political and administrative matters to the highest religious leader of the empire, Sheikh al-Islam Feyzullah Efendi. The absence of the Sultan and the leadership of Feyzullah Efendi quickly caused unrest among the Janissaries. Feyzullah Efendi's corruption and nepotism caused displeasure and his influence on the Sultan was seen as too great. The Grand Mufti had given high government offices to close relatives and ordered that his sons would inherit the office of Grand Mufti. In addition, he exceeded the limits of his position as head of religious office by interfering in the affairs of state.
The Ottoman Empire had long had financial problems, but at the end of the 17th century these became more and more urgent. The economic reform of Grand Vizier Elmas Mehmed Pascha in 1695 led to the introduction of a lifelong tax lease instead of annual auctions. Only about a fifth of the regional taxes levied by tax tenants went to the central government. As a result, the government of the Ottoman Empire did not have sufficient funds to pay for its military.
revolt
The Ottoman Empire supported the throne candidate George VII during a civil war in the Kingdom of Imeretia in Georgia. The Sublime Porte decided an Ottoman invasion of western Georgia in order to gain influence in the region. The soldiers' salaries were delayed, however, and the sub-unit of the Janissaries responsible for logistics ( cebeci ) revolted on July 17, 1703 and first demanded full payment. The "Edirne Event", also known as the "1703 Uprising", broke out in Istanbul. This uprising began among the Janissaries, who complained about the sultan's overdue pay and permanent absence, but soon spread to civilians, lower-ranking soldiers, artisans and members of the ulema . Eventually more than 60,000 people took part in the uprising. With the support of other army units, as well as some Istanbul citizens and most religious leaders, the rebels ransacked the homes of high-ranking government officials and controlled the capital for several weeks. With Çalık Ahmed Agha, the leader of the Janissaries was elected as leader of the movement and a field camp was set up in the hippodrome .
The rebels then sent a group of representatives to Edirne, who had Feyzullah Efendi arrested on the way. This process provoked the rebels and they began a march on Edirne. The Sultan tried to save his power and finally deposed Feyzullah Efendi. But it was too late: the insurgents had long since decided to dethrone Mustafa II. The sultan tried to form a line of defense on the outskirts of Edirne, but even the sultan's bodyguards joined the insurgents.
The demands of the rebels were promulgated by the ulema through the Qadis . Mustafa II was accused of neglecting his subjects and indulging in “injustice and inequality” while hunting and wasting state money. It legitimized the right of the Muslim community to assert itself against an unjust ruler and to condemn those who stood up for an unjust ruler. In addition, Mustafa II was accused of having compromised his mandate by accepting the Karlowitz Peace Treaty, thereby allowing the Christian powers so much territory. The Qādīs declared Mustafa II essentially unsuitable for the sultanate.
On August 22, 1703 Mustafa II was deposed and his brother Ahmed III. became the new sultan. Feyzullah Efendi was picked up and killed by the rebels on his way into exile.
Although Mustafa II was replaced as sultan, the uprising in Constantinople continued. The violence continued because of a lack of discipline and control among the janissaries, because the dissolution of the rebel unity was accompanied by rivalries for power and, ultimately, a competition for the coronation gifts, traditionally a reward for pledging allegiance to a new sultan. This last demand was a means by which the Janissaries exercised direct control over the Sultan. The Janissaries essentially emphasized their power to depose a sultan and install a new sultan.
consequences
As a result of the Edirne incident, Mustafa II was deposed. However, he was not injured by the rebels. After he was dethroned, he spent the rest of his life in solitude in the palace. Mustafa II was by his brother Ahmed III. replaced. After he was declared Sultan, Ahmed III went. on a Hajj , did not return to Istanbul until 1706 and established the capital of the empire there again.
The Edirne event strengthened the power of the Janissaries and the Qadis. The power of the Janissaries over the Sultan was demonstrated not only by their attack, but also by their ability to defeat Sultan Ahmed III. economically harm, because he could hardly make the enthronement payments to the Janissaries. The Qādīs revealed their power over the Sultan through their interpretation of Islamic laws. at the same time they were close to the people in the provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Their growing power over the sultanate led to increasing decentralization within the Ottoman Empire.
literature
- Rifa'at Ali Abou-El-Haj: The 1703 Rebellion and the Structure of Ottoman Politics . Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologische Instituut te İstanbul, Istanbul 1984
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Gül Şen: The event of Edirne (1703). Astrology as a strategy for legitimizing power and overcoming contingency. In: Das Mittelalter , Volume 20, No. 1 (2015), pp. 115-138, here p. 119
- ↑ a b c Selcuk Aksin Somel: Historical Dictionary of the Ottoman Empire . Scarecrow, Lanham 2012, ISBN 0810871688
- ↑ a b c d e f Virginia Aksan: Ottoman Wars: 1700-1870 . Longman / Pearson, Harlow 2007, ISBN 0582308070
- ↑ Gül Şen (2015), p. 121
- ^ A b Donald Quataert: The Ottoman Empire 1700–1922 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2005
- ↑ a b Fariba Zarinebaf: Crime and Punishment in Istanbul: 1700-1800 . University of California Press, Berkeley / Los Angeles / London 2010, p. 52
- ↑ Gül Şen (2015), p. 122
- ↑ a b c d e Fariba Zarinebaf (2010), p. 54