Summary
Highlights
The video begins by highlighting the importance of the abolition of the Sultanate in 1922, marking its 100th anniversary in 2022. It emphasizes the connection between this event and the Treaty of Lausanne (Lozan), as well as the subsequent declaration of the Republic. The speaker notes that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk initially focused on saving the Sultanate to maintain unity but circumstances changed after the Turkish War of Independence.
Rauf Orbay proposed the abolition, and November 1st, the day the Sultanate was abolished, was celebrated as 'Hakimiyet Bayramı' (Sovereignty Day). The primary reason for the abolition was the Sultanate's incompatibility with national sovereignty. A secondary, accelerating factor was the British attempt to create a dual representation at the Lausanne Conference by inviting both the Ottoman government and the TBMM (Grand National Assembly of Turkey), aiming to sow discord.
The speaker clarifies that while national sovereignty was the main cause, the need to prevent dual representation at Lozan was the accelerating factor. Dr. Rıza Nur formally proposed the abolition. The video also touches upon how the Ottoman Empire had effectively ended with the Mondros Armistice (de facto), Mudanya Armistice (de jure), and technically with the occupation of Istanbul and the 1921 Constitution which stated that sovereignty unconditionally belonged to the nation.
On November 17, 1922, Sultan Vahdettin, fearing for his safety, left Istanbul on a British ship, the Malaya. He stated that he was leaving as the Caliph of Muslims, not as a Sultan, indicating his acceptance of the Sultanate's abolition. He was eventually sold to the Italians by the British and later resided in various places before his death in Italy in 1926. His grave is in Damascus, Syria, making him the only Ottoman Sultan buried outside Turkey. To prevent the caliphate from being used against Turkey, the TBMM elected Abdülmecid Efendi as the new Caliph, thereby separating the religious and political authorities.
The abolition removed a major obstacle to national sovereignty and ensured that the TBMM was the sole legitimate representative of the Turkish nation at Lausanne. It was the first step towards laicism (secularism) in Turkey by separating the Sultanate (political authority) from the Caliphate (religious authority). However, the caliphate was not immediately abolished. The abolition of the Sultanate led to a political vacuum, leaving the question of the state's regime and head ambiguous, which ultimately paved the way for the declaration of the Republic a year later. This was the only revolutionary act of the First Grand National Assembly, which was primarily a war assembly.
The Ottoman Empire effectively ended in stages: de facto with Mondros, de jure with Mudanya, and formally with the abolition of the Sultanate. The speaker notes that the abolition retroactively considered the Sultanate defunct from March 16, 1920, the date of Istanbul's formal occupation. The last Ottoman Grand Vizier, Ahmet Tevfik Pasha, was left without a position to resign from. The video concludes with a discussion about Vahdettin's historical reputation and the complex situation he faced.