REBELLION IN CRETE AND GREAT POWERS 1866-1869: DETERMINATIONS AND CRITICS FROM NAMIK KEMAL
GİRİT’TE İSYAN VE BÜYÜK GÜÇLER 1866-1869: NAMIK KEMÂL’DEN TESPİT VE TENKİTLER

Author : Musa GÜMÜŞ
Number of pages : 43-58

Abstract

As the fifth biggest island of Mediterrenean, Crete has been know for its strategic and geologic importance. In every period of time, great powers of its era were interested in Crete for their economic and politic profits. Since Crete’s importance was directly related with Mediterrenean’s importance, whenever Mediterrenean had played a key role in world politics, Crete was also on the front burner. In addition, it can be easily said that this situation was clearly seenable in 19th century. As Ottoman Empire had been weakened in that time and it affected Crete, great power of the era saw it as an opportunity. States like England, Russia and France’s Mediterranean-based understanding of strategies and policies made Crete an area of conflict. From the second half of the 19th century, the fact that United States had started to make calculation about Crete made these strategies and policies more important.Of course, it was expected to affect Crete and it had. After that time, whatever showed up as a problem in Crete were the opportunity that these countries were looking for. Thus; England, Russia, France and United States started to be interested in rebellions and Ottoman Empire’s policies in Crete. Indeed, the rebellion in Crete,which was started in 1866, was the exact opportunity for them. While every state were trying to form an effective policy to gain advantages for themselves, they were also trying to calculate the results of whether Crete continued to stay as a part of Ottoman Empire or whether it became a part of Greece. Of course, they were eager to command the policies of Ottoman Empire in Crete, also. Although it made Ottoman Empire weaker, occasionaly, it also provided good opportunities to Ottoman Empire for diplomatic actions. In this paper, the questions such as what these actions were, what they resulted in and how it affected Ottoman Empire will be clarified and answered from the point of view of Namık Kemal and the internatiol relations of the 19th century will be uncovered.

Keywords

Namik Kemal, 1866-18669 Crete Rebellion, Ottoman State, Great Powers, Enland, France Russia and Unit

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