The Raid on the Sublime Porte

Discussions on the final era of the Ottoman Empire, from the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 until the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.
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Peter H
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The Raid on the Sublime Porte

#1

Post by Peter H » 16 Apr 2007, 12:35

"..the grand viziers acquired an official residence in the compound that housed government ministries in Constantinople. The compound was known to the Turks as Babiali (High Gate or Sublime Porte)".

According to Henry Morgentau:
They had wrested power from the other factions by a deed of violence. This coup d'tat had taken place on January 26, 1913, not quite a year before my arrival. At that time a political group, headed by the venerable Kiamil Pasha, as Grand Vizier, and Nazim Pasha, as Minister of War, controlled the Government; they represented a faction known as the "Liberal Party," which was chiefly distinguished for its enmity to the Young Turks. These men had fought the disastrous Balkan War, and, in January, they had felt themselves compelled to accept the advice of the European powers and surrender Adrianople to Bulgaria. The Young Turks had been outside the breastworks for about six months looking for an opportunity to return to power. The proposed surrender of Adrianople apparently furnished them this opportunity. Adrianople was an important Turkish city, and naturally the Turkish people regarded the contemplated surrender as marking still another milestone toward their national doom. Talaat and Enver hastily collected about two hundred followers and marched to the Sublime Porte, where the ministry was then sitting. Nazim, hearing the uproar, stepped out into the hall. He courageously faced the crowd, a cigarette in his mouth and his hands thrust into his pockets.

"Come, boys," he said, good humouredly, "what's a this noise about? Don't you know that it is interfering with our deliberations?"
The words had hardly left his mouth when he fell dead. A bullet had pierced a vital spot.
The mob, led by Talaat and Enver, then forced their way into the council chamber. They forced Kiamil, the Grand Vizier, to resign his post by threatening him with the fate that had overtaken Nazim.

Nazim Pasha:
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Peter H
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#2

Post by Peter H » 16 Apr 2007, 12:44

Nazim's previous career in Baghdad:

http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/6005.html



Erickson:
Sometimes it is reported that Enver himself actually shot the minister of war,but this is doubtful as,at the time,he was with Talat and the grand vizier.


According to Mehmet Fatih in a post elsewhere:
Kisiklili Cemil was one of the Circassian bodyguards of Enver Pasha and a member of Teskilat-i Mahsusa. People know him as Yakup Cemil. He is the one who killed Nazim Pasha during the Babiali Raid.


Can someone translate some of these details on Yakup Cemil:

http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakub_Cemil


Tosun Saral
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#3

Post by Tosun Saral » 21 Apr 2007, 16:13

According to Görgülü the coup d'tat had taken place on January 23, 1913,

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Peter H
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#4

Post by Peter H » 27 Apr 2007, 15:35

Erickson credits Nazim Pasha as being a good General.In October 1912 he established " the headquarters of the commander in chief" in Thrace,on top of his dual role of Minister of war.His sound command of the Catalca line defending Constantinople should also be mentioned.

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#5

Post by Tosun Saral » 14 May 2007, 13:06


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