A time-line of the TurksWorld News | Politics | History | Editor(Copyright © 1999 Piero Scaruffi) |
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See also a timeline of the Near East
See also a timeline of the Arabs See also a timeline of the Persians 200BC: Mao-tun unites the Turkic-speaking Huns (Xiongnu, Hsiung-nu) in Central Asia around Lake Bajkal and southeastern Mongolia 552: Turkic people led by Tumin/Bumin destroy the Juan-juan (Avars) and establish the Turkic Khaganate of Gokturk in Central Asia from the Black Sea to Mongolia 553: Tumin dies and the Turkic Khaganate splits into Western and Eastern Khanates 567: the western Turkic Khaganate invades Transoxania 603: the western Turkic Khaganate self-destroys in a civil war 630: The eastern Turkic Khaganate is conquered by China 682: the eastern Turkic Khaganate regain independence from China under Kutluk 694: Tugluk's brother Khapghan extend the Turkic empire over Transoxania, thus unifying eastern and western Turks 712: the Arabs, led by Kutayba ben Muslim, conquer Transoxania and convert the Turks to Islam 833: Sultan al-Mutasim creates a regiment of Turkish slaves 744: the Turkic empire of Gokturk self-destroys again in a civil war 880: the Abbasid dynasty is replaced in Egypt by a Turkic dynasty 932: the Turkic Qarakhanid dynasty is founded in Kashgar 962: the Ghaznavid kingdom is founded in Afghanistan (at Ghazni) by Alp-tegin, a Turkic slave soldier of the Samanids 985: the Turkic-speaking Seljuks (led by Seljuk) invade Transoxania (Ilkhan) and convert to sunnite Islam 995: Gurgandj (Kunya-Urgench, Turkmenistan) becomes the capital of the Khorezmshakh state 1038: the Seljuks, led by Toghrul Beg/ Tugrul Bey, defeat the Ghaznavids at Dandanaqan (near Merv) 1042: the Seljuks conquer Khorezm 1048: Turk nomads raid the Byzantine empire for the first time 1055: the Seljuks (sunni), led by Toghrul Beg, defeat the Buyids (shiite), invade Mesopotamia and install themselves in Baghdad under the suzerainty of the Abbasids 1064: the Seljuk king Alp Arslan moves the capital to Ray (Tehran) 1064: the Seljuks invade Armenia 1071: the Seljuqs led by sultan Alp Arslan defeat the Byzantine army at the battle of Malazgird, capture Jerusalem and establishing a sultanate in central Anatolia 1072: the Seliuqs move the capital from Ray (Tehran) to Isfahan but Alp Arslan dies, succeeded by his son Maliksah 1073: the Seliuqs defeat the Qarakhanids, taking Bukhara and Samarkand 1076: the Seliuqs invade Syria and Palestine 1141: the Karakitai defeat the Seljuqs at the battle of Qatwan, thus destroying Seljuq power in Central Asia 1153: the Khwarazmis (Turkish mercenaries) conquer Persia from the Seljuqs 1157: Seljuq's sultan Sancar dies 1175: the Ghaznavid state is absorbed into the Ghurid empire, which is also Turkic-speaking 1176: Byzanthium is defeated by the Turks of Rum at Myriokephalon 1169: Saladin Ayubbid, a Kurdish general, ends the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt and founds the Ayubbid dynasty 1174: Saladin takes Damascus from the Syrian ruler 1187: Saladin retakes Palestine and Jerusalem 1192: Saladin signs an armstice with King Richard I of England tha grants the Christians a small kingdom outside Jerusalem 1193: Saladin's brother Malik Adil becomes sultan of Egypt and Syria 1194: the Seljuqs conquer Anatolia 1194: the last Persian Seljuq ruler dies and Seljuq power collapses in Iran 1200: Ali ad-Din Muhammad becomes shah of the Khwarizm/Khwarezmian empire that extends from Uzbekistan to Persia 1220: the Mongols invade Transoxania (Bukhara and Samarkand) and Iran/Persia 1241: Batu's younger brother Shayban raids Hungary and then splits, establishing the Shaybanid Horde 1243: the Mongols conquer the Rum state in Anatolia 1301: Osman founds the Ottoman dynasty in Anatolia 1320: Osman leaves his son Orhan in charge of the Ottoman empire and Orhan hires Alaeddin Pasha, not an Osman, as vizier (prime minister) 1324: Osman dies and his son Orhan becomes king of the Ottomans 1326: the Ottomans led by Orhan take Bursa and make it their capital 1331: the Ottomans conquer Nicaea 1331: the Ottomans inaugurate the first madrasa in Iznik 1345: the Ottomans conquer Bergama 1346: the Ottomans of Orhan help Byzantium's co-emperor John VI Cantacuzene win the civil war with John V Paleologues and Orhan marries Cantacuzene's daughter Theodora 1354: the Ottomans occupy Gallipoli, first outpost in Europe 1360: Orhan dies having doubled the size of the state and is succeeded by his son Murad/Murat (son of Theodora) as sultan of the Ottomans, who hires Candarli Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha as vizier (the first one to be called "grand" vizier) 1361: the Ottomans led by Murad I conquer Adrianopole, change its name to Edirne and make it their capital, leaving only one major city, the distant Trebizond, to Byzantium 1364: The Ottomans defeat an allied army of Hungary and Serbia at Edirne 1370: The Ottoman sultan Murad marries the Bulgarianian princess Tamara 1376: The Ottomans conquer part of Bulgaria 1389: the Ottomans defeat Serbia at the battle of Kosovo but the Serbs kill Murad, who dies having conquered Thrace, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia, and his son Bayazid (son of Tamara) succeeds him 1390: The Ottomans sultan Bayazid marries a Serbian princess, Despina 1391: The Ottomans, under Bayazid I, conquer most of western and central Anatolia 1391: the Ottomans, under Bayazid I, conquer Bosnia and Wallachia 1393: the Ottomans, under Bayazid I, conquer the Bulgarian capital Tirnovo 1393: Ottoman sultan Bayezid I, son of Murad, besieges Constantinople 1396: The Ottomans defeat an army of crusaders led by Sigismund at Nicopolis of Hungary 1397: The Ottomans defeat the Turkomans of Konya/Karaman in Anatolia 1398: The Ottomans annex the Turkomans of Sivas in Anatolia 1402: Timur defeats the Ottomans at Ankara and captures Ottoman sultan Beyazid I who dies in captivity 1405: Timur dies and the end of a civil war among Bayazid's sons, Suleyman rules on Ottoman Europe and Mehmet rules on Ottoman Anatolia 1411: Suleyman Ottoman, helped by Byzantium, is killed by his brother Musa Ottoman leading an army of Turks and Balkans 1413: Mehmet Ottoman kills his brother Musa with help from Byzantium and recovers all the Ottoman territories lost during the civil war 1421: Ottoman sultan Mehmet I dies and is succeeded by his son Murad II 1429: Mehmet I reunites Anatolia under Ottoman rule 1430: The Ottomans defeat an alliance of Venezia and Hungary 1439: Ottomans under Murad II annex Serbia 1440: Ottomans under Murad II besiege Belgrade 1442: Hungarian general Janos Hunyadi (Ioannes Corvinus) defeats the Ottomans in Transylvania and regains Wallachia 1444: Ottomans under Murad II defeat the crusaders led by Hungary and Poland at the battle of Varna 1448: Hungary leads another crusade against the Ottomans but is defeated at Kosovo and loses Wallachia 1451: Muhammad/Mehmet II succeeds Ottoman sultan Murad II 1453: the Ottoman Turks under 20-year old Mehmet II capture Constantinople/Byzantium and rename it Istanbul 1454: the Ottomans grant Venezia the right to trade in Ottoman lands, the only western power allowed to do so 1454: Ottoman sultan Mehmet II restores the Greek Orthodox church under Gennadius Scholarius 1455: Ottoman sultan Mehmet II builds the grand bazaar of Istanbul 1459: the Ottomans conquer Athens 1460: the Ottomans conquer Greece and Serbia 1461: the Ottomans conquer Trebizond 1462: Vlad IV of Wallachia is defeated by the Ottomans sultan Mehmet II which annexes Wallachia, the gate to the Black Sea and the Danube 1463: Venezia (helped by Hungary) and the Ottomans go to war 1473: The Ottomans defeat the White Horde of Mongol khan Uzun Hasan and conquer Anatolia west of the Euphrates 1475: the world's first coffee shop, "Kiva Han", opens in Istanbul 1475: The Ottomans conquer Genova/Genoa's colonies of the Black Sea and subject the Crimean Tatars 1477: Istanbul has 80 thousand inhabitants of which 9486 Muslim households, 3743 Christian Greek households, 1647 Jewish households, 818 Christian Armenian households, 267 Christian Slavic households 1478: The Ottomans conquer the whole of Albania 1478: The Topkapi palace is inaugurated in Istanbul 1479: The 16-year war ends with Venezia losing most of her territories along the Aegean Sea to the Ottomans 1481: Mehmet II dies and is succeeded by Bayazid II who defeats his brother Cem 1492: the Ottoman Empire gives asylum to the Sephardic Jews expelled from the Christian kingdoms of Spain 1485: The Ottomans and Mamluk go to war 1491: The Ottomans and Mamluk make peace with no winner and no loser 1493: First Jewish printing press in Istanbul 1497: Poland goes to war against the Ottomans who are supported by Moscow and the Crimean Tartars 1499: Poland loses the war against the Ottomans whose allies the Crimean Tartars gain territories between Poland and Moscow 1499: Second war between the Ottomans and Venezia 1502: Venezia loses to the Ottoman Empire that obtains control of the trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean 1503: A treaty between with Poland-Hungary recognizes Ottoman rule over Moldavia and Wallachia 1512: Selim I defeats his brothers with help from the janissaries and the janissaries force his father Bayezit to abdicate in Selim's favor 1513: Selim I kills all his brothers, nephews and eventually his own sons except for Suleyman 1514: the Ottomans of Selim I defeat Shah Ismail I Safavid army at Chaldiran (Iran/Persia) thereby conquering Kurdistan and Armenia 1515: The sultan forbids the printing press 1516: the Ottomans of Selim I defeat the Mamluks and annex Syria and Palestine 1517: the Ottomans of Selim I conquer Egypt and western Arabia (end of the Mamluk empire) 1519: Celal leads a revolt against the Ottoman sultan 1520: Selim dies and his only surviving son Suleyman becomes the ruler of the Ottoman empire with no succession war 1521: the Ottomans under Suleyman capture Belgrade 1522: the Ottomans under Suleyman capture Rhodos from the Knights of Saint John, the last Christian outpost in the eastern Mediterranean 1523: Suleyman appoints a foreigner, a Christian from Greece, Pargali Ibrahim as grand vizier, thus weakening the Turkish aristocracy and empowering the slaves 1526: the Hungarian army is defeated at the battle of Mohacs by the Ottomans of Suleyman and Hungary is partitioned between the Ottoman Empire and the Hapsburgs, with Hungary proper under Ottoman occupation, Transylvania as a Turkish protectorate and Slovakia is annexed by the Hapsburg Monarchy 1527: There are 27,000 janissaries 1529: The Ottomans besiege Wien (Vienna) but have to withdraw 1529: The Ottomans conquer Algiers 1529: The mufti of Istanbul executes the dervish Ismail Mashuki that the masses consider a saint 1533: The Ottomans and Hungary sign a peace treaty 1533: Hizir Reis becomes grand ammiral of the Ottomans and governor of Algiers 1534: the Ottomans capture Baghdad from the Safavids, helped by a popular insurrection of the Sunnis, but the Safavids survive in eastern Iran, Azerbajan and the southern Caucasus 1534: the Ottoman queen mother dies and Suleyman's wife Hurren Sultan becomes the most influential woman of the empire 1535: The Ottomans sign a "Capitulation" agreement with France that opens its market to French merchants and makes France its main Western ally 1535: The number of Jewish households in Istanbul has multiplied by five since 1477 1536: Suleyman executes grand vizier Pargali Ibrahim, the victim of intrigues by Hurrem Sultan and the French ambassador 1538: The Ottomans conquer Aden and southern Iraq, reaching Persian Gulf 1540: Venezia surrenders more territory and is left with only Crete and Cyprus, and dependent on trade with the Ottomans 1541: The Ottomans conquer Hungary from Austria 1544: Hurrem Sultan manages to have her son-in-law Rustem Pasha appointed grand vizier of the Ottomans 1547: The Ottomans conquer Sana (Yemen) and southern Iraq 1550: the mosque of Sultan Syleyman in Istanbul 1553: The Croat former prisoner of war Piyale Pasha is appointed grand admiral of the Ottomans 1554: The Portuguese defeat the Ottomans at Hormuz 1554: The first public coffee house opens in Istanbul 1555: the Ottoman empire conquers Mesopotamia from the Safavid empire with the Peace of Amasya 1555: The "false" Mustafa leads a revolt against the Ottoman ruler in Thrace and Macedonia but Mustafa is captured and killed and thousands of rebels are executed 1555: Coffee is introduced in Ottoman Turkey 1558: The powerful sultan's wife Hurrem Sultan dies and her two surviving sons, Selim (helped by the janissaries) and Bayezit, fight for the right to succeed Suleyman, with Selim winning and Bayezit fleeing to Safavid Iran 1560: The Safavids deliver prince Bayezit to the Ottomans to be executed 1561: The new grand vizier Sokullu Mehmet marries Selim's daughter Esma Sultan, creating a new powerful harem at the Ottoman court 1562: Ottomans and Habsburgs sign another peace treaty 1564: The Serbian slave Bajica Sokolovic becomes grand vizier with the name Sokollu Mehmed and commissions a bridge over the Drina river at Visegrad in Bosnia 1566: Suleyman dies (having conquered Hungary, Transylvania, Tripoli, Algiers, Yemen, Iraq, Rhodos) and Selim II succeeds him with Sokullu Mehmet as grand vizier 1567: First Armenian printing press in Istanbul 1570: the Ottomans conquer Cyprus from Venezia 1571: in the battle of Lepanto an army formed by the Pope, Spain, Venezia and Genova destroys the Ottoman navy, thus halting Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean 1574: the Hafsid dynasty collapses in Tunisia and is replaced by the Ottomans 1574: An African becomes the chief eunuch of the harem, a tradition that will last till 1908 1574: Ottoman sultan Selim II dies and Murat/Murad III succeeds him killing his five brothers on the day of accession, his mother Nurbanu (an Orthodox Christian by birth) becomes valide (queen mother and co-regent), while grand vizier Sokullu Mehmet's wife Esma Han and Murat's wife Safiye Sultan vie for power 1576: The Ottomans capture Fez in Morocco 1576: The Ottomans and the Safavids of Iran go to war 1578: Peace reached between Spain and Ottoman empire 1579: The Ottoman sultan Murat III executes grand vizier Sokullu, responsible for nepotism and corruption at court 1580: Ottoman sultan Murat/Mourad III and Felipe II of Spain sign a treaty dividing spheres of influence in the Mediterranean 1580: A fanatical mob destroys the astronomical observatory of Istanbul 1583: The Ottomans defeat the Safavids at Vilasa ("battle of the torches") and conquer most of the Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, 1587: Safavid king Shah Abbas I creates a gunpowder-based military force 1590: The Ottomans sign a "Capitulation" agreement with England that opens its market to English merchants 1593: The Ottomans and Austria go to war 1595: Murat III dies, having fathered 130 sons and collected 40 concubines, and is succeeded by his son Mehmet III, who kills his 19 brothers and 20 sisters, but real power is in the hands of his mother Safiye Sultan 1601: English merchants introduce tobacco in Istanbul 1603: Sunullah Efendi leads a revolt of religious students and the Sipahi cavalry against the Ottoman sultan but the rebels are massacred 1603: Mehmet III dies and is succeeded by his 13-year old son Ahmet I with power in the hands of his mother and the chief eunuch 1605: Tobacco is introduced in Ottoman Turkey 1606: The Ottomans and the Habsburgs sign a peace treaty at Sitva Torok confirming Ottoman rule in the Balkans 1608: Celali rebels are massacred by the Ottomans 1612: The Ottomans sign a peace treaty with the Safavids returning the Caucasus 1615: The Ottomans sign a "Capitulation" agreement with the Habsburgs that opens its market to Austrian merchants 1617: Ottoman sultan Ahmet I dies and is succeeded by his brother Mustafa, who had been kept in isolation during childhood, the first sultan with no experience, thanks to the victory of one of Ahmet's wives, Kosem Sultan, over the other, Mhafiruz Sultan 1618: The chief eunuch arranges a coup that replaces Ottoman sultan Mustafa with Mhafiruz's son Osman II TM, ®, Copyright © 2005 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. 1622: The janissaries depose Osman II and restore Mustafa as Ottoman sultan 1623: the Safavids capture Baghdad from the Ottomans 1623: Soldiers stage a coup that deposes Mustafa and makes the 11-year old Murat IV becomes Ottoman sultan, with power in the hands of his mother Kosem Sultan and the chief eunuch 1627: First Christian printing press in Istanbul 1631: Rebel soldiers invade Istanbul and force the Ottoman sultan Murat IV to appoint Topal Recep as grand vizier 1632: the Ottoman sultan Murat executes Recep and restores order 1634: the Ottoman sultan Murat IV executes Ahmet I's four sons to make sure none claims the throne 1638: the Ottomans recapture Baghdad from the Safavids 1640: Ottoman sultan Murat IV dies and is succeeded by Kosem's son Ibrahim 1648: The Ottomans try unsuccessfully to conquer Crete from Venezia 1648: The janissaries stage a coup that installs the sultan's son Mehmet IV, the son of the Ukrainian slave Turham, as Ottoman sultan, but being still a child, real power rests with his mother Kosem, who is appointed valide instead of Turham 1649: The janissaries obtain the post of grand vizier from the Ottoman sultan, making the sultan irrelevant 1651: The harem's eunuchs murder the valide (queen mother) Kosem and Turham becomes the new valide 1656: Facing the third Venetian blockade in a decade, the valide Turhan appoints the 80-year old Mehmet Koprulu gran vizier of the Ottomans, who installs a reign of terror killing thousands of political enemies 1661: Mehmet Koprulu dies and his son Fazil Ahmet becomes the new Ottoman grand vizier 1665: Sabbatai Sevi is recognized by the Jews of Palestine as the Messiah but is then forced by the Ottoman sultan to convert to Islam 1669: Venezia surrenders Crete to the Ottomans 1672: The Ottomans attack Poland 1676: Poland surrenders Ukraine to the Ottomans, but war begins between the Ottomans and Russia over Ukraine 1681: The Ottomans and the Russians agree on a border along the Dnieper 1682: beginning of the Hundred Year War between the Hapsburg monarchy and the Ottoman empire 1683: the Ottomans besiege Vienna again but are defeated by a Polish-Lithuanian army and their decline begins (12 grand viziers are deposed in the following 19 years) 1686: the Ottomans are ejected from Budapest by the Habsburgs 1687: Venezia conquers Athens and the Parthenon is destroyed in an explosion 1699: the Ottomans lose Hungary to the Holy Roman Empire ("Treaty of Carlowitz") 1687: The inept Mehmet IV is overthrown by rebel soldiers who install Suleyman II as Ottoman sultan and spread terror for five months in Istanbul 1688: The Habsburgs conquer Serbia, Wallachia and Transylvania, but the Orthodox Christian population resents Catholic rule and helps the Ottomans 1689: Fazil Ahmet's brother Fazil Mustafa becomes grand vizier of the Ottomans 1695: Mehmet IV's son Mustafa II becomes Ottoman sultan, but real power is in the hands of the chief of the ulema, Seyyit Feyzullah Efendi 1695: Russia captures Azov on the Black Sea from the Ottomans, thereby ending Ottoman's domination of the Black Sea 1699: The Ottomans and the Habsburgs sign the peace treaty of Karlowitz by which the Ottomans cede Hungary and Transylvania to the Habsburgs, Dalmatia to Venezia, southern Ukraine to Poland and Azov to Russia 1699: Huseyn Pasha becomes grand vizier of the Ottomans and launches Western-style military reforms 1700: The Greek Alexander Mavrocordato becomes councillor of state 1702: Huseyn Pasha resigns from Ottoman grand vizier in a feud with Seyyit Feyzullah Efendi 1703: Rebel soldiers and Islamic students occupy Istanbul, depose Mustafa and install his brother Ahmet III as Ottoman sultan 1709: Alexander Mavrocordato's son Nicolas is appointed prince of Wallachia 1710: The Ottomans declares war on Russia 1711: The Ottomans and Russia sign a peace treaty 1716: The Ottomans declare war on Venezia 1718: The Ottomans sign a peace treaty with Venezia that leaves Dalmatia to Venezia 1718: Damat Ibrahim becomes grand vizier of the Ottomans, inaugurating a period of peace and Westernization (the "Tulip Period") 1723: Russia invades Iran from the north (Baku) and the Ottomans invade from the west 1725: The Ottomans conquer Tabriz, Armenia and Georgia from Iran 1727: The first printing press (run by a Muslim) opens in Istanbul, the first printing press of the Islamic world 1729: The first book is printed in the Ottoman empire (the first book ever printed in a Muslim country) thanks to the printing press of Ibrahim Muteferrika, a Hungarian convert 1730: Patrona Halil leads a rebellion against the Ottomans that leads the sultan to execute grand vizier Damat Ibrahim and to Mahmut I, while the rebels spread terror in Istanbul (end of the Tulip Period) 1731: Ottoman sultan Mahmut I executes the rebel Patrona Halil who installed him on the throne 1732: A French convert, Claude Bonneval, becomes the military advisor to the Ottomans, while an Italian convert, Hekimoglu Ali, becomes the grand vizier 1735: The Iranians defeat the Ottomans and regain Armenia, Georgia and Tabriz 1736: The Ottomans and Russia go to war 1739: Russia and the Ottomans make peace 1768: Polish rebels request help from the Ottomans against the king defended by Russia 1774: The Russians defeat the Ottomans and obtain cities of the Black Sea and Caucasus, the first tiime that the Ottoman Empire loses Muslim subjects to a Christian power, and the right to build a Christian Orthodox church in Istanbul 1778: The plague kills 30% of the population of Istanbul 1774: Hungarian-born French baron Francois de Tott helps the Ottomans create a new artillery corp 1785: Ali Burzi Pasha of Libya massacres hundreds of Jews 1787: The Ottomans declare war on Russia, with Sweden supporting the Ottomans and Austria supporting Russia 1788: Ottoman general Ali Pasha becomes the de facto ruler of Albania from his base of Ioannina 1791: The peace of Sistova returns Serbia from Austria to the Ottomans 1792: Russia defeats the Ottomans and obtains Southern Ukraine with the Dniester as the new border 1792: The Ottomans create a new army, Nizam-i Jedid (New Order Army) trained by the French 1793: the Ottoman sultan Selim III proclaims the "new order" Jul 1798: Napoleon attempts to conquer Egypt from the Ottomans (Battle of the Pyramids0, breaking the traditional alliance between France and the Ottoman Empire 1799: Ottoman janissaries split Serbia among them causing widespread resentment 1801: The Ottomans and the British defeat Napoleon's troops in Egypt, while Russia annexes Georgia 1802: France and the Ottomans renew their alliance 1802: When Mehmet I arrives in Egypt as an Ottoman official, power is divided among the Ottomans, the Mamluks and the Albanian troops 1803: Mehmet I sides with the Mamluks and deposes the Ottoman governor of Egypt 1803: Serbia's Karageorge leads an uprising against the Ottoman Empire 1803: Moldavia and Wallachia princes loyal to Russia 1804: Serbia led by Kara George revolts against the Ottoman janissaries that rule them 1805: Mehemet Ali, an Albanian Turk, is recognized by the Ottomans as governor of Egypt 1804: Muslim Wahabis of the Saudi state capture Mecca and Medina from the Ottomans 1806: After Selim replaces the pro-Russian princes of Wallachia and Moldavia with pro-French princes, Russia and Britain declare war on the Ottomans and the Serbs remove the last Ottoman troops from their territory 1807: The janissaries revolt against the Ottoman sultan Selim III who is replaced by Mustafa IV 1808: The troops loyal to Selim III depose Mustafa IV and install Selim III's cousin and Mustafa IV's half-brother Mahmud II (son of Naksh-i-Dil Haseki, a cousin of Napoleon's wife Josephine) as Ottoman sultan 1810: There are 110,000 janissaris, up from 55,000 in 1800 1811: Ottoman governor Mehemet Ali destroys the Mamluk army and seizes control of Egypt, but the Egyptian rulers maintain power on Sudan 1812: the Russians defeat the Ottomans and annex Bessarabia (Moldovia) at the Peace of Bucharest but abandon Serbia to the Ottomans 1813: The plague kills 100,000 people in Istanbul 1814: Greek independence fighters found the secret society Philiki Etairia 1815: Second Serbian uprising against the Ottomans 1818: Mehmet Ali's son Ibrahim conquers Arabia from the Saudis on behalf of the Ottoman emperor 1814: The Greek secret society Philiki Etairia stages an insurrection against the Ottoman Empire, and thousands of Greeks are massacred in Istanbul 1822: Egyptian ruler Mehemet Ali conquers Sudan on behalf of the Ottoman empire 1822: The Ottomans massacre 25,000 people in the Greek island of Chios 1822: The Ottomans reconquer Albania from Ali Pasha and kill him 1823: Ottoman Empire and Iran sign a peace treaty defining their borders 1824: British poet Byron dies fighting for Greek independence 1826: The Ottomans grants autonomy to Serbia, and Moldavia and Wallachia to Russia at the Convention of Akkerman 1826: The Ottoman emperor Mahmud II massacres the janissaries, strips the ulema of political power and expels the sufis 1827: France, Britain and Russia help the Greek uprising against the Ottomans, the fleet of the Ottomans and of Mehemet Ali is sunk at Navarino by the British, and the expansion of Ali's Egyptian kingdom is halted 1828: The first steamship arrives at Istanbul, the Ottoman capital 1829: Russia defeats the Ottomans and helps Serbia and Greece become independent 1830: the Serbs declare the independent state of Serbia 1831: The first Ottoman newspaper is published 1831: The first Ottoman opera house is opened 1831: A first wave of Polish refugees settle in Istanbul 1832: Greece becomes an independent state but most Greeks still live outside it 1833: at the end of the independence war, Greece is granted independence from the Ottoman empire but France, Britain and Russia force it to accept 17-year old Otto I of Bavaria as its king 1833: Egyptian ruler Mehemet Ali conquers Syria from the Ottoman Empire 1833: The Ottomans and Russia sign a peace treaty at Hunkiar Iskelesi 1836: A bridge across the Golden Horn is inaugurated 1838: England and the Ottoman Empire sign a trade treaty that greatly expands Ottoman trade with the world and reduces state control of the economy Jun 1839: Ottoman forces are defeated by Mehmet Ali's Egyptians at the Battle of Nezib for control of Syria and five days later Ottoman emperor Mahmud II dies Jul 1839: Most of the Ottoman navy joins the navy of Egypt 1839: The port of Aden in Arabia is occupied by the British 1840: Britain and Austria force Egypt to surrender Syria to the Ottomans 1841: The Straits Convention (1841) among Russia, Britain, France, Austria, Prussia, Ottomans limits Russian access to the Mediterranean and leaves the Ottoman Empire dependent on British and French protection from Russia 1839: Mustafa Reshid is the main architect of the "Tanzimat" movement of Westernization reforms, which includes equality of Muslims, Christians and Jews 1845: Mustafa Reshid becomes grand vizier 1848: Thousands of refugees from Poland and Hungary settle in Istanbul, turning Christians into a majority of the city's population 1852: Babists try to assassinate the shah and are massacred throughout Iran, they move to Ottoman Palestine and found the Baha'i faith 1853: In the Crimean war Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire fight Russia (the first major war in which Christian countries side with a Muslim country) 1854: A British firm builds the first railway in Egypt, which is also the first railway in the Ottoman Empire as well as Africa and the Middle East 1854: The stock exchange opens in Istanbul 1856: Russia's Black Sea fleet is destroyed by the Ottomans, Britain and France the treaty of Paris gives the Ottomans a protectorate over Moldavia, Wallachia and Serbia 1856: Istanbul's population is 430 thousand 1858: Ottoman grand vizier Reshid dies 1860: The Ottoman Armenians are allowed to draw their own constitution 1861: Abdul Aziz ascends to the throne of the Ottoman Empire and inaugurates Western-style reforms 1861: The Ottomans grant a special status to Lebanon and a Christian governor 1862: Otto I is deposed by the Greeks and replaced by a son of the Danish king 1864: Greek bankers found the Societe Generale de l'Empire Ottoman in Istanbul 1865: A fire destroys a large Muslim area of Istanbul 1866: the Ottoman protectorates of Moldavia and Wallachia unite in the federation of Romania 1870: The university of Istanbul opens 1873: An international economic depression lowers the prices for Ottoman agricultural exports 1875: Bosnians rebel against the Ottomans Apr 1876: Ottoman troops massacre thousands of rioting Bulgarians at Batak May 1876: Armed religious students reinstall Midhat as grand vizier amid the first major strike of workers in Istanbul Jun 1876: Ottoman emperor Abdul Aziz commits suicide and is succeeded by his nephew Murad V, while Serbia declares war on the Ottomans to defend the Bulgarian rebels with help from Russian volunteers Aug 1876: The intoxicated Murad V is deposed and his brother Abdulhamid II becomes Ottoman emperor/sultan 1876: the Ottoman constitution is proclaimed but largely ignored by the sultan 1876: The "Cite de Pera" opens in Istanbul's district of Pera at the peak of Pera's Parisian fad Feb 1877: The sultan fires grand vizier Midhat Mar 1877: The Ottoman parliament convenes for the first time 1877: Russia enters the war on the side of Serbia against the Ottomans Mar 1878: The Peace Treaty of Santo Stefano creates an autonomous Christian principality of Bulgaria within the Ottoman Empire stretching from the Black Sea to Albania Jul 1878: Russia defeats the Ottomans, but is stopped by Britain to protect its route to India and to prevent uprisings by Indian Muslims, and the Congress of Berlin hands Cyprus to Britain and Bosnia to Austria, grants Montenegro, Serbia, and Romania independence and creates an autonomous Christian principality of Bulgaria within the Ottoman Empire 1879: Ahmed Orabi/Arabi founds the Egyptian Nationalist party and leads a revolt against the Ottomans and European interference in Egypt 1880: Yildiz Palace is completed and becomes the new residence of sultan Abdulhamid II 1885: the Ottoman provinces of Bulgaria unite and become de-facto independent 1885: Jews from central and eastern Europe emigrate to Ottoman Palestine 1885: Istanbul's population is 873 thousand, with the Christian and Jewish quarter of Galata having become much richer than any of the Muslim quarters 1887: Armenian marxists found the Hunchakian Party 1887: Ferdinand of Coburg becomes prince of Bulgaria 1889: Ottoman army and navy officers organize the Committee of Union and Progress (the "Young Turks") with branches in Paris and Macedonia (Salonica) Jul 1890: Armenian marxists of the Hunchakian Party stage riots in Istanbul and 20 of them are killed by the police 1893: A railway is inaugurated from the Bosphorus to Ankara Sep 1893: Socialist Armenians rise again in Istanbul causing a massacre of Armenians 1894: 100,000 Armenians are killed by Kurds following the orders of sultan Abdulhamid II Aug 1896: Armenian revolutionaries launched coordinated bomb attacks in Istanbul, the beginning of riots that cause the death of six thousand people in the following months 1897: Jews of Palestine led by Theodor Herzl at Basel (Switzerland) call for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine (first Zionist Congress) 1897: Greece attacks the Ottomans over Crete but is defeated (and most Greeks in Istanbul side with the Ottomans) 1898: the Ottoman protectorate grants autonomy to Crete 1905: A bomb by Armenian revolutionaries narrowly misses the Ottoman sultan Abdulhamid II Jul 1908: Ottoman sultan Abdulhamid II grants a parliamentary constitution and appoints Kamil as grand vizier but real power rests with the Young Turks led by Enver, Jemal and Talat Sep 1908: Bulgaria declares its independence from the Ottoman empire and Austria annexes the Ottoman provinces Bosnia and Herzegovina Sep 1908: The Ottomans inaugurate a railway from Damascus to Medina Oct 1908: Crete leaves the Ottoman Empire and unites with Greece Nov 1908: The first parliamentary elections are held in the Ottoman Empire Dec 1908: Women join in the celebration for the new parliament by showing their face in public for the first time 1909: Tel Aviv is founded as a Hebrew speaking Jewish city in Ottoman Palestine Apr 1909: The sultan proclaims shariia law to appease Muslim fundamentalists, Young Turks from Salonicca led by Mahmud Shevket march on Istanbul and depose Ottoman sultan Abdulhamid II who is succeeded by his brother Mehmed V while the Yildiz Palace is dismantled Oct 1911: Italy attacks the Ottoman province of Libya 1912: The Turkish Petroleum Company is formed by Germany, Holland and Britain to exploit the Ottoman oil fields of Mosul Oct 1912: Italy takes Libya and the Dodecanese islands from the Ottoman Empire Oct 1912: a Balkan League of Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece declares war on the Ottoman Empire Nov 1912: Albania declares its independence Aug 1913: The Peace of Bucharest drives the Ottomans almost entirely out of Europe, with Greece almost doubling in size Jan 1913: Enver leads a coup against the grand vizier Kamil and replaces him with Shevket Jun 1913: Grand vizier Shevket is murdered by terrorists, and de facto a triumvirate of Young Turks (minister of war Enver Bey, interior minister Talat Bey, Istanbul governor Jemal Pasha) rules the Ottoman empire Dec 1913: The Ottoman Empire hires a German general, Liman von Sanders, to reform its army Oct 1914: the Ottoman Empire enters World War I in an alliace with Germany and Austria against Russia, France and Britain 1914: Cyprus is annexed by Britain after four centuries of Ottoman rule Jun 1915: the Ottoman empire begins the massacre of Armenians that will kill 1.2 million Armenians 1915: the Ottoman empire massacres 500,000 Assyrians between 1915 and 1920 Jan 1916: Ottoman troops led by Mustafa Kemal defeat the British at Gallipoli/ Canakkale 1916: the Ottoman empire massacres 350,000 Greek Pontians and 480,000 Anatolian Greeks between 1916 and 1923 1916: Britain and France agree to partition the Middle East TM, ®, Copyright © 2005 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. 1917: Exodus of Jews from Egypt to British Palestine Mar 1917: Britain and France conquer Baghdad Dec 1917: Britain and France conquer Jerusalem Jul 1918: Reshad dies and his brother Mehmed VI becomes the new sultan and he blames the Young Turks for the defeat in the war Oct 1918: the Ottoman Empire is defeated in World War I, Britain takes control of Iraq and Transjordan from the Ottomans, and Yemen becomes independent from the Ottomans under Yahya, the imam of the Zaydis Nov 1918: Istanbul is occupied and divided by British, French and Italian troops 1919: France claims Syria and Lebanon from the Ottomans Mar 1919: The Greek patriarch of Istanbul severes all cooperation with the Ottomans May 1919: Greece attacks the Ottoman Empire to regain control of the old Byzantine territories, and Turkey retaliates by massacring tens of thousands of Greek and Armenian Christians in its territories Jun 1919: Kemal organizes in the village of Ankara armed resistance against the European occupation and the Greek aggression while feminist Halide Edib holds a pro-nationalist rally in Istanbul Jul 1919: British troops, Greek troops and the sultan's troops battle Keman's nationalists near Istanbul Apr 1920: Mustafa Kemal is elected president of Turkey and moves the capital from Istanbul (a megalopolis) to Ankara (a poor village of Anatolia) while the Greeks take Bursa and Edirne Aug 1920: The Treaty of Sevres grants independence to Armenia and calls for the establishment of an independent Kurdish state Nov 1920: The British evacuate the Crimea and 150 thousand Russian refugees flee to British-controlled Istanbul 1921: Kurds found the Azadi society for independence Sep 1922: Turkey wins the war against Greece, Kemal enters Greek-majority Izmir and 200 thousand Greeks flee to Greece Oct 1922: Kemal's general Refet enters Istanbul with minimal bloodshed, and an exodus begins that will involve 150 thousand Greeks of Istanbul by 1924 Nov 1922: Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI, accused by the nationalists of being a puppet of the British, leaves Istanbul and is succeeded by Abdulmecid whom Kemal appoints "caliph" 1923: Turkey and Greece agree to exchange population, with about one million Greeks leaving Turkey's Anatolia and half a million Turks leaving Greece Oct 1923: After five years the last European occupation troops leave Istanbul while Mustafa Kemal (later renamed Ataturk) abolishes the Ottoman empire and declares Turkey a republic with capital in Ankara Feb 1923: Turkey cedes Mosul to Iraq Mar 1924: Abdulmecid is deposed and the caliphate is abolished Apr 1924: Turkey adopts a new democratic constitution, although it is a de facto one-party regime, and bans the Ottoman family 1925: The Sunni preacher Shaikh Said starts a Kurdish rebellion but is executed 1925: Turkey bans Sufi orders 1925: Turkey bans the fez 1926: Halide Edib is accused of treason and goes into exile 1926: Turkey abandons the Islamic calendar and adopts the Gregorian calendar 1926: Turkey cedes Mosul to Iraq 1927: Turkey grants women the right to coeducation 1928: Turkey's constitution is amended to make Turkey a secular (not Islamic) state and Turkey bans the Islamic veil for women from public places 1929: Turkey abandons the Arabic script and adopts the Latin alphabet 1934: Turkey launches a five-year plan for industrialization 1934: Turkey signs a friendship pact with its former Balkan enemies (Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia) 1935: Turkey grants women the right to vote and to be elected, and 18 of them are elected to parliament 1935: Turkey moves the weekly day of rest from friday to sunday 1936: 50% of Turkey's exports go to Germany 1937: Turkey signs the Saadabad Pact with Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan Nov 1938: Kemal/Ataturk dies and is replaced by his former prime minister Ismet Inonu May 1939: Turkey and Britain sign an alliance treaty 1940: The population of Istanbul is 800 thousand, of which about 100 thousand are ethnic Greeks, and almost no Russians are left Jun 1941: Turkey signs a non-aggression pact with Hitler's Germany Feb 1942: The "Struma", a ship full of Jewish emigrants and denied entry in Turkey under British pressure, blows up killing all 769 passengers 1942: A tax is imposed on Greek, Armenian and Jewish firms in Turkey forcing many ancient merchant families to go out of business 1945: Turkey enters World War II on the side of Britain, the Soviet Union and the USA at the very last minute 1950: Turkey holds the first multi-party elections won by the Democratic Party that appoints Celal Bayar as president and Adnan Menderes as prime minister 1952: Turkey joins NATO, the only Muslim country to do so 1955: Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and Britain sign the Baghdad Pact that de facto asserts British influence in the Middle Eastagainst the Soviet Union Sep 1955: Turkish nationalists riot against the Greek minority of Istanbul 1959: Turkey's economy collapses under inflation and unemployment May 1960: Turkey's prime minister Adnan Menderes is overthrown and executed by the army, the Democratic Party is outlawed and general Cemal Gursel becomes the new president with economic reforms and an emphasis on education 1960: Cyprus becomes independent, a country with a 20% Turkish minority, with Greek Christian archbishop Makarios as president 1961: Former members of the Democratic Party found the Justice Party, led by the USA-educated Suleyman Demirel, while the generals pick Inonu as prime minister 1962: There are 13,000 Turkish immigrants in West Germany Oct 1965: The Justice Party of Suleyman Demirel wins parliamentary elections 1966: Gursel is replaced by general Cevdet Sunay as president of Turkey while the USA-educated Bulent Ecevit is elected leader of the Republican Party 1968: Turkey has 34 million people 1971: Student riots and terrorist attacks cause anarchy in Turkey 1973: Sunay is replaced by former admiral Fahri Koruturk as president of Turkey 1973: Turkey inaugurates the suspension bridge on the Bosphorus 1974: The military of Cyprus overthrow Makarios and Turkey invades half of Cyprus to protect the rights of the Turkish population from the Greek majority 1974: There are 800,000 Turkish immigrants in West Germany 1974: Turkey inaugurates the Keban Dam, a prelude to the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) 1974: the Kurdish Worker's Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan or PKK) is founded in Turkey to establish an independent Kurdish state in predominantly Kurdish southeast Turkey 1975: Strikes and inflation rock Turkey 1977: Ecevit of the Republican Party wins elections and becomes prime minister 1977: A pipeline connecting Iraqi oil fields and Turkish ports opens 1979: Demirel of the Justice Party wins elections and becomes prime minister 1979: There are 2.5 million Turkish immigrants in West Germany 1980: Abdullah Ocalan leads the PKK in an armed struggles against the Turkish government Sep 1980: As inflation reaches 100% and thousands of politicians are assassinated in what is de facto a civil war, the army seizes power in Turkey and arrests and tortures thousands of people 1980: Turkey launches the The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), a project of massive dams on the Tigris and Euphrates to generate electricity and irrigation 1981: Turkey has 45 million people Nov 1983: The Motherland Party of prime minister Turgut Ozal wins elections (in which 12 women are also elected to parliament) Nov 1983: Turkish Cyprus declares its independence but is recognized only by Turkey 1987: Turkey applies for membership in the European Union 1989: Turgut Ozal is elected president 1991: Demirel, now leader of the True Path party, becomes prime minister of Turkey for the seventh time 1993: OZal dies and is replaced by Demirel as president of Turkey with Tansu Ciller as prime minister (the first female prime minister of Turkey) 1995: Turkey liberalizes the political system to appease the European Union, and the Islamist fundamentalist Welfare Party wins elections and its leader Necmettin Erbakan becomes prime minister 1995: Turkey has 62 million people 1999: Abdullah Ocalan is captured by the Turkish government 2001: Turkey's economy contracts by 9.5% 2002: Turkey begins an economic recovery that will average 6% over the next 5 years, one of the highest in the world 2003: the Islamic-oriented "Justice and Development Party" (AK Party) wins elections in Turkey and Recep Tayyip Erdogan becomes the country's prime minister 2003: bombs in synagogues kill 25 people in Istanbul, Turkey 2003: bombs against western institutions kill 58 people in Istanbul, Turkey 2005: Kurdish rebels in Turkey call off the 1999 truce and begin an offensive against Turkish soldiers 2006: young Kurds riot in Turkey 2007: a bomb kills 6 people in Ankara, Turkey 2007: more than 200 Turkish soldiers are killed by Kurdish separatists of the PKK that use Iraq as a base 2007: Following the killing of a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader, Kurdish separatists kill scores of soldiers in Turkey at the border with Iraq july 2008: 15 people are killed by bombs of Kurdish separatists in Istanbul, Turkey Jan 2009: Turkey arrests two generals accused of plotting a coup 2009: Turkey's economy contracts by 4.7% 2010: Turkey's economy grows by 9% Jun 2010: Turkish soldiers and Kurdish militants die in attacks in Turkey Dec 2010: Turkey's stock market quadruples in value from its 2009 crisis low Jul 2011: Kurdish rebels kill 13 Turkish soldiers 2011: Turkey's economy grows 8.5%, one of the highest growth rates in the world Jul 2011: Turkey's top military leaders (military chief Isik Kosaner and the commanrds of army, navy and air force) resign en masse Aug 2011: Kurdish separatists kill nine Turkish soldiers and Turkey retaliates by bombing their bases inside Iraq killing at least eight civilians Oct 2011: Kurdish rebels kill 24 Turkish soldiers at the border with Iraq, Turkey invades Iraq killing hundreds of Kurds including PKK leader Cicek Botan, and a female suicide bomber in Kurdish Turkey kills three people Dec 2011: Turkish warplanes kill 35 people near the border with Iraq, mistaking them for Kurdish rebels Jan 2012: There are now 97 members of the news media in jail in Turkey, more than in mainland China, and about one million websites are blocked Mar 2012: Turkey kills 15 female militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Jun 2012: Turkey bombs Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq Aug 2012: At least 19 people are killed in south-east Turkey after Kurdish rebels launch an attack on a Turkish border post Sep 2012: Nine members of Turkey's security forces are killed in clashes with Kurdish rebels Jan 2013: Three female Kurdish activists of the separatist PKK group are shot dead in Paris Mar 2013: Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan calls for a ceasefire with Turkey May 2013: Car bombs kill 43 people in the Turkish town of Reyhanli near the Syrian border See also a timeline of the modern Middle East |
OttomansOsman Ghazi I (1300-1326) Orkhan Ghazi I (1326-1360) Ghazi Mourad I (1360-1389) Ghazi Yldirim Baiezid I (1389-1413) Ghazi Mehmet I (1413-1421) Mourad II (1421-1451) Ghazi Mehmet II (1440-1481) Baiezed II (1481-1512) Ghazi Selim I (1512-1520) Suleyman I (1520-1566) Ghazi Selim II (1566-1574) Mourad III (1574-1595) Ghazi Mehmet III (1595-1603) Ahmed I (1603-1617) Mustapha I (1617-1623) Osman II (1617-1622) Ghazi Mourad IV (1623-1640) Ibrahim I (1639-1648) Mehmet IV (1648-1693) Suleyman II (1687-1691) Ahmed II (1691-1695) Ghazi Mustapha II (1695-1704) Ahmed III (1703-1736) Mahmoud I (1730-1754) Osman II (1754-1757) Moustapha III (1757-1774) Abdulhamid I (1774-1789) Selim III (1789-1808) Moustapha IV (1807-1808) Mahmoud II (1808-1839) Abdul Majid (1839-1861) Abdul Asis (1861-1876) Mourad V (1876-1876) Abdulhamid II (1876- 1909) Mehmet V (1909 - 1923) Turkish presidents1923 - 1938 Mustafa Kemal Pascha "Ataturk" 1938 - 1950 Ismet Inonu 1950 - 1960 Celal Bayar 1960 - 1966 Cemal Gursel 1966 - 1973 Cevdet Sunay 1973 - 1980 Fahri Koruturk 1980 - 1989 Kenan Evren 1989 - 1993 Turgut Ozal 1993 - 2000 Suleyman Demirel Turkish prime ministers1999 - 2002 Bulent Ecevit 2003 - Recep Tayyip Erdogan |
| (Copyright © 1999 Piero Scaruffi) |