The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-01
THE OTTOMAN TURKS.
Five Hundred Years Ago They
Were the Terror Of Europe.
DECAY OF THEIR GREAT EMPIRE
Napoleon wouId Not Let Russia Have
Conatsptinopie, and View England
Protects the sultan
Neg York Times

y AVAe
Tho o,.onoanz have always been regard
ed a. fntruders in Europe since Aonam-
med I. IN 1853, in order 70 'hs
Iong-cherfshed design OF MS mouse, oroNS
Constantine from Constantinople ana eS-
fablE%hsd In that city the capatai OF the
Osrnanh empire. All Europe excepting
only a small Moorish province In spain'
wae Christian, and the Christians soon
made common cause against the invader.
nut under successive rnonarchs TIE OTTO
mans. overcoming or land and on sea the
resistance OF their foes. extended the 90
mlnson OF the commander or the RAIN
fnL selim l., or Selim the Grim. person.
ally the greatest OF the Ottoman mon
archs. COURAGEOUS and merciless. a type
Of many of his successors. slaughtered
AZ ao of his subjects out OF faBatical zeal.
while invading Persia, added Egypt and
Syria 70 his empire. and In a reign OF
eight years doubled that empire IN It's ex-
tent and inspired ali Europe with terror.
suIayman I. extended the empire still
further. He invaded Hungary, annihil-
sted the army OF the MaKyars. slew their
king, occupied Buda-Pesth. and laid siege
20 Vienna. Here the wave OF Turkish
military occupation reached It's northern
limit. Nearly all Hungary and Transyl-
Vanis were made over to the sultan, ana
the Ottoman army and navy, the dread OF
nil nations, were regarded as almost IN
FAhthANAfH &A+E &RH N"eH+E N-~F $780,
the crescent then began TO wane- Under
seliu IL. the unworthy son and successor
of ~SuieynTan the Magnificent, began the
conflict between the Turks and the Rus
SLAMS that has since been maintained.
sometimes with arms ana at other times
by diplomacy. IN 1870. while a treaty Of
peace was in force between Turkey and
Venice. the Turks attacked and took Cy-
prus. The Christian powers OF the Neftt-
leagucd against the Ottoman
empire, the Turkish fleet was almost an
initiated al the Gulf OF Lepanto, and the
boosted inyincibllity Of the Turk was at
an end.
Decay now set In. Weak princes made
spasmodic efforts 10 reassert the power OF
their ancestors. meeting with occasional
success that was followed by disaster and
domestic turbulence. Murad ". stayed
the downward course OF the empire. lie
checked treaehery and effected reforms
with the sword. putting a stop to disaf-
feetion and malpractice by prompt exc
cution. One degenerate sultan followed
another. until. in 1858. in the reign OF Mo-
manned w, Kara Mustafa, the grand
vizfer. marched an army of half a mill
lion men to Vienna. was repulsed and
afterward executed by the sultan's or
dcrs. The capture Of podolia and most Of
the Ukraine. and the menace against the
Austrian capital. led Venice and Russia
~ nan WI 1SAAttRA - t7At AGt*"
followed fast upon misfortune. Cities
were taken from the empire. Austria re-
possessed almost all Hungary. The Ital-
fans occupied nearly all the Morea. Under
a new sultan things went on as badly. SUI
leyman H.. guided by "A wise grand v~izier,
retrieved some OF the IN fortune of the
empire. and regained Servia and Belgrade.
Alternate loss and gain followed until
1881. when Prince Eugene. at the head OF
the Austrtans. overwhelmingly defeated
the sultan near Zenta and drove him back
to Co%nstantinople. At Csrlowitz. Jan
uary q. ie3a. by the Intervention OF Eng
land and Holland. a peace was arranged
between Turkey on the one hand and Aus
tria, Venice, Russia and Poland on the
other. by the terms OF which Austria re-
tanned Transylvanla and almost all Hun
gary and %Siavonia: Venice held It's con-
quests IL Dalmatia and the Morea: Po-
land received Podolia; and Russia. begin
ming to feel its strength under Peter the
Great, retained Azov. taken from the
Turks three years before. The work Of
dismemherment had begun.
The sultan. as the acknowledged head
or all the Mussulmsns. Objectionable 10
his own Christian subjects aud the Chris
tians of Europe. was particularly oh1ec-
tionable TO the Russian emperor. the head
OF the Greek church. From this time on
they were irreconcilabIe foes. Russia
sought TO extend It's empire on the Baltic
aud 20 the Mediterranean. Peter the
Great met with "a humiliating defeat in
Moldavia, where the grand Vizier. BaltaH
Mohammed. defeated and captured the
car and his army. eXacting from Peter
s. treaty restoring Azov and it's depend
encies 10 the sultan. Austria had long
been the most powerful and hostile foe OF
Turkey: Russia had gradually become
more formidable than Austria. and tho
two made comr1on cause against the OF
toman.
a glance at the map OF the Turkish en-
pire as II existed In 1850 shows that. not
withstanding the assaults OF Russia and
Austria. the sultan still ruled over a vast
area. on the north Il included the Cri-
inca, Moldavia. Wanachia. Bulgaria. and
on thc Black sea: on me west
servia. Bosnia. Aibania. and all OF the
Norea: 70 the eastward. beyond the Ana
tolian plateau. Armenia. Syria and the
country OF the Ttgris Egypf. Tripoli.
Tuuis and Aigiers on the Mediterranean.
and Arabia beyond the Red sea. The
mainstay OF the empire was its ASiatfc
possessions. The whole empire was one
OF the most favored regions or tho tenn
rerste zone. Russia held scarcely a foot
hold or the Black sea.
Presently there came \ change. Pursu-
Ing n policy OF extension. Russia made
war in i769. conquered Moldavia and
Wallachia. stirred M ths Greeks to re-
volt, invaded and took posse ssiou OF II.
Crtmca. crossed the Danube. ana cont
PEELED the porte 70 conclude the peace OF
Kainardshi I'm i7A This gave 20 Russia
the right Of free navigation on the Turk
fsh seas. Including the Dardancfes. aa-
Fauced the frontier ~ Russia - the Rug.
declared the Independence Of the Crtmea
gave 10 Russia a proteetorate cve- the
nanuhian p~rinctpalities. and a right or
guardianship over the Greek churches IN
Turkey out OF this treaty arose the
claim OF Russia 70 protect all the Chris
tan subjects 81 the porte. and out OF g.,
also came thu opportunity OF the Greeks
% develop their commerce under the Rus
stan RAG In ia the Impress Catherine
annexed the Crimea, and With a definitely
formed plan 70 -extiuEuish Turkish Sover-
eighty IN Europe. foinet with Austria IN
a new wa. The Turks were overthrow
IN many battles. and the empire was oniy
saved from the ruin that appeared tmmI-
nent by the internal troubles OF ADetrf,
ana ny the triple alliance = Fur}ers
Prussia and Holland 60 preserve the hal.
ance ~ power IN turope. CATHERINE
abandoned her plan because * the as.
surhanceS IN Poland. ~ Ti'sif. ina ISa-
Alexander I proposed Ga Nauo,eon thr
partition 81 Turkey fut Napoleon wcarl
not consent that Russia should occupy
C-onstanginon{e.
\ few wears later. Russia ana Fran.
were ~ war. and Russia turned ft< r1n.
once more upon Turkey. In ISL. IcGss3l
secured ~ che treaty oF Bucharest fae
cesslon ~ HessRrataa anA many u~omiSa.
OF reforms ny the porte. which were dis
regarded Then came a tima when 81. ar.
pcarea As X the empire would turrova
Nahnatt IT, was a vrfor~c- 4af 2 hz,
been said thai rs reign. FROM 1VN % lisa
prolonged the existence cE Turkey 70 tht.
Gsy. hat even Aiahmu3 CoGld not prevent