The status quo stemmed from a firman (decree) of Ottoman sultan Osman III in 1757 It is likely that this Decree was issued as a result of major disturbances that occurred in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1757. that preserved the division of ownership and responsibilities of various Christian holy places. Further firmans issued in 1852 and 1853 affirmed that no changes could be made without consensus from all six Christian communities; these firmans received international recognition in Article 9 of the Treaty of Paris (1856). The term "status quo" was first used in regards to the Holy Places in the Treaty of Berlin (1878). Controlled by the Roman Empire and then, following its division, by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, these eastern sites first became a point of contention in the centuries following 1054, when the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy separated. Since the sites had been administered by the eastern church hierarchy they remained Orthodox. Following the seizure of the Holy Land by knights from the West in the First Crusade some sites passed from the Orthodox church to the Catholic church in the 12th century, although local christians remained then (as now) predominantly Orthodox. With the defeat of the crusader states and the rise of the Ottoman Empire, control of the sites oscillated between the Catholic (Latin) and the Orthodox (Greek) churches, depending upon which could obtain a favorable firman  from the Ottoman "Sublime Porte" at a particular time, often through outright bribery. Violent clashes were not uncommon. There was no agreement about this question, although it was discussed at the negotiations to the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. In the Holy Week of 1757 there were important disturbancesBasilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 1757. in the Temple and, weary of the squabbling, the "Porte" issued a firman that divided the church among the claimants,  giving the lion's share to the Greek Orthodox church. In the years preceding the Crimean War  , Napoleon III of France pressured the Sultan to invalidate the 1757 status quo in favor of the Catholic church, leading in part to Nicholas I of Russia declaring war (Crimean War) in favor of the Orthodox church's rights. This resulted in 1852 and 1853 firmans (decrees) by Sultan Abdülmecid I which received international recognition in Article 9 of the Treaty of Paris (1856) leaving the status quo intact. The existing territorial division was solidified amongst the communities, the treaty stating that "The actual status quo will be maintained and the Jerusalem shrines, whether owned in common or exclusively by the Greek, Latin, and Armenian communities, will all remain forever in their present state." Despite this declaration, there are no unanimous terms defining the status quo, sometimes causing contradictory differences of opinion.
The status quo stemmed from a firman (decree) of Ottoman sultan Osman III in 1757 that preserved the division of ownership and responsibilities of various Christian holy places. Further firmans issued in 1852 and 1853 affirmed that no changes could be made without consensus from all six Christian communities; these firmans received international recognition in Article 9 of the Treaty of Paris (1856). The term "status quo" was first used in regards to the Holy Places in the Treaty of Berlin (1878). Controlled by the Roman Empire and then, following its division, by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, these eastern sites first became a point of contention in the centuries following 1054, when the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy separated. Since the sites had been administered by the eastern church hierarchy they remained Orthodox. Following the seizure of the Holy Land by knights from the West in the First Crusade some sites passed from the Orthodox church to the Catholic church in the 12th century, although local christians remained then (as now) predominantly Orthodox. With the defeat of the crusader states and the rise of the Ottoman Empire, control of the sites oscillated between the Catholic (Latin) and the Orthodox (Greek) churches, depending upon which could obtain a favorable firman (decree) from the Ottoman "Sublime Porte" at a particular time, often through outright bribery. Violent clashes were not uncommon. There was no agreement about this question, although it was discussed at the negotiations to the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. During the Holy Week of 1757 , Orthodox Christians reportedly took over some of the Franciscan-controlled church, possibly leading Sultan Osman III to write a 1757 decree dividing the church among the claimants, Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 1757 (in Spanish). giving the lion's share to the Greek Orthodox church. In the years preceding the Crimean War (1853–1856) , Napoleon III of France pressured the sultan to invalidate the 1757 status quo in favor of the Catholic church, leading in part to Nicholas I of Russia declaring war in favor of the Orthodox church's rights. This resulted in 1852 and 1853 firmans by Sultan Abdülmecid I which received international recognition in Article 9 of the Treaty of Paris (1856) leaving the status quo intact. The existing territorial division was solidified amongst the communities, the treaty stating that "The actual status quo will be maintained and the Jerusalem shrines, whether owned in common or exclusively by the Greek, Latin, and Armenian communities, will all remain forever in their present state." Despite this declaration, there are no unanimous terms defining the status quo, sometimes causing contradictory differences of opinion.
D
It is likely that this Decree was issued as a result of major disturbances that occurred in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1757.
A
(decree)
R
In
During
R
there were important disturbancesBasilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 1757. in the Temple and, weary of the squabbling,
, Orthodox Christians reportedly took over some of the Franciscan-controlled church, possibly leading Sultan Osman III to write a 1757 decree dividing
D
"Porte" issued a firman that divided the
A
Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 1757 (in Spanish).
A
(1853–1856)
R
Sultan
sultan
D
(Crimean War)
D
(decrees)