Ottoman Sultanate: Difference between revisions

In 1910, the new sultan, Bejazid IV, rose to power after the death of his powerpredecessor. Bejazid, while claiming to have a centrist stance like his predecessor, was heavily sympathetic to the Orkhonists. Soon enough, a political alliance between the Orkhonists and Bejazid IV formed, making them more popular among the public. The Orkhonists were able to capture the majority in the Grand Congress. The Orkhonist party, led by Hamza Ishakoghlu (later adopting the surname ''Kojundschu,'' by Surname Edict of 1912), enacted multiple laws to realize their ambitions. Among them is the ''Turkish Settlement and Nationality Law'', which aimed to create an Ottoman national identity by using Islam as a unifying force, and by resettling Turkish-speaking families to far-flung regions where they only make a minority, and vice-versa. The use of the common Turkish language was also promoted, instead of Ottoman Turkish, which had a lot of Arabic and Persian influences. Through these steps, Kojundschu hoped to meld all the groups in the empire into one people: the Ottoman nationality. Throughout the early 19th century, areas around Jazira, Macedonia, and coastal Levantine cities would shift towards a more Turkish identity.