Hakkâri Sancağında Nasturi Sorununun Başlaması ve Birinci Dünya Savaşı’nda Nasturi Olayları
The Beginning of the Nestorian Issue in Hakkari Sanjak and the Nestorian Events in the First World War

Summary/Abstract: The Nestorians living in the Hakkari Sanjak of the Empire started to create problems within the weakening Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century with the encouragement of the Western missionaries. The Nestorians began ignoring the authority of the Empire because of the promises of independence made by England and Russia. Nestorians continued to maintain their relations with western powers on the eve of World War I. They wanted to go under Russian protection, it was particularly the case after the operations carried out by the Russians in the South Caucasus. On the other hand, the Ottoman Empire took some measures including tax exemptions in order to increase the loyalty of the Nestorians to the state and decrease the influence of the western power over them. Furthermore, the Nestorians were promised with arms supplies by the state so that they would not engage in activities against the state. However, the efforts of the Ottoman Empire did not produce any results. Mor Şemun, the leader of the Nestorians, allied with the Russians and decided to support the Allies in World War I. Following that decision, the Ottoman Empire deployed soldiers including the ones from the Kurdish tribes to the region. Ultimately, the Nestorians were defeated by the Ottoman forces and migrated to Iran. This study, in the light of archival sources, aims to investigate the Nestorian revolts that became a significant problem in the Hakkari Sanjak as they joined World War I on the side of the Allies.

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