This chronology of the Turkish War of Independence (also known as Turkish war of liberation) is a timeline of events during the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923). The timeline also includes the background events starting with the end of the First World War. The events are classified according to the campaigns and parties involved. Pictures are included for the significant events.
Signing of the Armistice of Mudros, i) opening up the Straits, ii) guaranteeing access to the Black Sea, iii) providing for Allied occupation of the fortresses along the Dardanelles and Bosphorus, iv) foreseeing immediate demobilisation of Turkish troops, except where necessary to preserve order, v) placing Allies in control of all the railroads, vi) Article VII: giving the Allies "the right to occupy any strategic points in the event of any situation arising which threatens the security of the Allies".
A French brigade enters Istanbul to begin the Allied occupation of the city and its immediate dependencies (the two opposite peninsulas). A fleet consisting of British, French, Italian and Greek ships embarks additional troops the next day.
First Kars Congress organized by representatives of the Turkish-Muslim majority population in Kars region te define actions to be taken in view of the retreat of Ottoman forces.
15 Nov 1918
Ottoman troops withdraw from Baku, which will be occupied by British troops in the following days, and also evacuate Musul occupied by the British after the armistice.
The first "Association for Defence of National Rights (Müdafaa-i Hukuk Cemiyeti)" -of Muslim subjects of the Ottoman Empire in view of the peace treaty to come- is founded in İzmir, to be followed by similar associations for Thrace and the Eastern Provinces in the following days.
French navy embarks troops in Mersin which will occupy the important port city.
19 Dec 1918
French troops occupy Tarsus and Ceyhan and face the first exchanges of fire in Dörtyol in one of the opening acts of what will later be termed the Franco-Turkish War.
20 Dec 1918
French troops occupy Adana, Çukurova's largest city with central importance for southern Turkey.
"Adana Association for Defense of National Rights" is founded.
1918, 23 Dec
French troops occupy Osmaniye and Islahiye in a move that will extend till Pozantı in Gülek Pass (Cilicia Gates) on 27 December, thus acquiring control over Çukurova. In the same days, British troops occupy Batum.
30 Dec 1918
Following a visit to Paris in November to present Greece's territorial claims to the Peace Conference to be opened, Venizelos reasserts these claims in a memorandum addressed to the British Premier, Lloyd George and covering all of Western Anatolia, from opposite Rhodes (or Castellorizo) to the Sea of Marmara.
British troops based in Syria occupy Maraş. The British occupation forces will be replaced by French occupation forces towards the end of the year.
8 Feb 1919
French general Franchet d'Esperey ("desperate Frankey" as nicknamed among the British), commander-in-chief of allied occupation forces in Turkey arrives to Istanbul.
12 Feb 1919
"Association for Defense of National Rights (Müdafaa-i Hukuk Cemiyeti)" is founded in Trabzon, to be followed a parallel association in Samsun and these two associations come together in a congress organized in Trabzon on 23 February.
A number of Pontic Greek notables gather in Trabzon in parallel to the movements among the Turkish populations and take the decision to work towards the establishment of a Pontian Greek Republic in the vilayet of Trabzon. The first issue of the newspaper Pontos, a step in that direction, is published in Trabzon on 4 March. Chrysanthos of Trebizonde, the Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox populations of the region, goes to Paris on 27 March and presents a report to the Conference on 2 May.
Damat Ferid Pasha is appointed as grand vizier and forms his first government.
4 Mar 1919
The representatives of Britain, the US, France and Italy open the discussions at the Paris Peace Conference on the envisaged mandates for Syria, Cilicia and Armenia.
13 Mar 1919
Kazım Karabekir Pasha is assigned to the command of the XV Corps based in Erzurum.
Known to be inclined to armed resistance to any occupation attempt and in view of the projected landing of Greek troops, Nureddin Pasha is relieved from his posts as interim governor of İzmir and from the command of XVII Corps based in that city.
24 Mar 1919
British troops based in Syria occupy Urfa. The British occupation forces will be replaced by French occupation forces towards the end of the year.
The Italian delegation, angry about the possibility of the Greek occupation of Western Anatolia, leaves Paris Peace Conference does not return to Paris until 5 May. Although Italy sends a warship to İzmir on 30 April as a show of force to prevent Greek occupation, the absence of the Italian delegation from the Conference ends up by facilitating Lloyd George's efforts to persuade France and the United States in Greece's favour.
29 Apr 1919
A large[citation needed] Italian force occupies Antalya, the region around which will remain comparatively calm throughout the war.
30 Apr 1919
Mustafa Kemal Pasha was appointed the Inspector of the Ninth Army Troops.
6 May 1919
Largely as a result of British diplomacy, Paris Peace Conference authorizes Greek forces to land on Turkish territory.
8 May 1919
Greek troops based in Thessaloniki are ordered to sail toward İzmir in view of occupation.
11 May 1919
Small Italian contingents occupy (rather symbolically, since the Ottoman administration is allowed to function intact) Fethiye, Bodrum and Marmaris and the surrounding regions.
12 May 1919
Admiral Arthur Calthorpe, signatory to the Armistice of Mudros on behalf of Britain, arrives in İzmir, in his title of British High Commissioner, to supervise the imminent Greek occupation of the city.
15 May 1919
Greek forces land in İzmir and Greece launches its occupation of Western Anatolia. For the city's Turkish population, the day is marked by the "first bullet" fired by Hasan Tahsin at the standard bearer at the head of the troops, the murder by bayonet coups of Colonel Fethi Bey for refusing to shout "Zito Venizelos" and the killing and wounding of unarmed Turkish soldiers in the city's principal casern, as well as of 300-400 civilians.
16 May 1919
Mustafa Kemal Pasha departs from Istanbul on board the ship Bandırma heading for Samsun where he was appointed as Inspector of the Ninth Army Troops.
Greek troops occupy Menemen and Torbalı, towards the north and the southeast at proximity of İzmir.
23 May 1919
In line with a wave of demonstrations around Turkey to protest against Greece's occupation of İzmir, the largest of these public meetings is held in Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul.
23 May 1919
Greek troops occupy Selçuk to the south, Bayındır to the east and Foça to the north of İzmir.
23 May 1919
Aristidis Stergiadis, the Greek High Commissioner for Ionia, who had arrived in İzmir on 21 May, authorises orders for the occupation of Aydın, Manisa and Turgutlu.
Greek troops occupy Aydın. Although Menderes (Meander) valley was not, strictly speaking, mandated for an occupation by Greek troops, Italian Navy's movements off the coast of Kuşadası orient the Greek high command towards becoming the first power to establish an influence in this region. A feel-pulse nature prevails during these first Greek advances.
29 May 1919
Greek troops occupy Kasaba (Turgutlu), Tire and Ayvalık where the Turkish side fires the "first bullets" by regular troops. Forces under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel (later minister) Ali Çetinkaya check their enemy before retreating.
1 Jun 1919
Greek troops occupy Ödemiş after a six-hour exchange of fire in the Circassian village of Hacıilyas, ten kilometers west of Ödemiş, which prides itself for being the spot where the "first bullets" by irregular forces, soon to form into militias, were fired. The village, burned in whole by the Greek army after the fighting is named İlkkurşun since ("first bullet" in Turkish).
3 Jun 1919
Greek troops occupy Nazilli, that they evacuate on 19 June following a number of raids on Greek positions by Turkish irregulars and subsequent Greek reprisals.
5 Jun 1919
A small Greek expeditionary force acting beyond orders occupies the inland city of Akhisar, clearly outside the mandated region, leading to public protests and a telegramme from the regional Turkish army command stationed in Balıkesir to the Allied representatives. The commander Yusuf Izzet Pasha also puts his troops in movement against the overspreading Greeks.
Called back by the High Commissioner Stergiadis, Greek troops evacuate Akhisar, and the commanding officer will be imprisoned for twenty days for undisciplinary action.
Menemen massacre following the killing of the prefect Kemal Bey and the six Turkish gendarmes accompanying him the day before. Different sources cite 200 to 1000 Turkish deaths in this single day, with the exact figure re-confirmed as being closer to the latter estimate, with no wounded among either the Greek troops or the Greek minority of Menemen.
19 Jun 1919
Greek troops evacuate Nazilli in the south, while they take back Bergama in the north.
The fight around Aydın. The Greek troops carrying out reconnaissance patrols around Aydın and burning villages, are repulsed by irregular forces under Yörük Ali, in an ambush at Malgaç train station and the efe pursue the Greek troops till the outskirts of the city.
28 Jun 1919
In Balıkesir, the first of five congresses to be held in that city unites in a large forum the representatives of the Turkish revolutionaries of western Turkey to define the actions to be taken against the occupation. A larger meeting is decided to be organized in Alaşehir.
29 Jun 1919
Battle of Aydın. Fires break out in one of the Turkish quarters of the city (Cuma quarter) and a massacre of civilians ensues, machine-gunned for no reason by the Greek troops. The Greek troops evacuate the city which will be controlled for four days by the efe under the leadership of Yörük Ali. The Greek quarter is burned in its turn and some among the Aydın Greek minority were killed or robbed during these four days while others survived thanks to the protection of Colonel Şefik Bey. Efe retreat back to the mountains after reportedly several thousands of casualties for each side.
4 Jul 1919
Reinforced Greek forces take back control of Aydın, burning another Turkish quarter in reprisal.
15 Jul 1919
Grand vizier ad interim and Sheikh ul-IslamÜrgüplü Mustafa Sabri Efendi sends a telegram to Paris Peace Conference formally accusing the Greeks to have committed atrocities in İzmir and its surroundings and requesting the Conference to send a commission of inquiry to the region, since "The Council was not without responsibility, seeing that it had sent the Greeks to İzmir."
21 Jul 1919
Erzurum Congress uniting representatives from Turkey's Eastern Anatolia provinces in Erzurum under the chairmanship of Mustafa Kemal and Kazım Karabekir. The Congress lasts till 7 August 1919.
16 Aug 1919
A large-scale eight-day congress of Turkish revolutionaries of western Turkey is held in Alaşehir which defines further actions to be taken against the occupation and elects the representatives to be sent to Sivas for the national congress in preparation.
4 Sep 1919
Sivas Congress unites representatives from all over Turkey in Sivas. The congress lasts 8 days and calls for national unity. Concurrent to the congress, Ali Galip Incident in Malatya poses a momentary threat for the national cause and the danger will be avoided thanks to prompt arrival of forces from Diyarbakır.
30 Sep 1919
Damat Ferid Pasha is removed from office by the sultan Mehmed VI Vahideddin, putting an end to his first period of vizierate.
6 Sep 1919
A new Ottoman government is formed under the new grand vizier Ali Rıza Pasha.
22 Oct 1919
Amasya Protocol between the Delegation of Representatives (Heyet-i Temsiliye) assigned by Sivas Congress and headed by Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the Minister of Marine (later grand vizier himself) Hulusi Salih Pasha, representing the short-lived Ottoman government of Ali Rıza Pasha, in an effort to seek ways for preserving independence through joint efforts.
29 Oct 1919
French troops occupy Maraş and replace the British troops stationed in the city, despite manifest opposition to the replacement by the city's inhabitants.
30 Oct 1919
French troops occupy Urfa and replace the British troops stationed in the city triggering almost immediate resistance and starting the Battle of Urfa.
French troops tentatively occupy Mardin for one day and retreat from the city towards the evening of the same day, faced with prospects of a potentially bitter resistance by the population to a full occupation attempt.
Mehmet Kamil Incident shakes the city of Antep and the Battle of Antep starts with ambushes on French forces along the roads Antep-Maraş and Antep-Kilis hindering French troop movements. The battle will last a year and take place simultaneously between opposite forces holding different quarters in the city or those stationed along the roads, where additional French troops will try to force their way into the city.
The Ottoman Parliament, gathered in a secret session, ratifies the decisions adopted in Erzurum Congress and Sivas Congress and the publishes the Misak-ı Millî (National Oath) document constituting the basis of principle of Turkey's frontiers.
12 Feb 1920
French occupation troops are forced to evacuate Maraş faced to the resistance and assaults of the Turkish Revolutionaries.
The new Ottoman government is formed under grand vizier Hulusi Salih Pasha.
16 Mar 1920
Officialization of the Occupation of Constantinople. The premises of the Ottoman Parliament is raided by the Allied forces, as well as other key locations across Istanbul in a large-scale military operation. A number of deputies and other key personalities are arrested the same day or in the following days, and sent to exile in Malta (Malta exiles).
18 Mar 1920
Last session of the last Ottoman Parliament, with the arrested deputies missing, a black cloth covering the pulpit in a gesture to remind of their forced absence. Many of the remaining members soon leave for Ankara to constitute the core of the new assembly.
19 Mar 1920
Declaration by Mustafa Kemal Pasha in view of convening a national assembly with extraordinary powers in Ankara, stressing the need to undertake elections at the latest within fifteen days to constitute the members of the new assembly, with members of the dispersed Ottoman Parliament free to join.
The sultan Mehmed VI Vahideddin, under pressure from the Allies, closes the Ottoman Parliament officially, and Damat Ferid Pasha, deeply hostile to the Turkish revolutionaries, is appointed once again grand vizier.
10 Apr 1920
Sheikh ul-Islam Dürrizade Abdullah edicts a fatwa which qualifies the Turkish Revolutionaries as infidels, calling for the death of its leaders.
10 Apr 1920
A counter fatwa prepared by the mufti of Ankara, Rifat Börekçi, and signed by hundreds of clergy members across Anatolia declares the sheik ul-Islam's edict as null and void.
11 Apr 1920
French occupation troops are forced to evacuate Urfa faced to the resistance and assaults of the Turkish Revolutionaries.
13 Apr 1920
An uprising against Turkish Revolutionaries is sparked in Düzce on 13 April, as a direct consequence of the sheik ul-Islam's fatwa.
18 Apr 1920
The revolt in Düzce, in opposition to the constitution of a new government in Ankara, extends to Bolu, and on 20 April, to Gerede. The movement englobed an important part of northwestern Anatolia for about a month and is generally termed the Caliphate Army (Hilafet Ordusu or Kuva-yi İnzibatiye) revolt (for Ankara) or movement (for the Ottoman government). The Ottoman government had accorded semi-official status to the Caliphate Army for a brief period and Ahmet Anzavur held an important role in the uprising.
23 Apr 1920
The Turkish Grand National Assembly, established on the basis of national sovereignty, holds the opening session of its first term and elects Mustafa Kemal Pasha as president of the assembly. Some 100 members of the dissolved Ottoman Parliament, including its president Celalettin Arif, had been able to escape the Allied roundup and joined the 190 deputies elected around the country.
26 Apr 1920
Starting 19 April, San Remo conference determines the allocation of mandates for administration to be imposed on the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East by the victorious powers.
A Turkish delegation which had already departed for Moscow on 11 May approaches the destination.
30 April 1920
The Caliphate Army revolt/movement, after having taken control of Safranbolu on 25 April, reaches the limit of its extension by the adhesion of the town of Çerkeş to the movement, directly to the north of Ankara. For a time, the new-born Ankara government's fortunes seem in their thinnest.
French occupation troops are forced to evacuate Kozan faced to the resistance and assaults of the Turkish Revolutionaries.
4 Jun 1920
French occupation troops are forced to evacuate the entire region of Urfa, east of Euphrates.
8 Jun 1920
The French retire their troops from Karadeniz Ereğli where they were embarked since a year depart, but pursue their occupation on Zonguldak, where they concentrate by occupying the city as a whole and officially on 18 June.
Greek army launches a wide offensive across western Anatolia, from the southern shores of the Sea of Marmara to the Menderes River valley, plausibly timed in order to apply pressure on the Ottoman government for the signature of the treaty drafted by the Allies.
Abolition of the Caliphate Army by the Ottoman government after the successive defeats this movement suffered faced to regular troops loyal to Ankara government.
Immediately after his arrival in Ankara, Colonel Behiç Erkin, who had already distinguished himself as a railroads manager during World War I, takes over with full powers the management of Anatolian Railways ("Anadolu Şimendiferleri"), section under Ankara's control of the Ottoman railways consisting of a single line along Ankara-Polatlı-Eskişehir-Bilecik-Kütahya-Çay-Akşehir. (see History of rail transport in Turkey)
8 Jul 1920
Greek troops occupy Bursa, a former Ottoman capital of central importance for the region along the southern shores of the Sea of Marmara.
In Athens, Prime Minister Venizelos, architect of Greece's advance into Anatolia, loses the elections, to be replaced by a series of cabinets of lesser stature, and also paving the way for more royal involvement into politics.
First Battle of İnönü between Turkish and Greek forces. The battle lasts three days and ends with a victory for the Turkish troops under İsmet Pasha's command (later İsmet İnönü in reference to the two battles).
25 Jan 1921
Allies gather in Paris and decide to convene Greek and Turkish (both Ottoman and Ankara governments) representatives to a conference in London to discuss possible modifications of clauses of the Treaty of Sèvres.
9 Feb 1921
Antep's Turkish forces surrender to French forces after 384 days of fighting. The same day, the Turkish Grand National Assembly will rename the city Gaziantep.
21 Feb 1921
The conference on a revisal of the Treaty of Sèvres opens in London. It will last until 12 March. The Ottoman grand vizier Ahmed Tevfik Pasha leaves the right to speak to the representatives from Ankara. The proposals of the conference will not be accepted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
2 Mar 1921
Agreement between France and the nationalists after the Alemdar (ship) event. Although a minor agreement first between the nationalists and an important Allied power.
7 Mar 1921
French occupation troops are forced to evacuate Kadirli faced to the resistance and assaults of the Turkish Revolutionaries.
7 Mar 1921
In the south, French occupation troops are forced to evacuate Feke faced to the resistance and assaults of the Turkish Revolutionaries.
7 Mar 1921
In the south, French occupation troops are forced to evacuate Düziçi and Bahçe faced to the resistance and assaults of the Turkish revolutionaries.
9 Mar 1921
Signature of the Cilicia Peace Treaty in London between the Turkish (Ankara government) foreign minister Bekir Sami Kunduh and the French Prime Minister Aristide Briand. The French agree to evacuate Cilicia and announce their decision in the region, starting a mass movement of the Armenian minority, this time outwards. The treaty will be replaced by the Accord of Ankara, adopting the same principles but differing on technicalities.
16 Mar 1921
Signature of the Treaty of Moscow, a friendship agreement between Soviet Union and Turkey, as represented by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
26 Mar 1921
Second Battle of İnönü between Turkish and Greek forces. The battle lasts five days and ends with a victory for the Turkish troops under İsmet Pasha's command (later İsmet İnönü in reference to the two battles).
1 Apr 1921
French occupation troops are forced to evacuate Karaisalı faced to the resistance and assaults of the Turkish Revolutionaries.
9 Jun 1921
Former minister of France, Henry Franklin-Bouillon, arrives in Ankara, in quality of unofficial but direct representative of the French Prime Minister Aristide Briand, to discuss on possible issues from the stalemate of the Franco-Turkish War.
21 Jun 1921
In İnebolu, battleship Kilkis and destroyer Panthir of the Hellenic Navy bomb the port and the warehouses. Shelling will be repeated, less intensely, on 30 August. Mustafa Kemal Pasha's words, "My eyes are on the Sakarya and my ears in İnebolu!", summarize İnebolu's importance for the Turkish war effort, as center for the forwarding of arms and supplies into inner Anatolia. İnebolu will become one of the two cities in Turkey to receive the Turkish Medal of Independence after the war (the other city is Kahramanmaraş).
21 Jun 1921
the French troops depart from Zonguldak for good, and the foreign occupation or control of the coal mining region of the western Black Sea coasts of Turkey comes to an end, to the relief of Ankara.
10 July 1921
Battle of Kütahya–Eskişehir between Turkish and Greek forces. The battle lasts till 24 July and ends with a Greek victory.
Signature of Accord of Ankara between France and Turkey, as represented by the Turkish Grand National Assembly, putting an end to the Franco-Turkish War and preparing the ground for the evacuation of French troops from the southern front.
Battle of Dumlupınar between Turkish and Greek forces. The next day, Turkish troops re-capture Afyonkarahisar while in the north, İznik is captured for the second time and definitely. The battle lasts till 30 August ends with a Turkish victory. A rapid retreat and evacuation by the Greek army across the Western Anatolian inland begins, while the Turkish armies spring forward in a blitz.
Turkish troops re-assume control of the city of Çanakkale and its depending towns after almost four years, and following several days of tension of international scale, known as Chanak Crisis.
Opening of İzmir Economic Congress, which will last till 4 March, as a forum to determine the principles of economic policy to be conducted by the new state.
Report of the Inter-Allied Commission of Inquiry (May-September 1919) by the Members of the Commission; Adm. Bristol, the US Delegate - Gen. Hare, the British Delegate - Gen. Bunoust, the French Delegate - Gen. Dall'Olio, the Italian Delegate. The statements in defense of the Greek government presented by Col. Mazarakis. (in English)