Armistice of Mudros facts for kids

HMS Agamemnon visited Mudros in 1915 during the Dardanelles campaign.

The Armistice of Mudros (Turkish: Mondros Mütarekesi) was a special agreement that stopped the fighting in World War I between the Ottoman Empire and the Allied Powers. It was signed on October 30, 1918, and became active the very next day. This important agreement took place on a British warship, HMS Agamemnon, in the harbor of Moudros, on the Greek island of Lemnos.

The agreement was signed by Rauf Bey, who was the Ottoman Minister of Marine Affairs, and British Admiral Somerset Arthur Gough-Calthorpe.

Under the terms of the Armistice, the Ottoman Empire had to:

• Give up their remaining military bases outside their main area, Anatolia.
• Let the Allies take control of the forts that guarded the important waterways of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus.
• Allow the Allies to occupy any Ottoman land if there was trouble that threatened Allied safety.
• Send home most of their soldiers, including the Ottoman Air Force.
• Make all their ports, railways, and other key locations available for the Allies to use.
• In the Caucasus region, pull their armies back to the borders they had before the war with Russia.

After this armistice, the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul) was taken over by the Allies. Later, the Ottoman Empire was divided up. The Treaty of Sèvres in 1920 tried to set very strict rules for the Ottoman Empire. However, the Ottoman Parliament did not agree to it.

Because of this, the Turkish War of Independence started in 1919 and lasted until 1923. A new government was formed in Ankara by Mustafa Kemal Pasha. The Armistice of Mudros was eventually replaced by the Treaty of Lausanne, signed in 1923, after Turkey won its War of Independence.

Why the Armistice Happened

The Ottoman Empire in World War I

In 1918, things were not going well for the Ottoman Empire in World War I. At first, they had some success in the Caucasus Campaign after the Russian army left the war. Ottoman armies even pushed into areas that used to be controlled by Russia. They hoped to gain new land and influence.

However, this caused problems with their ally, Germany. Germany wanted to buy oil from Russia, but the Ottomans wanted to control the oil-rich areas themselves.

Challenges on Other Fronts

While the Ottomans were fighting in the Caucasus, they were losing ground in Syria. British forces steadily pushed them back. The city of Damascus fell to the British in October 1918.

The biggest problem came from the Macedonian front in Southeast Europe. This area had been quiet for a while. But in September 1918, the Allied forces launched a surprise attack. The Bulgarian army was defeated, and Bulgaria had to sign an armistice.

Ottoman Leaders Seek Peace

This defeat in Bulgaria was a huge blow for the Ottomans and their German allies. Germany now had fewer troops to help defend against new threats. The Ottomans suddenly faced the risk of Constantinople being attacked by land, without help from Bulgaria.

The Grand Vizier, Talaat Pasha, visited Germany and Bulgaria in September 1918. He realized that the war could not be won. He believed that if Germany sought peace, the Ottomans would have to do the same. Talaat convinced other leaders to resign, hoping the Allies would offer better terms if new people were in charge.

He even tried to surrender to the United States, hoping to get better terms based on President Wilson's "Fourteen Points." But the U.S. never replied. On October 13, Talaat and his government stepped down. Ahmed Izzet Pasha became the new Grand Vizier. Just two days later, he sent a captured British general to the Allies to ask for a ceasefire.

How the Negotiations Happened

Britain Takes the Lead

When the British government heard about the Ottoman offer, they were very eager to make a deal. They believed that because they were approached first, Britain should handle the talks alone. Some thought this was to prevent France from making harsh demands or to secure land for Britain.

The British government chose Admiral Calthorpe to lead the talks. They specifically told him not to include the French. They also wanted an armistice (a ceasefire) rather than a full peace treaty. A full treaty would take too long because all Allied nations would need to agree.

Meeting on HMS Agamemnon

The negotiations started on October 27, 1918, on HMS Agamemnon, a British warship. The French Vice-Admiral, Jean Amet, wanted to join, but the British refused. The Ottoman group, led by Rauf Bey, said it was fine because they were only authorized to talk with the British.

Both sides were actually very keen to sign an agreement and willing to give up some goals to do so. The British had a list of 24 demands. But they were told they could give in on most of them. The only things they absolutely needed were control of the forts on the Dardanelles and free passage through the Bosphorus. This was important for access to the Black Sea.

A Quick Agreement

The Ottoman leaders believed they had lost the war and would accept almost any demands. Because of this, the first draft of the agreement, made by the British, was accepted almost exactly as it was. The Ottomans didn't realize they could have argued against many of the points. The British didn't know they could have asked for even more.

The terms were very favorable to Britain and almost like a complete surrender. The Ottoman Empire agreed to let the Allies occupy any Ottoman land if there was "disorder." This was a very broad and unclear rule.

Reactions to the Armistice

The French government was not happy that Britain made such an important decision alone. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George argued that France had done something similar with Bulgaria. He also pointed out that Britain had sent most of the troops to fight the Ottoman Empire. In the end, the French agreed to accept the deal.

However, the Ottoman public was given a misleading idea of how strict the terms of the Armistice were. They thought the terms were much easier than they actually were. This caused problems later during the Turkish War of Independence, when people felt the Allies had broken the agreement.

What Happened Next

The Armistice of Mudros officially ended the fighting between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire. However, soon after, Italian and Greek forces moved into Anatolia. They said they were "restoring order," but it looked like they wanted to divide the country.

The Treaty of Sèvres in 1920 officially divided the Ottoman Empire into different areas of control. But Turkish nationalist forces, based in Ankara, rejected this treaty. They fought the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923) and eventually took control of the Anatolian Peninsula.

The Ottoman lands in Syria, Palestine, and Arabia remained divided as planned by the Treaty of Sèvres. But the borders of the new Turkish nation were set by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.

See also

• Armistice of Salonica
• Armistice of Villa Giusti
• Armistice of 11 November 1918

Literature

• Laura M. Adkisson Great Britain and the Kemalist Movement for Turkish Independence, 1919–1923, Michigan 1958.
• Paul C. Helmreich From Paris to Sèvres. The Partition of the Ottoman Empire at the Peace Conference of 1919–1920, Ohio 1974, S. 3–5, the text can be found on pages pp. 341f.
• Patrick Balfour Kinross Atatürk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, father of modern Turkey, New York 1965.
• Sir Frederick B. Maurice The Armistices of 1918, London 1943.