Mosul Province, Ottoman Empire
Encyclopedia
The Vilayet of Mosul was a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire
. It was created from the northern sanjaks of the Vilayet of Baghdad in 1878.
At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of 29220 square miles (75,679.5 km²), while the preliminary results of the first Ottoman census of 1885 (published in 1908) gave the population as 300,280. The accuracy of the population figures ranges from "approximate" to "merely conjectural" depending on the region from which they were gathered.
. With regards to the religious communities, it was predominately Sunni with notable communities of Turkmen, Kurds, Jews and Christians with a total population of about 800,000 people in the early 1900s. These communities and their respective leaders were heavily influenced by the political hierarchy, trading networks, and the judicial system of the Ottoman Empire, even though they considered themselves on their own and not completely controlled by the empire. During the period of Ottoman rule, Mosul was involved in the production of fine cotton goods. Oil was a known commodity in the region and it became critically important during WWI and continuing until today. Mosul was considered a trading capital of the Ottoman Empire because of its location along the trade routes to India and the Mediterranean; also it was considered a political sub-capitol. However there were many issues in the Vilayet during the Ottoman period. The leadership was constantly plagued with accusations of corruption and incompetence, and leaders were replaced with an alarming regularity. Also, because of these problems, the administration of Mosul was entrusted to Palace and notable favorites, where the high official’s careers were usually determined by tribal issues within their states.
, the debilitated Ottoman Empire signed an armistice with the British called the Armistice of Mudros
and it was signed on October 30, 1918. This armistice called for a ceasing of all fighting between the British and the Ottomans. Three days later, on November 2, Sir William Marshall, a British Lieutenant General, invaded the Mosul Vilayet until November 15, 1918 when he is finally successful in defeating the Ottoman forces and causing them to surrender. In August 1920, the Treaty of Sèvres
was signed to end the war, however the Ottomans still contested the British right to Mosul and how it was taken illegally, post-Mudros. Even when the Lausanne Treaty was signed between Turkey and Britain in 1923, Turkey still maintained that Britain was controlling the Mosul Vilayet illegally. British officials in London and Baghdad continued to believe that Mosul was imperative to the survival of Iraq because of its resources and the security of its mountainous border. Turkish leaders were also afraid that Kurdish nationalism would thrive under British Mandate and start trouble with the Kurdish population in Turkey. In order to reach a resolution on the conflicting claims over Mosul, the League of Nations was called on to send a fact-finding commission in order to determine the rightful owner. The commission investigated the region and then reported that Turkey had no claim to Mosul and it belonged to the British and no one else had any rightful claim to the area. Because of the amount of influence wielded by Britain in the League of Nations
, the decision of the fact-finding commission was not surprising. Another aspect Britain’s influence on the League of Nations was that the Secretary of the War Cabinet, Maurice Hankey, decided that Britain needed to have control over the whole area because of their oil concerns for the Royal Navy before the commission was completed. Another area of contention between Britain and Turkey was the actual boundary line. There was a Brussels Line which had been decided by the League of Nations as the true border of Iraq, and a British line which was the division line the Britain had used as reference in the past. When this was brought up to British leaders, both Percy Cox, the British High Commissioner of Iraq, and Arnold Wilson
, the British civil commissioner in Baghdad, urged Lloyd George, who was the Prime Minister, to use the Brussels line because they did not think there was that large of a difference between the two line boundaries.
The Mosul Vilayet was not just contested by external powers, i.e. Britain and Turkey; Faysal ibn Husayn, the Hashemite ruler who had become the king of the newly created state of Iraq by the British in 1921, also wanted to claim the Mosul Vilayet as his. The British liked, and respected Faysal because of all of the assistance he had given to them; the British also felt that they could trust him to do what they wanted. In this belief, Britain was both right and wrong. Faysal was a brilliant diplomat who was able to balance what the British wanted and the true needs of his people into a very complex system. However, one of the things he wanted most was the unification and strong status of Iraq and he did not believe that was possible without having control of the Mosul Vilayet. Prior to the League of Nations decision, Faysal had continually petitioned the British government to give control of Mosul to him so that he could succeed in his aim of unification. Finally, after the League of Nations decision, the British agree to let Faysal have control over Mosul in return for important resource concessions. The British founded the Turkish Petroleum Company which they later named the Iraq Petroleum Company
(IPC). Because Britain also wanted to soothe Turkish anger over the League of Nations decision, they gave them a portion of the oil profits. By having control over the oil and the IPC, the British stayed in control of the resources of Mosul even though they had given political control back to Faysal.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. It was created from the northern sanjaks of the Vilayet of Baghdad in 1878.
At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of 29220 square miles (75,679.5 km²), while the preliminary results of the first Ottoman census of 1885 (published in 1908) gave the population as 300,280. The accuracy of the population figures ranges from "approximate" to "merely conjectural" depending on the region from which they were gathered.
Administrative divisions
Sanjaks of the Vilayet:- Sanjak of MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
- Sanjak of Kerkük (Sehr-i-Zor)
- Sanjak of Süleymaniye
Mosul question
The Vilayet Mosul had a Kurdish speaking population and an Arabic speaking population, and in contrast to Mosul’s neighbors, it was much more directly integrated into the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. With regards to the religious communities, it was predominately Sunni with notable communities of Turkmen, Kurds, Jews and Christians with a total population of about 800,000 people in the early 1900s. These communities and their respective leaders were heavily influenced by the political hierarchy, trading networks, and the judicial system of the Ottoman Empire, even though they considered themselves on their own and not completely controlled by the empire. During the period of Ottoman rule, Mosul was involved in the production of fine cotton goods. Oil was a known commodity in the region and it became critically important during WWI and continuing until today. Mosul was considered a trading capital of the Ottoman Empire because of its location along the trade routes to India and the Mediterranean; also it was considered a political sub-capitol. However there were many issues in the Vilayet during the Ottoman period. The leadership was constantly plagued with accusations of corruption and incompetence, and leaders were replaced with an alarming regularity. Also, because of these problems, the administration of Mosul was entrusted to Palace and notable favorites, where the high official’s careers were usually determined by tribal issues within their states.
Turkey
Near the end of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the debilitated Ottoman Empire signed an armistice with the British called the Armistice of Mudros
Armistice of Mudros
The Armistice of Moudros , concluded on 30 October 1918, ended the hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I...
and it was signed on October 30, 1918. This armistice called for a ceasing of all fighting between the British and the Ottomans. Three days later, on November 2, Sir William Marshall, a British Lieutenant General, invaded the Mosul Vilayet until November 15, 1918 when he is finally successful in defeating the Ottoman forces and causing them to surrender. In August 1920, the Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
was signed to end the war, however the Ottomans still contested the British right to Mosul and how it was taken illegally, post-Mudros. Even when the Lausanne Treaty was signed between Turkey and Britain in 1923, Turkey still maintained that Britain was controlling the Mosul Vilayet illegally. British officials in London and Baghdad continued to believe that Mosul was imperative to the survival of Iraq because of its resources and the security of its mountainous border. Turkish leaders were also afraid that Kurdish nationalism would thrive under British Mandate and start trouble with the Kurdish population in Turkey. In order to reach a resolution on the conflicting claims over Mosul, the League of Nations was called on to send a fact-finding commission in order to determine the rightful owner. The commission investigated the region and then reported that Turkey had no claim to Mosul and it belonged to the British and no one else had any rightful claim to the area. Because of the amount of influence wielded by Britain in the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, the decision of the fact-finding commission was not surprising. Another aspect Britain’s influence on the League of Nations was that the Secretary of the War Cabinet, Maurice Hankey, decided that Britain needed to have control over the whole area because of their oil concerns for the Royal Navy before the commission was completed. Another area of contention between Britain and Turkey was the actual boundary line. There was a Brussels Line which had been decided by the League of Nations as the true border of Iraq, and a British line which was the division line the Britain had used as reference in the past. When this was brought up to British leaders, both Percy Cox, the British High Commissioner of Iraq, and Arnold Wilson
Arnold Wilson
Sir Arnold Talbot Wilson KCIE CSI CMG DSO was the British civil commissioner in Baghdad in 1918-1920. Wilson became publicly known for his role as the colonial administrator of Mesopotamia during and after the First World War. His high-handedness arguably led to an Iraqi revolt in 1920. He was...
, the British civil commissioner in Baghdad, urged Lloyd George, who was the Prime Minister, to use the Brussels line because they did not think there was that large of a difference between the two line boundaries.
The Mosul Vilayet was not just contested by external powers, i.e. Britain and Turkey; Faysal ibn Husayn, the Hashemite ruler who had become the king of the newly created state of Iraq by the British in 1921, also wanted to claim the Mosul Vilayet as his. The British liked, and respected Faysal because of all of the assistance he had given to them; the British also felt that they could trust him to do what they wanted. In this belief, Britain was both right and wrong. Faysal was a brilliant diplomat who was able to balance what the British wanted and the true needs of his people into a very complex system. However, one of the things he wanted most was the unification and strong status of Iraq and he did not believe that was possible without having control of the Mosul Vilayet. Prior to the League of Nations decision, Faysal had continually petitioned the British government to give control of Mosul to him so that he could succeed in his aim of unification. Finally, after the League of Nations decision, the British agree to let Faysal have control over Mosul in return for important resource concessions. The British founded the Turkish Petroleum Company which they later named the Iraq Petroleum Company
Iraq Petroleum Company
The Iraq Petroleum Company , until 1929 called Turkish Petroleum Company , was an oil company jointly owned by some of the world's largest oil companies, which had virtual monopoly on all oil exploration and production in Iraq from 1925 to 1961...
(IPC). Because Britain also wanted to soothe Turkish anger over the League of Nations decision, they gave them a portion of the oil profits. By having control over the oil and the IPC, the British stayed in control of the resources of Mosul even though they had given political control back to Faysal.