A daring raid on the Sublime Porte reshaped the Ottoman Empire's final decade

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: On January 23, 1913, a group of determined officers stormed the Ottoman government headquarters. This sudden coup d'état ousted the incumbent grand vizier and installed a new regime, setting the stage for the empire's eventual entry into the First World War under the control of a powerful military triumvirate.

The 1913 coup, often called the Raid on the Sublime Porte, emerged from intense political friction between the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and the Freedom and Accord Party. Following a controversial 1912 election marred by violence and accusations of fraud, the CUP had faced a backlash from military officers known as the Savior Officers, who successfully forced the resignation of the CUP-aligned government in July 1912.

By early 1913, the political climate remained volatile. The government of Grand Vizier Kâmil Paşa was engaged in delicate negotiations with Bulgaria following the Ottoman defeat in the First Balkan War. When rumors surfaced that the administration might cede Edirne—a former capital—to Bulgaria, the CUP leadership acted. Led by figures including Enver Paşa and Talât Paşa, they raided the central government buildings on January 23, 1913. During the chaos, the minister of war, Nazım Paşa, was killed, and Kâmil Paşa was compelled to step down.

The aftermath saw the establishment of a government under Mahmud Şevket Paşa, though the CUP exerted significant influence behind the scenes. After Şevket Paşa was assassinated in June 1913, the CUP solidified its authority, leading to the dominance of the triumvirate of Enver, Talât, and Cemal Paşa. This new leadership pursued a more aggressive military policy, eventually recapturing Edirne in July 1913 and aligning the empire with Germany. This shift in power fundamentally altered the Ottoman trajectory, steering the state toward its fateful involvement in the global conflict that began the following year.

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