TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Revolt · 1866
Dreams of a greater Greece, revived when the Ionian Islands were ceded to it in 1864, encouraged efforts to detach Crete from the Ottomans. Demanding lower taxes, better schools and other reforms, the Cretan Greeks launched a broad uprising in 1866; they set up a provisional government and proclaimed the island's union with Greece (2 September 1866). Russia and France pressed for the island to be handed to Greece, but the Ottomans suppressed the revolt. When Greek volunteers and privateers brought the two states to the brink of war, the Great Powers met in Paris early in 1869 and sent Greece a stern warning; Greece backed down. Crete was divided into five sanjaks under a new statute.
| Date | 1866 – 1869 |
|---|---|
| Location | Crete |
| Result | Union with Greece was proclaimed (2 September 1866) but the revolt was suppressed; after the warning of the Paris Conference (1869) Greece withdrew its support and a new statute was issued for the island |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire (Abdülaziz) | Cretan Greek insurgents Greece (supporter) |
|---|
Took place during the reign of Abdulaziz (1861–1876). Abdulaziz
Open the reign of Abdulaziz on the mapBy the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 3,803,000 km² in 1866; at the start of Abdulaziz's reign they measured 3,803,000 km², at its end 4,123,000 km².
During Abdulaziz (1861–1876) the atlas records 2 regions gained and 0 regions lost.
Regions gained: Lahsa (Eastern Arabia–Qatar) (1871), Yemen–Asir (1872).
He expanded the navy and the railways and founded modern judicial and educational institutions; he reattached Lahsa and Yemen. But these investments were made on credit; in 1875 the state declared it could not pay its debts, and a year later he was deposed in a coup.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “Girit” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.