Occupation of Istanbul

Occupation of Constantinople
Part of the partition of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish War of Independence
Louis Franchet d'Espèrey marching in Beyoğlu, 8 February 1919
Date 12 November 1918 – 4 October 1923 (4 years, 10 months, 3 weeks and 1 day) Location Constantinople Result Military occupation by the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Greece Ottoman Parliament and Empire dismantled Treaty of Sèvres Turkish backup of Constantinople Chanak Crisis Liberation of Constantinople Armistice of Mudanya Treaty of Lausanne Territorial changes Recognition of Turkey with Treaty of Lausanne
Belligerents
United Kingdom British India[1]  France French West Africa  Italy  Greece  United States[2]  Japan[2]	Ottoman Empire	Turkish National Movement
Commanders and leaders
Somerset Arthur Gough-Calthorpe George Milne Louis Franchet d'Esperey Carlo Sforza[3] Efthimios Kanellopoulos [de; el] (1918–1921) Charalambos Simopoulos (1921–1923)	Ali Sait Pasha¹	Selâhattin Âdil Pasha2
Strength
Land forces on 13 November 1918:[4] 2,616 British, 540 French, 470 Italian (Total: 3,626 soldiers) Land forces by 5 November 1919:[5] : 27,419 soldiers (27 artillery batteries, 160 machine guns) : 19,069 soldiers (30 cannons, 91 machine guns) : 3,992 soldiers : 795 soldiers (160 machine guns) Total: ~51,300 soldiers (411 machine guns, 57 artillery pieces) Naval forces: 13 November 1918: 50[6]–61[7] warships 15 November 1918: 167 warships+auxiliary ships[8][9]
1: Commander of the XXV Corps and the Istanbul Guard (6 October 1919 – 16 March 1920[10]) 2: Commander of the Istanbul Command (10 December 1922 – 29 September 1923[11])

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The occupation of Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul'un işgali) or occupation of Constantinople (12 November 1918 – 4 October 1923), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, by British, French, Italian, and Greek forces, took place in accordance with the Armistice of Mudros, which ended Ottoman participation in the First World War. The first French troops entered the city on 12 November 1918, followed by British troops the next day. The Italian troops landed in Galata on 7 February 1919.^[3]

Allied troops occupied zones based on the existing divisions of Istanbul and set up an Allied military administration early in December 1918. The occupation had two stages: the initial phase in accordance with the Armistice gave way in 1920 to a more formal arrangement under the Treaty of Sèvres.^[12] Ultimately, the Treaty of Lausanne, signed on 24 July 1923, led to the end of the occupation. The last troops of the Allies departed from the city on 4 October 1923, and the first troops of the Ankara government, commanded by Şükrü Naili Pasha (3rd Corps), entered the city with a ceremony on 6 October 1923, which has been marked as the Liberation Day of Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul'un Kurtuluşu, Ottoman Turkish: استانبولڭ قورتولوشی) and is commemorated every year on its anniversary.^[13]

1918 was the first time the city had changed hands since the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Along with the occupation of Smyrna, it spurred the establishment of the Turkish National Movement, leading to the Turkish War of Independence.^[14]