Timeline of Turkish history

This is a timeline of Turkish history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Turkey and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Turkey. See also the Sultanate of Rum, Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey.

11th century

Year	Event
1071	Alp Arslan of the Great Seljuk Empire defeats Romanos IV Diogenis of the Byzantine Empire at Malazgirt, near Muş, Eastern Anatolia.
1077	Suleyman I of Rum is appointed as a governor in Seljuk possessions in Anatolia. But he acts independently and founds a state. Capital İznik (Nicea), Bursa Province, Northwest Anatolia.
1081	Tzachas an independent Turkish seaman, (not a member of Seljuk house, but the father in law of the future sultan) founds a principality in İzmir, giving the Seljuks access to Aegean Sea.
1084	Conquest of Antakya (Antioch), South Anatolia.
1086	Süleyman I of Rum tries to add Syria to his realm. But he commits suicide after being defeated by his cousin Tutush I in the battle of Aynu Seylem, Syria.
1092	Kılıç Arslan I (1092–1207)
1096	Kılıç Arslan I defeats Walter Sans Avoir and Peter the Hermit of People's Crusade at the battles of Xerigordon and Civetot both in Northwest Anatolia.
1097	Bohemund of Taranto, Godfrey of Bouillon and Adhemar of Le Puy of First Crusade defeat Kılıç Arslan I in the battle of Dorylaeum (near modern Eskişehir, Central Anatolia). The capital İznik is lost to Crusades. A few years later Konya, becomes the new capital.
1100	Danishmend Gazi, an independent bey, defeats Bohemond I of Antioch in the battle of Melitene (Malatya)

12th century

Year	Event
1101	Kılıç Arslan I defeats Stephen of Blois and Hugh of Vermandois of the second wave of First Crusades at the Battle of Mersivan (near modern Merzifon, Amasya Province, Central Anatolia.)
1107	Kılıç Arslan conquers Musul, Iraq, but is defeated in the battle.
1110	Şahinşah (1107–1116) (also called Melikşah, not to be confused with the sultan of Great Seljuk Empire with the same name) Continuous struggle with the Crusades weakens the state.
1116	Mesut I (1116–1156) During the early years of his reign he has to accept the dominance of Danishmends a rival Turkish state in Anatolia.
1142	Mehmed of Danishmends dies and the Sultanate of Rum become the leading power of Anatolia for the second time.
1147	Mesut I defeats Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III of Second Crusade in the Second battle of Dorylaeum (near modern Eskişehir)
1147	Mesud I defeats French king Louis VII of Second Crusade at Laodicea (near modern Denizli, West Anatolia).
1156	Kılıç Arslan II (1156–1192)
1176	Kılıç Arslan defeats Manuel I Komnenos of Byzantine Empire in the battle of Myriokephalon (probably near Çivril, Denizli Province, West Anatolia).
1178	Kılıç Arslan II annexes Danishmend realm. (Sivas, and the surrounding territory, Central Anatolia.)
1186	Kılıç Arslan II partitions the country into 11 provinces, each governed by one of his sons
1190	Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa of Third Crusade crosses West Anatolia. While main Turkish army avoids conflict, several irregular troops try to fight, but are repelled. Temporary German occupation of capital Konya.
1190	Frederick Barbarossa of Third Crusade dies near Silifke, Mersin province in South Anatolia.
1192	Keyhüsrev I (1192–1196)
1194	After the collapse of Great Seljuk Empire, the Sultanate of Rum become the sole surviving branch of Seljuks.
1196	Suleyman II of Rum (1196–1204)

13th century

Year	Event
1202	Süleyman II of Rum annexes Saltukid realm (Erzurum, and the surrounding territory, Eastern Anatolia.)
1202	Kypchak - Georgian coalition defeats Süleyman II at the Battle of Micingerd
1204	Kılıç Arslan III (1204–1205)
1205	Keyhüsrev I (1205–1211) (second time)
1207	Conquest of Antalya, access to Mediterranean Sea
1211	Keykavus I (1211–1220)
1214	Conquest of Sinop, Black sea coast
1220	Alaaddin Keykubat I (1220–1237)
1221	Conquest of Alanya, Antalya province, Mediterranean coast
1223	Construction of an arsenal in Alanya, a sign of Alaaddin Keykubat's interest in maritime trade
1224	Alladdin Keykubat annexes a part of Artuqid realm (Harput and surrounding territory, .)
1227	Sudak in Crimea is annexed. This is the most notable overseas campaign of Seljuks.
1228	Mongol conquests in Iran result in a flux of refuges to Anatolia, one of the refuges is Mevlana
1228	Alaaddin Keykubat I annexes Mengucek realm (Erzincan and the surrounding territory), Eastern Anatolia .
1230	Alaaddin Keykubat defeats Celaleddin Harzemşah of Harzemşah Empire in the Battle of Yassıçemen, near Erzincan
1237	Keyhüsrev II (1237–1246)
1238	Sadettin Köpek the vizier of the inexperienced sultan who has executed some members of Seljuk house and becomes the defacto ruler of the sultanate is killed.
1239	Revolt of Baba Ishak. A revolt of Turkmen (Oguz) and Harzem refuges who have recently arrived in Anatolia. The revolt is suppressed. But the sultanate loses power.
1240	Conquest of Diyarbakır in Southeast Anatolia.
1243	Bayju of Mongols defeats Keyhüsrev II in the battle of Kösedağ, Eastern Anatolia. From now on, the sultanate is a vassal of Ilkhanids.
1246	Keykavus II (1246–1262) Governs together with his two brothers. But the real ruler is vizier Pervâne who has married to late sultan's widow Gürcü Hatun.
1256	Mongols defeat Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Sultanhan, Aksaray Province, Central Anatolia.
1258	Mongols partition the country . Double sultanate
1262	Kılıç Arslan IV 1260–1266
1266	Keyhüsrev III 1266–1284
1277	Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey, a semi independent bey, allies himself with the Mameluk sultan Baybars who invades a part of Anatolia.
1277	Karamanoğlu Mehmed Bey conquers Konya and enthrones his puppet Jimri. But Ilkhanids intervene and reestablish Keyhüsrev's reign. (During his short stay in Konya Mehmed Bey decleares Turkish as the official language in his realm).
1284	Mesut II 1284–1297
1289	Seljuk-Ilkhanid coalition defeats the tribes of Germiyanids
1297	Alaaddin Kekubat III 1297–1302
1299	Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire, begin the Ottoman history.
1302	Mesut II 1302–1307 (last sultan of Rum)

14th century

Year	Date	Event
1389	15 June	Battle of Kosovo. Most of Serbia is conquered.
1396	25 September	Battle of Nicopolis. Bulgaria is conquered.

15th century

Year	Date	Event
1444	10 November	Battle of Varna. Ottoman victory, end of Crusade of Varna.
1453		Mehmed II (the Conqueror) captures Constantinople, Christian emperor Constantine XI dies in the fighting, and the Byzantine Empire of the Romans yields once and for all to the Ottoman Empire as Mehmed II claims the title of Caesar of Rome.
1460		Mehmed II conquers Morea.
1461		Mehmed II conquers Trabzon thus ends Empire of Trebizond.
1462		Mehmed II begins to build his palace, Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayi).
1463		Bosnia is conquered.
1473		Battle of Otlukbeli; Mehmed II defeats Uzun Hasan of Akkoyunlu Turkmens.
1475		Gedik Ahmet Pasha captures Caffa. Crimea becomes vassal of the Ottoman Empire.
1478		Albania is conquered.
1480		Gedik Ahmet Pasha captures Otranto, the southeast corner of Italy as a base for further attacks on Italy (only to evacuate after the death of Mehmet II).
1481	3 May	Mehmed II dies. Bayezid II ascended to the throne.
1482		Herzegovina is conquered.
1498		Montenegro is conquered.

16th century

Year	Date	Event
1514		Battle of Chaldiran; Selim I defeats Ismail I of Safavid Persia; Kurdistan under control of Ottoman Empire.
1516		Battle of Marj Dabiq; Selim I defeats Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri of Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. Syria and Palestine under Ottoman rule.
1517		Battle of Ridaniya; Selim I defeats Tuman bay II of Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. Egypt under Ottoman rule; Selim I takes the title caliph.
1519		Algeria is conquered.
1520		The reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (Suleiman I) begins.
1521		Suleiman I captures Belgrade.
1522		Suleiman I captures Rhodes.
1526		Battle of Mohacs. Suleiman I defeats Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia
1529		Siege of Vienna.
1533		Iraq under Turkish control.
1538		Sea Batte of Preveza. Turkish navy controls most of Mediterranean Sea.
1550		Sultanate of Women
1551		Libya is taken over.
1541		Suleiman I captures Budapest (known as Buda), which eventually leads to conquest of most of Hungary.
1547		Most of Hungary under Turkish control. Hungary is divided, by agreement[citation needed] between the Ottoman sultan Suleiman I and Ferdinand I of Austria.
1566		The reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (Suleiman I) ends.
1569		The great fire of Istanbul broke out.
1570		Conquest of Cyprus by Piyale Pasha
1571		The Spanish and the Venetians defeat the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto.
1574		Tunisia is conquered.
1578		Tblisi and most of Georgia conquered.
1590		Treaty of İstanbul between Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia`; Georgia, Azerbaycan and Armenia as well as west Iran under Ottoman rule.

17th century

Year	Date	Event
1610		Kuyucu Murat Pasha suppresses Jelali revolts. Turkmens suffer heavily.
1612		Treaty of Nasuh Pasha between Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia. Ottoman Empire gives up some gains of Treaty of Istanbul of 1590.
1615		Treaty of Serav ratifies Treaty of Nasuh Pasha
1683	11 September	Battle of Vienna. Ottoman defeat.
1686		Hungary evacuated.
1687		Mehmed IV dies.
1699		Ottomans cede Hungary to Austria in the Treaty of Karlowitz.

18th century

Year	Date	Event
1718		Treaty of Passarowitz signed.
		Beginning of Tulip era (up to 1730)
1729		First printing press in Turkish by Ibrahim Muteferrika
1730		Revolt of Patrona Halil. End of Tulip era. Ahmet III is dethroned.
1739		Treaty of Belgrade signed.
1774		Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca signed.
1795		First I-pad in Ottoman Empire (Bulletin de Nouvelles.)

19th century

Year	Date	Event
1807	May	Kabakçı Mustafa rebellion: Reformist sultan Selim III dethroned.
1808	21 July	Alemdar Mustafa Pasha suppresses the rebellion. But Selim III is dead and Mahmut II becomes the new sultan.
1813	23 April	Second Serbian Uprising: The Serbs revolt.
1821		Greek War of Independence: The Greek War of Independence begins.
1830		Algeria is gradually ceded to French rule.
1832]	21 July	Greek War of Independence: Greek sovereignty is formalized.
1831		Egyptian–Ottoman War. (to 1833)
1853	4 October	Crimean War: The Crimean War with Russia began which, though won with British, French and Sardinian aid, would further demonstrate how backward the Ottoman military had become.
1860	21 October	First newspaper in Turkish published by Agah Efendi.(Tercümen'ı Ahval).
1862	5 February	A united Romanian autonomous state is established.
1876	23 December	Opened the 1876–1877 Constantinople Conference.
1877	24 April	Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878): Another war with Russia, the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, begins.
1878	3 March	Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878): The Treaty of San Stefano recognizes Romanian and Serbian independence, as well as the establishment of an autonomous Bulgarian principality under nominal Ottoman protection. Austria-Hungary occupies Bosnia by default.
	4 June	Cyprus is occupied by Britain.
1881		Tunisia becomes a French colony.
1882		Egypt goes under British protection.
1885	6 September	The province of Eastern Rumelia is transferred to Bulgarian jurisdiction.

20th century

Year	Date	Event
1908	3 July	Second Constitutional Era (Young Turk revolution)
	5 October	Bulgaria obtains full independence.
	7 October	Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia by mere declaration.
1912		The Ottomans are easily defeated by Italy in a short war, with the Italians gaining Libya and ending the 340-year Ottoman presence in North Africa.
	28 November	First Balkan War: Albania declares independence
1913	17 May	First Balkan War: The Ottoman Empire is nearly wiped out from Europe, save for Istanbul and just enough land around to defend it.
1914	2 August	The Empire enters into World War I on the side of the Central Powers. Cyprus is annexed outright by Britain.
1915	18 March	Gallipoli campaign was considered one of the greatest victories of the Turks and was reflected on as a major failure by the Allies.
1923	29 October	The Republic of Turkey was proclaimed.
		Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) was unanimously elected the first President of the Republic of Turkey by secret vote.
	30 October	The first cabinet of the Republic of Turkey was formed by İsmet İnönü.
1924		A new policy was instituted that imams be appointed by the government.
	3 March	The Ottoman caliphate was abolished by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
		The Union of Education (Tevhid-i Tedrisat) Law was passed.
		The Ministry of Religious Affairs and all religious schools were abolished.
	6 March	Second cabinet, again by İsmet İnönü
	8 April	Religious courts were abolished and replaced with civil courts.
	20 April	A new Turkish constitution was accepted.
	26 August	Türkiye Is Bankasi was established.
	30 October	The generals who were also in parliament were asked to choose either military profession or politics but not both. (This event is known as the crisies of generals.)
	17 November	The second political party in Turkey, the Progressive Republican Party, was formed.
	22 November	Third cabinet by Ali Fethi Okyar.
1925	11 February	The Sheikh Said rebellion started in the eastern provinces.
	25 February	A law separating religion from politics was accepted and passed in the TBMM.
	4 March	Fourth cabinet by İsmet İnönü
	5 May	An Armenian named Manok Manukyan was executed in Ankara for planning an assassination attempt on Mustafa Kemal.
	3 June	The Progressive Republican Party was closed and abolished for exploiting religion for political purposes.
	29 June	Sheikh Said and his 46 followers were sentenced to death in Diyarbakır.
	27 August	Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) came to Kastamonu to initiate the Hat Revolution.
	1 September	The first Turkish Medical Congress was assembled.
	4 September	Turkish women entered a beauty contest for the first time.
	1 October	Atatürk opened the Bursa textile factory.
	5 November	Ankara Law School (then the Ankara University Faculty of Law) was opened.
	25 November	"Hat Law" was issued, abolishing religious dress.
	26 December	A law was passed which abolished the lunar calendar in favor of the international calendar.
1926	17 February	A Turkish civil code based on the Swiss Civil Code was accepted. The code granted expanded civil rights to women and prohibited polygamy.
	1 March	A Turkish criminal code was established based on the Italian Criminal Code.
	17 March	A law was passed to nationalize the iron industry.
	24 March	A law was passed to nationalize the petroleum industry.
1927	7 March	The extraordinary Independence Tribunals were abolished.
	15 October	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk started his "Nutuk" speech.
		The second nationwide congress of the Republican People's Party took place.
	20 October	The "Nutuk" speech ended.
	28 October	The first population census counted the population at approximately thirteen and a half million.
	27 November	Fifth cabinet by İsmet İnönü
	25 December	The first female Turkish lawyer, Sureyya Agaoglu, began her duty.
1928	10 April	The article "The official religion of Turkey is Islam" was removed from the constitution.
	19 May	A law establishing an engineering school was accepted.
	1 November	A new Turkish alphabet based on the Latin alphabet was accepted.
1929	3 April	A new municipal law enabled women to enter municipal elections both as voters and as candidates.
	29 April	The first female Turkish judges were appointed.
	13 May	A trade law was accepted by the TBMM.
	1 September	Arabic and Persian courses were abolished replaced by Turkish-only language courses.
1930	11 June	A law was accepted which established the Turkish Republic Central Bank.
	12 August	The Free Republican Party, the third party in the republic, was established.
	27 September	Sixth cabinet by İsmet İnönü
	27 October	Greek prime minister Venizelos visited Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Ankara.
	17 November	After the Free Republican Party's cooption by radical religious groups, its leader Fethi Okyar decided to close.
	30 December	Kubilay was killed in an anti-republican rebellion.
1931	16 March	The first female Turkish surgeon, Dr. Suat, received her specialty.
	26 March	The Measurements Law was accepted, abolishing the former Arabic length and weight measurement units and replacing them with the metric system (kilogram instead of okka, meter instead of endaze, etc.)
	20 April	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk historically declared the slogan "Peace at home, peace in the world!"
	4 May	Seventh cabinet by İsmet İnönü
	25 July	A new press law was accepted.
1932	18 July	Turkey became a member of the League of Nations.
	31 July	Turkish woman Keriman Halis Ece was declared the World Beauty Queen at a contest in Belgium.
	13 November	Dr. Müfide Kazim became the first female Turkish government physician.
	12 December	Adile Ayda became the first female Turkish civil servant in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
1933	7 February	The first Turkish-language mosque prayers began in Istanbul.
	31 May	The 480-year-old Darülfünun was abolished, to be converted into Istanbul University.
	June	Sümerbank and Halkbank were established.
	26 October	Turkish women were granted the right to vote and be elected to Village Councils.
	18 November	Istanbul University was opened.
	1 December	The first five year development plan was accepted.
1934	21 June	The Surname Law was accepted, abolishing the former titles of Bey, Efendi, Pasha, Sultan, and Hanım as of November 26.
	24 November	Mustafa Kemal Pasha took the surname Atatürk.
		The Hagia Sofia mosque was converted to the Ayasofya (Hagia Sofia) Museum.
	5 December	Turkish women were granted the right to vote and be elected in Turkish parliamentary elections. (Afterwards, in the first elections, 18 women were elected to the Turkish Grand National Assembly).
1935	1 March	Eight cabinet by İsmet İnönü.
1936	29 May	A law determining the size and ratios of the star and crescent in the Turkish flag was accepted.
	8 June	A labor law was accepted which represented the first step towards the Turkish Social Security System.
1937	27 January	Hatay's independence was accepted by the League of Nations in its Geneva meeting.
	9 June	A law establishing a medical faculty in Ankara was accepted.
	20 September	Atatürk opened the first art gallery in his residence, the Dolmabahce Palace.
	9 October	Atatürk opened the Nazilli Printed Cloth Fabric Factory.
	25 October	Ninth cabinet by Celal Bayar , former minister of Economy
		Dersim Massacre in 1937-1938 : At genocide of Dersim estimated 50.000 - 80.000 were people killed by the turkish state.
1938	10 November	The founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk died. He was succeeded by İsmet İnönü, former prime minister and general.
1939		World War II: World War II began. Turkey was to remain neutral for most of the war, until a declaration of war against Germany at its end.
	7 July	The Province of Hatay joined Turkey.
1950	25 June	Korean War: The Korean War began. Turkey was a part of the joint UN operation.
		Müfide İlhan mayor of Mersin. First ever woman mayor in Turkey.
1952		Turkey became a NATO country strategically important in countering Soviet influence.
1953	27 July	Korean War: The war ended.
1954		Turkey began to host the USAF at the Incirlik Air Base as a deterrent to the Soviet Union.
1955	6 September	Istanbul Pogrom: The Istanbul Pogrom started the process of driving many Greeks and Christians from Turkey.
	7 September	Istanbul Pogrom: The pogrom drew to a close.
1960	27 May	The 1960 coup d'état took place due to the level of influence the Islamists had gained in the nation. After this clash over the "separation of religion and state/government" between İnönü's Republican People's Party and his opponents, president Celal Bayar and prime minister Adnan Menderes, both former Republican People's Party members, prime minister Adnan Menderes was held responsible and was executed with two of his ministers.
1965	October	Military rule bowed out to civilian rule, the political system was reestablished, and a new constitution was drafted that reaffirmed the "separation of religion and state/government".
1971	12 March	Military officials forced an advisory committee on the government due to the increasing anarchical situation caused by the Right (fascist/capitalist) – Left (communist) clash and ineffective policies in maintaining order. Although the military were not in charge they had significant influence.
1974		Turkey invaded Cyprus in response to a Greek-backed coup on the island.
1980	12 September	The 1980 coup d'état took place. Martial law was almost immediately established and a quarter of the military (about 475,000) were mobilised to settle the resistance to the coup.
1983	6 November	After the establishment of a new 1982 Constitution, the military regime dissolved itself.
1991		After the ending of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the Incirlik Air Base enforced the northern no-fly zones in Iraq.
1999	24 March	Kosovo War: NATO interceded in the Balkans to end a civil war in the region. Turkey was part of the mission.
	10 June	Kosovo War: The war ended.

21st century

Year	Date	Event
2002	June	Turkey assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
2003	February	Turkey relinquished command of the ISAF.
2004	17 December	The European Union (EU) agreed to begin negotiations on the eventual accession of Turkey.
2005	14 February	Turkey assumed command of the ISAF in Afghanistan for a second time.
	3 October	The European Union (EU) started accession talks with Turkey. The talks did not start at the desired time due to arguments about Turkey's