The Greek Attempt to Establish an Autonomous Administration in Bursa during the Turkish War of Independence
After their defeat by the Turkish army at the Battle of Sakarya, it became clear that the Greeks could no longer maintain control in Anatolia. In an attempt to preserve their presence, the Greek government sought to establish autonomous administrations in certain regions. The first such plan involved creating the Ionian State in İzmir. A parallel initiative aimed to establish an autonomous entity centered in Bursa. A meeting was held at Bursa Municipality with religious leaders to discuss the nature of this autonomy. Aziz Nuri Bey, Director of the Bursa Immigration Office, was appointed as the proposed autonomous state’s first governor. Pro-autonomy rallies were organized in districts with significant Greek populations, such as Mustafa Kemal Paşa, Gemlik, and Karacabey. This study examines the Greek attempts to create an autonomous administration in Bursa during the Turkish War of Independence. It draws on archival documents from the Presidential State Archives and the Military History Directorate, as well as memoirs and periodicals of the period. The findings show that the Greeks aimed to control Bursa and its surroundings through political means after military failure. However, these efforts were ultimately thwarted by the victories of the Turkish National Movement under Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s leadership.
Yunanlıların Millî Mücadele Döneminde Bursa’da İdare-i Muhtariye Kurma Girişimi
Sakarya Meydan Muharebesi’nde Türk ordusuna yenilen Yunanlıların Anadolu’da tutunamayacağı anlaşılmıştı. Bunun üzerine Yunan Hükümeti, Anadolu’daki bazı şehirlerde muhtar idareler kurarak işgalini sürdürmek istedi. Bu hususta ilk olarak İzmir’de İyonya Devleti’nin kurulması kararlaştırıldı. Yunanlılar, İyonya Devleti’ne koşut olarak Bursa merkezli bir muhtar devlet daha kurmak amacındaydı. Bu kapsamda, Bursa Belediyesi’nde bütün dini temsilcilerin katıldığı bir toplantı yapılarak, muhtariyetin şeklinin nasıl olacağı konuşuldu. Ardından Yunanlılar, Bursa’da muhtar devletin ilk valisi olarak Bursa Vilayet Göçmen Müdürü Aziz Nuri Bey’i atadı. Daha sonra Bursa’nın Mustafa Kemal Paşa, Gemlik ve Karacabey gibi Rum nüfusun olduğu ilçelerinde muhtariyet mitingleri düzenlendi. Yunanlıların muhtar devlet kurma çabaları, Mustafa Kemal Paşa’nın liderliğindeki Türk ordusunun Anadolu’da kazandığı zaferle son buldu. Bu çalışmada, Millî Mücadele döneminde Yunanlıların Bursa ve çevresinde muhtar bir idare kurmaya yönelik girişimleri ile bu süreçte yaşanan gelişmeler ele alınmaktadır. Araştırma, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Devlet Arşivleri Başkanlığı ile Millî Savunma Bakanlığı Arşivi ve Askeri Tarih Daire Başkanlığı (ATASE) Arşivi’nden temin edilen belgeler ile dönemi yansıtan tetkik eserler, hatıratlar ve süreli yayınlar temel alınarak yürütülmüştür. Elde edilen bulgular, Yunanlıların askeri yöntemlerle elde tutamadıkları Bursa ve çevresini siyasi ve idari yollarla kontrol altına almayı hedeflediklerini; ancak Mustafa Kemal Paşa önderliğinde yürütülen Millî Mücadele sayesinde bu amacın gerçekleşemediğini ortaya koymaktadır.
The Turkish Army dealt a heavy blow to the Greek forces in the Battle of Sakarya, which took place between August 23 and September 13, 1921. Following this decisive defeat, it became evident that the Greeks would no longer be able to maintain their presence in Anatolia. During this period, while the Greek occupation continued, local Greeks in Western Anatolia began mobilizing to establish an independent state with its own army. This political and military initiative came to be known as the “Smallassianism Movement.”
Initially, the royalist government of Greece opposed the activities of Anatolian Greeks seeking to establish such a state. The Greek authorities hoped that the British would pressure the Turkish side into accepting the Treaty of Sèvres, thereby securing Greek sovereignty over the territories outlined in the agreement. However, as France and Italy - two other members of the Entente - gradually shifted their policies in favor of the Turkish national movement, the Greek government reversed its stance and began supporting the Smallassianism Movement.
The Greek government entrusted the task of establishing what it called the “Ionian State” in Western Anatolia to Aristeidis Stergiadis, Greece’s Extraordinary Commissioner in İzmir. The decision was formally announced to the Turkish public through a declaration issued by Stergiadis on July 30, 1922. In this declaration, the Greek government proclaimed that the cities of İzmir and Bursa, along with the districts of Biga, Ezine, Bayramiç, and Ayvalık- regions with significant Greek populations - were to be part of the proposed Ionian State. However, this state-building initiative was short-lived: it collapsed with the entry of the Turkish army into İzmir under the command of Mustafa Kemal Pasha on September 9, 1922, marking the definitive end of the Greek occupation.
In parallel with the Ionian State project in İzmir, the Greek administration also sought to establish an autonomous administration centered in Bursa, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire. After the Turkish victory at the Battle of Sakarya, a group based in Istanbul formed the “Anatolian Association”. The association aimed to establish a provisional government in the Greek-occupied territories of Anatolia, with Bursa as its administrative center, and to conclude a peace and alliance treaty with the Greek government. The Anatolian Association later focused its efforts specifically on creating an autonomous regime in Bursa. The project was strongly supported by members of the Freedom and Entente (Accord) Party (Hürriyet ve İtilâf Fırkası) and other individuals opposed to the Turkish national struggle.
To advance the autonomy initiative, it was decided to open a branch of the Anatolian Association in Bursa. All religious representatives of the city were invited to a meeting at the Bursa Municipality to draft the internal regulations of the branch and determine the proposed form of autonomy. The meeting was attended by 30 to 35 individuals, including Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and Muslims. At the conclusion of the meeting, a provisional committee of 14 members - representing various religious and ethnic communities - was elected. Although this committee prepared a draft charter, it was never formally adopted. The preparations for the autonomous administration were largely carried out by Armenian participants and Turkish collaborators.
As a symbolic gesture, the committee decided to send a letter of gratitude to British Prime Minister David Lloyd George for his support of the autonomy initiative. People were gathered in front of the municipality and compelled by the authorities to sign the thank-you letter. Aziz Nuri Bey, Director of Immigration for Bursa Province, was appointed as the governor of the so-called Mukhtar Administration established in Bursa.
To spread the idea of autonomy throughout Bursa, the supporters organized a public rally in front of the municipality. Greek Gendarmerie Commander Papaargiri, who aimed for a significant turnout, sent out a town crier to summon attendees. However, many of the city’s residents and shopkeepers were forcibly brought to the event by security forces. Only members of the Armenian and Greek communities actively participated. During the rally, İsmail Hakkı Bey, Director of Religious Endowments (Evkaf), gave a speech condemning the Turkish Grand National Assembly while praising the British and Greeks. At the end of the event, telegrams demanding autonomy were signed and sent to Izvolo, the Greek Deputy High Commissioner, and the Greek Occupation Command in Bursa.
Following these events in Bursa, similar rallies were held in other Greek-populated districts such as Mustafa Kemal Paşa, Gemlik, and Karacabey. Telegrams produced at these rallies were likewise delivered to the Greek Occupation Command.
Bursa was ultimately liberated from nearly two years and two months of Greek occupation on September 11, 1922, by Şükrü Naili (Gökberk) Pasha, Commander of the 3rd Corps. After liberation, individuals involved in the mukhtarate initiative were brought before a military tribunal on February 22, 1923. They were charged with treason for their collaboration with the occupiers. Those who had fled with the retreating Greek army were sentenced to death in absentia. Others received prison sentences of varying lengths, while some were acquitted.
