Education and Training at the Mekteb-i Bahriye (Naval Academy) During the Reign of Abdülhamid II in Light of the Naval Military Schools Regulations
Muhammet Sebahattin KurtaranMekteb-i Bahriye (The Naval Academy) played a pivotal role in the modernization of military maritime education and school organization within the Ottoman Empire. By the late 19th century, the institution had accumulated over a century of experience in maritime education since its establishment. This article examines the educational system and administrative operations of Mekteb-i Bahriye during the reign of Abdülhamid II, spanning the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, within the framework of the Mekâtib-i Askeriye-i Bahriye (Naval Military Schools) Regulation. The study also evaluates the extent to which the rules outlined in these regulations were implemented, based on archival documents from the period. Additionally, the article seeks to analyze the profiles of the teaching staff, the educational backgrounds of the students, their geographic origins within the Ottoman Empire, and the professions of their fathers, drawing on data from contemporary documents to contextualize the era in which the regulations were applied.
II. Abdülhamid Döneminde Mekâtib-i Askeriye-i Bahriye Talimatnâmesi Işığında Mekteb-i Bahriye’de Eğitim ve Öğretim
Muhammet Sebahattin KurtaranMekteb-i Bahriye, Osmanlı Devleti’nde askerî denizcilik eğitiminin modernleşmesinde ve okul düzeni almasında öncü bir rol oynamıştır. 20. yüzyılın sonuna gelindiğinde, mektep kuruluşundan bu döneme kadar 100 yılı aşkın bir denizcilik eğitimi tecrübesine sahip olmuştur. Mektebin müfredatının, dünyada denizcilik alanında yaşanan teknik gelişmelere uygun olarak hazırlanmasına gayret edilmiş ve bahriye sahasındaki ilerlemelerin takip edilmesine önem verilmiştir. Bu düzende, mektepte yetişmiş olan nitelikli insan gücü başta donanma olmak üzere devletin çeşitli kademelerinde görev yapmıştır. Bu makale ile II. Abdülhamid döneminde, Mekâtib-i Askeriye-i Bahriye Talimatnâmesi çerçevesinde, 19. yüzyıldan 20. yüzyıla geçerken Mekteb-i Bahriye’nin eğitim öğretim düzeni ile idarî işleyişi ele alınmaktadır. Bunun yanı sıra döneme ait arşiv belgeleri ışığında talimatnâmede yer verilen kuralların ne seviyede uygulamaya aktarıldığı incelenmiştir. Ayrıca mektepte görev yapan muallimlerin profilleri, talebelerin geldikleri okullar, Osmanlı coğrafyasında yaşadıkları mahaller, baba meslekleri talimatnâmenin uygulandığı dönem göz önünde bulundurularak, devrin belgelerindeki bilgiler ışığında tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır.
Mekteb-i Bahriye (The Naval Academy) played a vital role in aligning the military maritime education of the Ottoman Empire with a structured school discipline framework. It was instrumental in training the qualified personnel required for the state’s navy and maritime administration. Students who were educated at the Mekteb-i Bahriye became qualified naval officers and served at various levels of the state, primarily within the navy. This article examines the activities of the Mekteb-i Bahriye during the reign of Abdulhamid II, focusing on the Mekâtib-i Askeriye-i Bahriye (Naval Military Schools) Regulation. By the early 1900s, the academy had accumulated over a century of experience in military maritime education, which provided the basis for analyzing its internal operational structure. In addition to exploring the theoretical framework of the academy’s administration, this study aims to reveal the extent to which the regulation was implemented in practice using archival documents from the period.
In addition to serving as educational institutions, schools are integral parts of society, consisting of individuals whose backgrounds reflect the socio-cultural dynamics of their time. Documents such as student petitions submitted during school applications, grade slips, and notebooks containing information about the school provide valuable information about various aspects of Ottoman society. These records help clarify which regions of the Ottoman Empire the students came from, which schools they previously attended, and the professions of their fathers, thus shedding light on the broader social context of the period. Within the framework of the article, the human resources of the Mekteb-i Bahriye were evaluated under the guidance of archival records.
The primary sources for this article are archival materials found in the Presidential Ottoman Archives. These include documents related to the Mekteb-i Bahriye (The Naval Academy) transferred from the Naval History Archive to the Ottoman Archives. These are complemented by naval annals, period documents, memoirs, and previously written theses and articles on the subject.
This article examines the status of the Mekteb-i Bahriye during the reign of Abdülhamid II, from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, within the framework of the Mekâtib-i Askeriye-i Bahriye (Naval Military Schools) Regulation and archive documents of the period. The following questions are addressed within the boundaries of this review:
• How did the Mekteb-i Bahriye function at the beginning of the 20th century?
• What were the practical applications of the instructions in the Mekâtib-i Askeriye-i Bahriye Regulation?
• Which courses were included in the academy’s curriculum?
• What were the profiles of the teachers teaching at the Mekteb-i Bahriye and what were the expectations from them?
• From which schools did the accepted students graduate?
• Which regions of the Ottoman Empire did the students represent?
• What were the professions of the students’ fathers? Were applications to the Mekteb-i Bahriye limited to the children of naval personnel, or did they also include children of individuals from other professions?
The findings demonstrate that the implementation of the Mekâtib-i Askeriye-i Bahriye Regulation during Abdülhamid II’s reign is well-documented through archival materials. The courses offered at the academy reflected advancements in maritime technology of the period. A significant proportion of the instructors were graduates of the Mekteb-i Bahriye, and they were expected not only to teach but also to produce scholarly works on maritime education and translate relevant foreign texts. The students admitted to the academy came from Istanbul and its surrounding regions, as well as various parts of the Ottoman Empire. Analysis of available records indicates that applicants came from diverse professional backgrounds, as reflected in the occupations of their fathers. Overall, the Mekteb-i Bahriye provided its graduates, educated within the Ottoman educational system, with opportunities to pursue careers in the navy and serve at different levels of the state apparatus.
