Pact of Halepa
Encyclopedia
The Pact of Halepa was an agreement made in 1878 between the Ottoman Empire
(then ruled by the Sultan
Abdul Hamid II
) and the representatives of several European states. It was signed at Chalepa
(now a district of Chania
), the Cretan
town where foreign consulates were established.
Crete became a semi-independent parliamentary state within the Ottoman Empire under an Ottoman Governor who must be a Christian. The first Christian Pasha was Kostis Adosidis Pasha, followed by Alexander Karatheodori Pasha
, Giannis Fotiadis Pasha and others. These ruled the island until the late 1880s, presiding over a parliament in which liberals and conservatives contended for power.
It was also agreed that in future Crete would be policed by native-born Cretans, Christian and Muslim; a new body of Gendarmerie (see Cretan Gendarmerie
) would be formed, recruited only from Cretans.
In 1889, in response to the rebellion of that year, the Pact of Chalepa was abrogated by Shakir Pasha. Some of its provisions continued to be observed, however. Several of the governors of Crete in the 1890s were Christian.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(then ruled by the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Abdul Hamid II
Abdul Hamid II
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
) and the representatives of several European states. It was signed at Chalepa
Chalepa
Chalepa , often spelt Halepa, was formerly a town in northern Crete. It is now one of the districts of Chania.Its name was once well known owing to the Pact of Halepa, an agreement of 1878 on the administration of Crete as part of the Ottoman Empire. The local football team is Asteras Chalepa....
(now a district of Chania
Chania
Chaniá , , also transliterated Chania, Hania, and Xania, older form Chanea and Venetian Canea, Ottoman Turkish خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania peripheral unit...
), the Cretan
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
town where foreign consulates were established.
Crete became a semi-independent parliamentary state within the Ottoman Empire under an Ottoman Governor who must be a Christian. The first Christian Pasha was Kostis Adosidis Pasha, followed by Alexander Karatheodori Pasha
Alexander Karatheodori Pasha
Alexander Karatheodori Pasha was a Greek statesman of the Ottoman Empire.Born in Berlin as a child of a leading Constantinople Phanariote family. His father, Stefanos Karatheodori, was personal physician to Sultan Mahmud II. After law studies in Paris, like many Phanariote Greeks he pursued a...
, Giannis Fotiadis Pasha and others. These ruled the island until the late 1880s, presiding over a parliament in which liberals and conservatives contended for power.
It was also agreed that in future Crete would be policed by native-born Cretans, Christian and Muslim; a new body of Gendarmerie (see Cretan Gendarmerie
Cretan Gendarmerie
The Cretan Gendarmerie was a gendarmerie force created under the Cretan State, after the island of Crete gained autonomy from Ottoman rule in the late 19th century...
) would be formed, recruited only from Cretans.
In 1889, in response to the rebellion of that year, the Pact of Chalepa was abrogated by Shakir Pasha. Some of its provisions continued to be observed, however. Several of the governors of Crete in the 1890s were Christian.