Topal Osman
Encyclopedia
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
militia leader of the late Ottoman
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...
and early Republican
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
periods. He commanded the 42nd Giresun Volunteer Regiment and 47th Giresun Volunteer Regiment. His last rank was Lieutenant-colonel of militia (Milis Yarbayı ).
Balkan Wars
He was a veteran of the 1912-1913 Balkan WarsBalkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
where he became Lame .
Murder of Ali Shukri Bey
For his work in the national movement, Osman became commander of Mustafa KemalMustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
's special "Bodyguard Regiment." and his loyal vassal Captain of militia Mustafa Kaptan was appointed the commander of the Guard Battalion of the Grand National Assembly. He choked Trabzon
Trabzon Province
Trabzon Province is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Located in a strategically important region, Trabzon is one of the oldest trade port cities in Anatolia. Neighbouring provinces are Giresun to the west, Gümüşhane to the southwest, Bayburt to the southeast and Rize to the east. The...
deputy Ali Shukri Bey (Ali Şükrü Bey ) to death on March 27, 1923, in response to Şükrü's criticism of Mustafa Kemal.
Topal Osman Affair
Mustafa Kemal ordered Ismail Hakki Bey (İsmail Hakkı Tekçe ), who was the commander of the Presidential Guard Battalion, to take Topal Osman and his fellows into custody. Topal was surrounded at his hideout in Seyran Bağları wards and in the resulting exchange of fire, was wounded and captured on April 1, 1923.On 2 April, at the insistence of the "Second Group", his body was dug up and hung at the gate of the parliament building (today War of Independence Museum
War of Independence Museum
War of Independence Museum , housed in the first Turkish Grand National Assembly building in the Ulus district of Ankara, Turkey, displays important photographs, documents and furniture from the Turkish War of Independence....
) for exhibition to the public. According to some sources, his decapitated corpse was hung in the Ulus Square
Ulus, Ankara
Ulus is a quarter in Ankara, Turkey and is located at the center of the capital city. It was once the heart of old Ankara. The name means "nation" in Turkish....
. He now rests in Giresun.
Legacy
Toktamış Ateş of Istanbul UniversityIstanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
claims that former primer minister Tansu Çiller
Tansu Çiller
Tansu Penbe Çiller is a Turkish economist and politician. She was Turkey's first and only female Prime Minister.- Early career :She is the daughter of a Turkish governor of Bilecik province during the 1950s. She graduated from the School of Economics at Robert College after finishing the American...
had once promised to open a university in Topal's name.
A statue of him was erected in his home town of Giresun in 2007. The erection of the statue has been linked to retired Gen. Veli Küçük, currently under arrest for serving as a member of Ergenekon
Ergenekon
Ergenekon is the name of the place where Nekuz and Qiyan and their wives escaped to, and who were the original Mongols in Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh written by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani at the beginning of the 14th century...
. Küçük's first attempt to erect the statue was in 1981 but it was blocked by the Turkish Historical Society (TTK). Küçük tried again in 2001 but failed in his attempt after strong opposition from Mayor Mehmet Işık. It was finally erected in 2007 with the assistance of Ali Kara, chairman of the local small businessmen group of Giresun
Giresun
Giresun is the provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon.-Etymology:...
. Kara was one of the figures whose deposition was taken during the Ergenekon
Ergenekon
Ergenekon is the name of the place where Nekuz and Qiyan and their wives escaped to, and who were the original Mongols in Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh written by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani at the beginning of the 14th century...
investigation.