Milli Mücadele’de Stratejik Bir Merkez: Eskişehir

Authors : Murat Kaya

Pages : 58-71

Doi:10.5281/zenodo.17721796

View : 175 | Download : 232

Publication Date : 2025-12-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The Ottoman Empire’s defeat in the First World War affected Eskişehir, as it did the whole of Anatolia. Under the Armistice of Mondros, British forces occupied Eskişehir on 22 January 1919. The residents of Eskişehir closely followed national developments during this period. The rapid spread of the occupation heightened national sentiment in the city. Following the occupation of İzmir on 15 May 1919, a protest meeting held in Odunpazarı constituted one of the earliest and most significant expressions of these sentiments. The patriotism of Eskişehir’s residents strengthened the National Forces in the city, and this strength contributed to ending the British occupation of Eskişehir, which lasted 423 days. However, the Greek army’s advance into the interior drew Eskişehir into the war. Some important battles between the Turkish and Greek armies took place in and around Eskişehir. In the İnönü Battles, the advantage lay with the Turkish army, while in the Battles of Kütahya and Eskişehir the advantage shifted to the Greek army. Following this setback, Turkish forces withdrew from Eskişehir, and a new period of occupation began, this time by Greek forces. Greek control continued until the Great Offensive. This study aims to outline Eskişehir’s strategic position in the Turkish War of Independence by evaluating, in broad terms, the city’s experience of two successive occupations.
Keywords : Milli Mücadele, Kuva-yı Milliye, Eskişehir

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL