Constantinople the Coveted Prize
By F. M. W.
FOR CENTURIES CONSTANTINOPLE, AROUND which the war vultures of Europe are now gathered, has been a coveted prize among the contending nations of Europe and Asia. Its history has been a record of sieges since its erection by Constantine the Great, in 330 A. D., on the site of the ancient Byzantium. The Huns, the Slavs, the Persians, the Arabs, the Turks, and others have repeatedly sought to gain possession of this strategic port. FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO YEARS AGO, in April, 1453, there was begun the memorable siege by which the city passed from the hands of the Christian forces to the control of the Ottoman Turks, under the leadership of Mohammed II. The Turkish army consisted of 70,000 men, with 320 vessels. The forces of the Christians did not exceed 9,000. It required fifty-three days for the capture of the stronghold, which was accomplished May 29. The emperor Constantine died in unsuccessful resistance. After this date, from an object of siege the city became a center of invasion on the part of the Moslem forces. Turkish influence was widely extended, and all Europe trembled before the victorious onslaughts of the Ottoman arms. Turkey reached the height of its power under Solyman, who ruled from 1520–66. “The first check to Ottoman aggression was received beneath the walls of Vienna in 1529.” Following this date the decline of the empire was rapid. Achmet III (1703–30), who was contemporary with Peter the Great, was probably the first Turkish ruler to feel the pressure of Russian ambition. Since that period Constantinople has been the one geographical position above all others coveted by the northern colossus. The following quotation from the New York Times of February 26 enumerates in order the attempts on the part of Russia to possess herself of this important seaport:— FOR TWO CENTURIES RUSSIA HAS SOUGHT to reach the eastern Mediterranean through Turkey, and is now fighting her tenth war in the effort. After each defeat she has turned her attention elsewhere. The Russo-Japanese War developed from an attempt of Russia to secure the coveted port on the coast of Asia. The delicate condition of Anglo-Russian diplomacy during the latter half of the last century was due to Russia’s desire to obtain a foothold on the Persian Gulf. This condition was finally dissipated, however, by the Anglo-Russian treaty of 1907, which paved the way to the present Triple Entente. Balked in8the Far East, and then in the middle East, Russia’s attention reverted to the Near East and Turkey. Here is a brief record of Russian attempts for the last two hundred years to reach the sea via Turkey, and of England’s opposition:— In 1709 Russia attempted to reach Turkey via the Black Sea, and was defeated. In 1739 Russia, aided by Austria, tried to reach Turkey through the Balkans; but at the close of the war the Turks had invaded Russian territory. The war of 1768–74 was in retaliation for that of 1739. Russia invaded northeastern Turkey and swept the Turkish ships from the Black Sea. All that saved Constantinople then was the plague which broke out in the Russian army. In 1788 Russia attacked Turkey along the Danube, and her troops had reached the southern confines of Bulgaria, as it was prior to the late Balkan War, when Turkey sued for peace. The war of 1806–07 was brought about by the intrigues of Napoleon’s agents at the court of the sultan, who desired to divert Russia’s attention from the march of the French on Moscow. England came to the support of Russia this time. Admiral Duckworth sailed through the Dardanelles, and threatened to bombard Constantinople unless Turkey joined England and Russia against Napoleon. The Turk was still making evasive answers when peace was concluded. In 1810 a Russian army advanced as far as Bazardjik, but could not proceed on account of disease and the lack of provisions. A similar invasion was repeated in 1828–29, with great preparations on Russia’s part and with the proclaimed objective of Constantinople. This was the famous war in which Greece gained her independence, and by which Russia freed part of what is now Roumania from Turkish rule, but it was cut short by the plague. Then came the Crimean War of 1853–54, in which Russia’s avowed objective was again Constantinople, and which drew England, France, and even the kingdom of Sardinia to the defense of the Turks. In this war the allies carried hostilities into Russian territory north of the Black Sea, and, in the end, even Austria rose and forced Russia to evacuate the part of Roumania she had freed from Turkey thirty years before. In the war of 1877–78 Russia, thinking to allay any apprehensions in western Europe, declared herself to be the champion of Christendom; but her objective was, as ever, the same—Constantinople. As a result of the Crimean War, Russia had been prohibited by the allies from maintaining a fleet on the Black Sea, and so now she entered Turkey through Roumania, and was actually saved from disaster by the Roumanian troops at Plevna. The new Servian state also aided Russia, and her victory seemed assured, when again England intervened by sending a fleet through the Dardanelles to the defense of Constantinople. Disease, lack of provisions, and the threatening British fleet brought the campaign to a close, and again, and perhaps for the last time, saved the ancient capital of Turkey from the Russians. Constantinople is the twelfth largest city in the world, possessing approximately 1,300,000 inhabitants, a cosmopolitan mixture of all nationalities and religious beliefs. The city is situated on the Golden Horn, at the junction of the Sea of Marmora and the Bosporus. Its capture, by the Allied forces would undoubtedly have a great influence in the shaping of the political fortunes of Europe and of the whole world. That the Turk would be expelled forever from Europe is admitted by all. Into whose hands the rich prize would pass is more of a problem, and time only will settle the question. We live in the days of thrilling and momentous events. Before our very eyes, the words of the prophetic seer, penned more than twenty-five hundred years ago, are being fulfilled. The rapidly fulfilling signs demonstrate that our hope has not been in vain. Let us prove faithful to our trust, faithful in sounding abroad the message of the coming of the Lord. We may not hope to save the nations of earth, but among all the nations of men, Christian, Mohammedan, and heathen, will be found those who will welcome the good news of life and liberty and peace and rest in the gospel message of the Lord Jesus.