Zuhtu Pasha (1865 – 1902)

As I learned from my father Yaşar Çerkeş my great grandmother Refiye hanım who was the daughter of the statesman Abidin Pasha from Albania, married my great grandfather Zuhtu Bey who had a good education. He was a tall, blue-eyed man with a build very similar to my grandfather Nazim Cerkes. My great grandfather Zuhtu bey was the manager of Ankara Printing Houses at those times. After some time Zuhtu Bey married a second wife from Istanbul. Abidin Pasha was upset with this second marriage and sent his son in law to a remote Ottoman province to Jerusalem where he served as the governor and hosted the German Emperor Wilhelm II and his wife during their visit. Unfortunately Zuhtu Pasha, died there in a Typhus epidemic that broke out when he was 37 years old. We don’t know where his grave is. My grandfather Nazim Cerkes said for his father that he was quite a smart man and if he had lived longer, he could have become a grand vizier. I cannot read the old Ottoman script on the postcard below of my great grandfather, Zühtü Pasha. But tt must be the Ottoman version of my father’s Turkish script.

German Emperor II. Wilhelm and his wife Wilhemine came by yacht to Jaffa on October 25th, 1898. According to what my father told me, he had a red runner carpet laid from the port to the government office. Because the Emperor was very pleased with my grandfather’s hospitality, he gave him a medallion showing photographs of himself and Wilhemine. The last time my father saw this was in my aunt’s hands at their vineyard house in our old vineyard, which we called the “burned house”. My aunt was playing with it.

Since the family tree of a Çerkeş relative I met through Facebook in 2016 is important, I find it useful to put it here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Çerkeş Family Tree

GERMAN EMPEROR II. WILHELM IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

İLBER ORTAYLI: GERMAN INFLUENCE IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
In October 1898, the German emperor went on a journey between Istanbul and Jerusalem with his family. It was the second time he was visiting the Ottoman country, and this trip is considered a historical turning point that increased Germany’s influence in the Ottoman Empire, both as a show of strength and in terms of the results it achieved. II. Wilhelm should not be considered as a ruler who represented and directed the expansionist policy of the German empire after Bismarck. Although he was physically handicapped from birth, he was brought up with a harsh military training and lacked compassion.

During his reign as crown prince, Wilhelm had to fight for his life. Because of this feature, II. Wilhelm’s personality is attributed an exaggerated role by some historians in the development of events. In fact, the Kaiser’s world domination projects, his initiatives towards this, and the historical mission he assigned to the new Germany did not direct German foreign policy. On the contrary, the militarist, authoritarian and expansionist system and ideology of the new Germany caused the extreme behavior of Wilhelm II, and due to his personality that could not comprehend the flow of events, the Kaiser went down in history as the megalomaniac, blundering and ridiculed ruler of the last age. Sultan Abdulhamid II, whom the Kaiser visited, was a typical representative of Ottoman autocratic modernization and was trying to continue the life of a society and state that could not keep up with the 19th century he was in charge of. It is a matter that cannot be discussed; Despite his talents, Abdulhamid II could not carry out a historical mission that would initiate the necessary radical reforms. The intelligent lord of the Orient who tried to survive with his own methods, was hosting Wilhelm II; a rookie Charlesmagne dressed in shining armor who could not comprehend the world he lived in. It would be wrong to think that Sultan Abdulhamid admired the Kaiser and Germany as much as some of the Unionist leaders who dragged the country into the First Great War. But although the Sultan knew the Kaiser and German diplomacy better than them (the Young Turks), he did not refrain from following a pro-German policy and appearing pro-German. People with this tendency and attitude were present in every segment of the Ottoman administrators.

In response to England opening the Suez Canal, Germany was considering opening to the East by railway via Baghdad-Basra. The Baghdad railway was to be a German channel extending to the East to the Islamic countries. When the emperor first came to Istanbul in 1889, it seemed that this country had entered into close alliance relations with him. In the very first trip, the privilege to extend the Baghdad railway to Konya was obtained. II. Wilhelm was greeted not with diplomatic displays of friendship, but with displays of friendship that were out of his control. Newspapers had been busy with the emperor’s visit for months, Îkdam newspaper; “The courage, bravery and high qualities of the Ottomans are also present in the Germans. These two nations were created as mirrors of each other. When he said, “Ottomans remember the German name with respect and affection,” he was using this expression with naive belief, not arbitrarily.

The propaganda was made by the Ottoman press and administrators rather than the Germans. Ten years later, the emperor was coming to a country that had opened its doors to him again. This time, he came to the East in the pose of a great lord, a protector. New German policy; England took a firm stance against France and Russia and virtually declared its claim to be the ruler of the Middle East. At this time, England and France were fighting over the Facho issue in Africa. Wilhelm realized that it was time to appear in the Near East.

On October 18, 1898, the emperor and the empress came to Istanbul on their yacht and landed in Dolmabahçe amid cannon fire and “long live” sounds. On the second day, Istanbul museums were visited, a reception ceremony was held at the German Embassy, the same day, the empress visited the sultan’s wives and daughters in the Harem of the palace she was very curious about. On the third day, the walls of Istanbul were visited by horse and the ambassadors in the capital were received.

Finally, a long meeting with the Sultan and a theater performance in the evening… On the fourth day, the Hereke Carpet factory was visited, and carpets were generously presented to the emperor and his entourage. On the fifth day, the official reception of the sultan and a gala dinner filled the program. On the last day, the empress’s birthday was celebrated. On October 22, 1898, the emperor and his family departed for Haifa. Meanwhile, the emperor accepted the German colony in Istanbul and had a long meeting with Deutsche Bank Manager Dr. Siemens. At the end of the meeting, Siemens learned that permission was received to extend the Anatolian railway to Baghdad, and the emperor was very pleased with the visit to the German High School. So far the emperor’s trip had apparently been of no extraordinary nature. Finally, the ruler of a friendly country was welcomed with ceremony and cheers in the Ottoman capital, and the emperor’s real Crusade began after his yacht “Hohenzollern” anchored in Haifa on October 25. All of Syria, with its rulers, notables and spiritual leaders, welcomed the emperor with unprecedented pomp. Apart from the officials along the way, the Catholic and Protestant German colony accompanied him, and the emperor was accompanied by 127 high-ranking Ottoman officials and soldiers. To meet him, the Hassa Ertuğrul Regiment had previously set out for Haifa, and all of them were dressed in new uniforms. The Emperor and his crowded entourage reached Jerusalem by horse on October 29, and all the spiritual leaders welcomed the Emperor in this town. He was now in the role of a pilgrim. He gave abundant blessings to all the spiritual leaders. To show that he was the emperor not only of the Protestants but also of the Catholic Germans, he bestowed one of the highest decorations, the Roiher Adlerordin, on the spiritual leader of the Catholics, Cardinal Piavi. Catholic mission heads; They stated that they were “grateful that the emperor honored the historical lands and that their hopes for the future increased.” During the pilgrimage, the Emperor met separately with the mission heads of the Palestine-German colony (including German Jews) and made promises and grants to each of them. He visited the Wailing Wall, the Greek Orthodox Church and even the Masjid al-Aqsa. On October 31, he opened the German church next to the Kamame Church (Holy Sepulchre) with a ceremony (Erlöserkirchc). It was the largest church in Jerusalem, and although it was not a beautiful piece of architecture, it was a monument of prestige. Then he moved to Haifa. He landed in Beirut on 12 November. From here he went to Damascus by train on November 13. He visited the grave of Selâhaddin Ayyubî in the Umayyad Mosque and had a visit plaque installed in his memory. He gave his famous speech in response to the “welcome” speeches of the rulers in Damascus: “I am here in front of the tomb of Sultan Saladin, the most heroic soldier of all time. I owe a debt of gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Abdulhamid for his hospitality. Both His Majesty the Sultan and the 300 million Muslims around the world, of whom he is the Caliph, should know that the German Emperor is their best friend.” By so brightly declaring that he was the protector (!) of Muslims, the Emperor was demonstrating the real purpose of the trip. He departed from Beirut on 16 November. This trip and the emperor’s attitude affected Sultan Abdulhamid; He reinforced his belief that he had found an ally who would support him against the European powers on the Macedonian, Cretan and Armenian issues.

The German press had long before introduced this trip as a historical event and a political breakthrough. Already in 1897; “The emperor’s trip to Jerusalem next year will delight and give hope not only to the Protestants there, but also to the Protestants throughout Asia Minor. It was said that the Protestant community, which was weak until now, will now become stronger. The emperor openly and spontaneously assumed the role of protector of Ottoman Protestants. German mission chiefs in Palestine had applied to Berlin long before the trip. For example, Hoffmann, the leader of the Templar order; “May the Emperor visit all of our colonies and give us courage,” he said.

German Protestants were not at all in favor of the emperor complimenting French Protestants; It was said that “Only Germans, whether Catholic or Protestant, should receive the help of the emperor”, and the emperor wanted German Jews to welcome him in Jerusalem. The important thing was the colonizers of German origin in the Palestinian territories. Especially after this trip, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs continuously started to purchase land in Jerusalem and Palestine for institutions such as churches, schools and orphanages. Regardless of which sect or religion, Germany wanted German-speaking crowds to settle in Palestine.

Despite this, II. Wilhelm’s trip to Jerusalem did not cause some controversy in the German press. Bacdische Landeszeitung, a nationalist liberal German newspaper, had made a harsh criticism referring to Sultan Abdulhamid and the Emperor; “How will the emperor shake the hand of a man whose hands are stained with Armenian blood? “Is His Majesty paying for the coal costs of the yacht on this trip from his own allocation or from the state coffers?”. Defending the official ideology, Germania wrote in this article; While another liberal newspaper, Constanzer Zeitung, responded to the same article by saying “the nonsense of stupid, confused liberals”; “Armenians themselves are guilty. Türkiye cannot survive without Abdulhamid. He is a smart diplomat. In fact, he is the prime minister. “He is respected as the Caliph even outside his borders, and it is an important event for the Emperor to be the guest of such a Sultan,” he replied.

An interesting appearance draws attention here. Revisionist socialist party; While leaders such as Bernstein and Kautsky were against the Armenian policy of the Abdulhamid administration, Vorvaerts newspaper and its chief editor Karl Liebknecht were publishing more pro-Ottoman publications. Because the policy followed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels since the Crimean War in supporting the Ottoman Empire against Russia is well known. They preferred to see the Sultan rather than the Tsar in the Balkans and Istanbul for the sake of the socialist future. The Vorwaerts group saw the Eastern problem as an area in which the great powers and Russia should not interfere.

In the outside world, the emperor’s trip to the East caused everyone concern and anger. The Papacy did not like Wilhelm’s Catholic patronage and made it vaguely clear that it would continue to recognize this role for France. The British Consul in Jerusalem wrote in his report; He stated that “the Emperor’s visit and the respect shown to him by the Ottoman Government and the extraordinary freedom he granted him during this visit increased the prestige of the German Empire and would cause the expansion of German influence in Palestine.”
The Emperor encouraged the German missions operating in Palestine and prepared a suitable environment for their success. In Palestine, societies such as “Jerusalem Verein – Jerusalem Union”, “Evangelische Bund – Protestant Union”, “Deutsche Orient Mission – German Eastern Mission” had been active since the 1890s. Thanks to the support of the German Foreign Ministry, these societies attempted to spread Protestantism in Palestine, other parts of Ottoman Asia and even in Russia. On July 2, 1900, Russia’s famous clerical newspaper Zerkovniye Vedemosti; He states that “the Germans did not leave any city without schools in Palestine and that Protestantism was spread by the Germans among the poor in Russia as well.” Zerkovniya Vedemosti continues; “With 300 societies, an annual budget of 40 million marks, and 400 Protestant missionaries and 20 Catholic priests in Palestine, Germany is working successfully. Our Russians also have 23 boys’ and 1 girls’ school, 1 hospital and 4 health centers in Palestine. But we are too weak to have any influence on the Roman (meaning Catholics) and Teutonic societies. “Wilhelm II. went to Jerusalem to conquer Asia peacefully and to inject energy into his Pan-German comrades,” it said.

When the Emperor returned to Berlin, he told his ministers and businessmen the gifts he had received from the Sultan; It heralded the construction concession of the Constanta-Istanbul telegraph line, the intensification of commercial relations, and the concession given to Deutsche Bank for the extension of Anatolian railways to Baghdad. Germany had entered a period in which it would influence the Ottoman Army with its experts and arms trade, the Near East with its railways, and therefore all areas of political and social life.