Amasya Circular ( tr, italic=ytes, Amasya Genelgesi or Amasya Tamimi) was a joint

circular Circular may refer to: * The shape of a circle * ''Circular'' (album), a 2006 album by Spanish singer Vega * Circular letter (disambiguation) ** Flyer (pamphlet), a form of advertisement * Circular reasoning, a type of logical fallacy * Circular ...

issued on 22 June 1919 in

Amasya Amasya () is a city in northern Turkey and is the capital of Amasya Province, in the Black Sea Region. It was called Amaseia or Amasia in antiquity."Amasya" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ...

Sivas Vilayet The Vilayet of Sivas (, ota, ولايت سيوس, Vilâyet-i Sivas) was a first-level administrative division ( vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, and was one of the Six Armenian vilayets. The vilayet was bordered by Erzurum Vilayet to the east, ...

by Fahri Yaver-i Hazret-i Şehriyari ("Honorary Aide-de-camp to His Majesty Sultan")

Mirliva ''Mirliva'' or ''Mîr-i livâ'' was a military rank of the Ottoman Army and Navy. It corresponds to a brigadier general (modern Turkish: ''Tuğgeneral'') in the modern Turkish Army. ''Mirliva'' is a compound word composed of ''Mir'' ( commander) ...

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (Inspector of the Ninth Army Inspectorate),

Rauf Orbay Hüseyin Rauf Orbay (27 July 1881 – 16 July 1964) was an Ottoman-born Turkish naval officer, statesman and diplomat of Abkhazian origin. Biography Hüseyin Rauf was born in Constantinople in 1881 to an Abkhazian family. As an officer i ...

(former Naval Minister),

Miralay ''Miralay'' or ''Mîr-i alay'' (Gendarmerie: ''Alaybeyi'') was a military rank of the Ottoman Army and Navy. The modern Turkish equivalent is ''Albay'', meaning Colonel.Refet Bele Refet Bele (1881 – 3 October 1963), also known as Refet Bey or Refet Pasha was a Turkish military commander. He served in the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army, where he retired as a general. Life He was born to a Turkish family in Thessalon ...

(Commander of the III Corps stationed at

Sivas Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province. The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...

) and Mirliva Ali Fuat Cebesoy (Commander of the XX Corps stationed at

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

). And during the whole meeting, Ferik

Cemal Mersinli Cemal Mersinli (1875 – October 7, 1941), also known as Mehmed Djemal Pasha, Mersinli Djemal, or Djemal Kuchuk ( tr, Küçük Cemal Paşa; meaning the lesser Djemal to distinguish him from the higher-ranking Djemal Pasha) was a general of the ...

(Inspector of the Second Army Inspectorate) and Mirliva

Kâzım Karabekir Musa Kâzım Karabekir (also spelled Kiazim Karabekir in English; 1882 – 26 January 1948) was a Turkish general and politician. He was the commander of the Eastern Army of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I and served as Speaker of ...

(Commander of the

XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to: *XV Corps (British India) * XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * 15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I *XV Royal Bav ...

stationed at

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...

) were consulted with telegraphs.Sina Akşin, ''Ana Çizgileriyle Türkiye'nin Yakın Tarihi'', İmaj Yayıncılık, 1996, , p. 110. This circular is considered as the first written document putting the

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

in motion. The circular, distributed across

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

, declared

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

's independence and integrity to be in danger and called for a national conference to be held in

(

Sivas Congress The Sivas Congress ( tr, Sivas Kongresi) was an assembly of the Turkish National Movement held for one week from 4 to 11 September 1919 in the city of Sivas, in central-eastern Turkey, which united delegates from all Anatolian provinces of the Ot ...

) and before that, for a preparatory congress comprising representatives from the eastern provinces of Anatolia to be held in

in July (

Erzurum Congress Erzurum Congress ( tr, Erzurum Kongresi) was an assembly of Turkish Revolutionaries held from 23 July to 4 August 1919 in the city of Erzurum, in eastern Turkey, in accordance with the previously issued Amasya Circular. The congress united de ...

Materials

* 1. The unity and the independence of the nation is at great risk. * 2. The government in Istanbul (the Istanbul Government) cannot fulfill the responsibilities it undertakes. This situation makes our nation look like it is non-existent. * 3.The independence of the nation will be saved by the determination and solidarity of the nation. * 4. To take into consideration the situation of the nation and its conduct, the presence of a national committee free of restraint and inspection is needed to express and announce the rights of the nation to the whole world. * 5. It is decided that a Congress must promptly be held in the safest place of Anatolia at this time, Sivas. * 6.For this purpose, three delegates who have won the trust of the public, as quickly as possible, need to immediately depart from their provinces' Sanjaks * 7. Acknowledging that they may be faced with an unfavorable situation in this mission, delegates must hide their purposes like a national secret and hide their identities when they travel to places where it is necessary to do so. * 8.A congress will be held in Erzurum in 10 July for the eastern provinces. Until that date if the other provincial delegates could also travel to Sivas, the members of the Erzurum Congress will also head to the general conference which will be held at Sivas.

Sources

* Kemal Toker

Materials

Sources

See also