The Sanjak of Vize (

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...

: ''Sancak-i/Liva-i Vize'') was a second-level Ottoman province (''

sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...

'' or '' liva'') encompassing the region of

Vize Vize (; ; ) is a town in Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Vize District.Eastern Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

. After 1849 its seat was moved to Tekfürtaği, and until its end ca. 1920 the province was known as the Sanjak of Tekfürtaği.

History

The town of Vize (Greek Bizye) was part of the remnants of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, which fell with the Ottoman conquest of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in 1453. The town became the seat of a ''

'' as part of the

Rumelia Eyalet The Eyalet of Rumeli, or Eyalet of Rumelia (), known as the Beylerbeylik of Rumeli until 1591, was a first-level province ('' beylerbeylik'' or ''eyalet'') of the Ottoman Empire encompassing most of the Balkans ("Rumelia"). For most of its history ...

in the last third of the 15th century. By the mid-17th century, it had come under the

Özü Eyalet The Eyalet of Silistra or Silistria (; ), later known as Özü Eyalet (; ) meaning Province of Ochakiv was an ''eyalet'' of the Ottoman Empire along the Black Sea Littoral zone, littoral and south bank of the Danube, Danube River in southeastern ...

, after 1812 to the

Silistra Eyalet The Eyalet of Silistra or Silistria (; ), later known as Özü Eyalet (; ) meaning Province of Ochakiv was an '' eyalet'' of the Ottoman Empire along the Black Sea littoral and south bank of the Danube River in southeastern Europe. The fortress ...

, and by 1846 to the Edirne Eyalet.Birken (1976), p. 85 It was renamed into Sanjak of Tekfürtaği in 1849, after the new capital, Tekfürtaği (mod.

Tekirdağ Tekirdağ () is a city in northwestern Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. The city forms the urban part of the Süleymanpaşa district, with a population of 186,421 in 2022. Tekirdağ ...

). Vize itself was detached in 1879 and came under the Sanjak of Kırk Kilise.Birken (1976), p. 100 In 1912, the ''sanjak'' of Tekfürtaği encompassed the ''

kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

s'' (districts) of Tekfürtaği proper,

Malkara Malkara () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,243 km2 (the largest in Tekirdağ Province), and its population is 50,988 (2022). It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ and 190 km from Ist ...

Çorlu Çorlu () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, northwestern Turkey. Its area is 531 km2, and its population is 300,296 (2024). It is a rapidly growing industrial center built on flatland located on the motorway Otoyol 3 and ...

, and

Hayrabolu Hayrabolu is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,009 km2, and its population is 30,521 (2022). As of 2023 the mayor is Osman İnan of the AKP. History Byzantine period Nothing is known about this city dur ...

. In 1920, the area, along with the entirety of

Eastern Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

, was occupied by the

Greek Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed F ...

, who held it until they withdrew in October 1922 following the

Armistice of Mudanya The Armistice of Mudanya () was an agreement between Turkey (the Grand National Assembly of Turkey) on the one hand, and Italy, France, and Britain on the other hand, signed in the town of Mudanya, in the province of Bursa, on 11 October 1922. Th ...

. After 1923 the town of Tekirdağ became the capital of the

Tekirdağ Province Tekirdağ Province (, ) is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey. Its area is 6,190 km2, and its population is 1,142,451 (2022). It is located in the East Thrace region of the country, also known as European Turkey, one of only t ...

in the

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

References

Sources

* Ottoman Thrace Sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire in Europe States and territories established in the 15th century States and territories disestablished in 1849 1490s establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1849 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire {{Ottoman-stub