Shows / The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
From the eastern Roman capital of Constantinople to the sprawling Ottoman sultanate and the modern Turkish republic, the land that is now Turkey has been a crossroads of empires, faiths, and cultures for over two millennia. Lucas and Luna guide listeners through this layered history, starting with the foundation of Byzantium, the reign of Justinian and Theodora, and the construction of Hagia Sophia. They explore the rise of the Seljuks, the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 under…
Episodes
The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo HistoryThe Day the Bosphorus Froze: Ottoman Winter
In Episode 281 of The Story of Turkey, we turn our gaze to a singular, chilling event in Ottoman history: the Great Frost of 1740. While previous episodes…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The 1950 Election: How Turkey Turned Democratic
This episode explores the pivotal 1950 Turkish general election, the first time the ruling Republican People's Party (CHP) lost power in a free vote. We…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Great Turkish Alphabet Reform and Its Lasting Impact
In Episode 279, we explore the radical transformation of Turkey’s written language under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. While previous episodes touched on his…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Kurdish Question: Turkey's Unresolved Identity Crisis
We explore the complex and often painful history of the Kurdish people within modern Turkey, tracing the journey from the Treaty of Sèvres to the contemporary…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Turkey's Forgotten War: The Greco-Turkish Conflict of 1919
While the fall of Constantinople and the rise of Atatürk are well-documented, the brutal four-year war between Greek forces and Turkish nationalists from 1919…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Armenian Genocide: Ottoman Collapse and Empire
In 1915, the Ottoman Empire faced a catastrophic defeat at Gallipoli and a collapsing front in the Caucasus. With Russian troops advancing toward Erzurum and…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The 1960 Coup That Redefined Turkey
In this episode, we explore the military intervention of May 27, 1960, which ended the one-party rule of the Democrat Party and ushered in a new constitutional…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Atatürk's Silent Revolution: Language Reform in Turkey
In Episode 274, we explore the most radical cultural overhaul in modern Turkish history: the 1928 alphabet reform. While earlier episodes covered Atatürk’s…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era: Art, War, and the Fall of Empire
Episode 273 revisits the Lale Devri, or Tulip Era, but moves beyond the aesthetic glamour to examine the structural rot beneath. We explore how Sultan Ahmed…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Young Turk Revolution and the Ottoman Constitution
In 1908, the Ottoman Empire was crumbling under debt, territorial loss, and autocratic rule, yet a secret society of military officers known as the Young Turks…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Atatürk's Secret: The Man Who Saved Turkey
In this episode of the Fexingo History podcast, we explore the hidden life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during his youth in Salonica. Before he became the founding…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Day Constantinople Fell: The Siege of 1453
On May 29, 1453, the city known as Constantinople for a thousand years ceased to exist, replaced by Istanbul under Ottoman rule. This episode examines the…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Sultan's Secret Police: Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa and the Ottoman State
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy world of the Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa, the Ottoman Empire’s clandestine intelligence agency during its final…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era: Ottoman Art and the Fall of Empire
In 1718, the Treaty of Passarowitz ended decades of war between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League, ushering in a period known as the Lale Devri, or Tulip…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Janissary Revolt That Shook the Ottoman Throne
In this episode of The Story of Turkey, we explore the volatile relationship between the Sultan and his elite Janissary corps during the reign of Mahmud II. We…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era's Hidden Cost: Ottoman Decadence and Reform
We step back into the early eighteenth century to examine the Lale Devri, or Tulip Era, a period often remembered for its floral beauty and artistic patronage…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Ottoman Banker Who Saved the Empire
In this episode, we uncover the extraordinary life of Calouste Gulbenkian, known as Mr. Five Percent, and his pivotal role in shaping the modern Middle East’s…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era: Ottoman Art and the Fall of Empire
While earlier episodes touched on the Young Atatürk’s formative years and the brutal birth of the Republic, this episode looks back at the courtly splendor…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Last Sultan: Abdülhamid II's Secret Empire
For over thirty years, Sultan Abdülhamid II ruled the Ottoman Empire from behind a veil of secrecy and surveillance. This episode explores the paradox of…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The 1923 Republic and the Myth of Homogeneity
While we often look to Atatürk’s reforms for the birth of modern Turkey, the true story of 1923 is one of radical social engineering that reshaped the human…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Young Atatürk's Secret School Years
We often think of Mustafa Kemal as the soldier who won Gallipoli or the statesman who founded Turkey, but his story begins in a dusty classroom in Selanik…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era: How Istanbul’s Aristocracy Chose Art Over War
While previous episodes have traced the military might of the Ottoman Empire and the political restructuring under Atatürk, Episode 260 turns its gaze to a…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Sultan's Secret: How Suleiman Lost His Heir
In this episode of The Story of Turkey, we uncover the dramatic fall from grace of Mehmed, the favored son of Suleiman the Magnificent. Once groomed to inherit…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Istanbul's Secret Tunnels: How Water Built an Empire
We often think of Istanbul’s history in terms of sultans, battles, and treaties, but the city’s survival has always depended on something less visible: water…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Great Schism: How the Ecumenical Patriarchate Survived
After centuries of navigating the complex political landscape of the Ottoman Empire, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople emerged as a unique…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Istanbul's Hidden Waters: The City’s Secret Life
This episode explores the subterranean world beneath Istanbul, focusing on the Yerebatan Sarnıcı, also known as the Basilica Cistern. We trace how Justinian I…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Great Fire of Istanbul: Burning the Old City
In this episode, we explore the catastrophic Great Fire of Istanbul in July 1865, an event that reshaped the physical and social landscape of the Ottoman…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Great Schism: How the Ecumenical Patriarchate Survived
This episode explores the intricate survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople after the Ottoman conquest. While Sultan Mehmed II is often…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Treaty of Lausanne: How Modern Turkey Was Drawn
Episode 253 takes us to the quiet, smoke-filled rooms of the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland, during 1922 and 1923. While previous episodes covered…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Armenian Genocide: Origins and Aftermath
This episode examines the systematic destruction of the Armenian population within the Ottoman Empire during World War I, focusing on the political…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Ottoman Tax Farmer Who Bankrupted an Empire
In this episode, we explore the lives of the tax farmers who kept the Ottoman economy afloat while quietly undermining its stability. We meet men like Yahya…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Istanbul's Forgotten Armenian Quarter: Surp Prgyç
This episode explores the vibrant, often overlooked history of Istanbul’s Armenian neighborhoods, particularly the Surp Prgyç district in Balat and Fener. We…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Last Caliph: Abdülmejid II's Quiet Exile
Episode 249 follows the final chapter of the House of Osman after the abolition of the Sultanate in November 1922. While Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Grand…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Man Who Made Istanbul: Koca Mustafa Pasha
In this episode of The Story of Turkey, we turn our gaze to the late eighteenth century and the ambitious Grand Vizier Koca Mustafa Pasha. While previous…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Day the Bosphorus Froze: Ottoman Naval History
Most people imagine the Ottoman Empire as a land-based powerhouse, defined by vast armies and sweeping conquests across Anatolia and the Balkans. But the story…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Istanbul's Hidden Streets: The City That Refused to Change
While we’ve explored the grand palaces and political upheavals of Ottoman history, today we’re looking at the city that resisted change even as the empire fell…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Mustafa Kemal and the Birth of Modern Turkey
In this episode, we leave behind the palaces of Istanbul to follow Mustafa Kemal through the crucible of World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. We…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Atatürk's Lost Years: From Gallipoli to the War of Independence
We trace the extraordinary arc of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, moving beyond his famous presidency to explore the crucible of World War I and the Turkish War of…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Ottoman Banker Who Saved the Empire
In this episode, we turn away from sultans and soldiers to follow the rise of Calouste Gulbenkian, the Armenian-Ottoman oil magnate known as Mr. Five Percent…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Istanbul's Hidden Waters: The City’s Secret Life
Beneath the bustling streets of modern Istanbul and the historic grandeur of the Ottoman capital lies a forgotten hydraulic system that kept the city alive for…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Last Ottoman Caliph: Abdülmejid II's Exile
Episode 241 moves past the violent dismantling of the Sultanate to explore the quiet tragedy of the Caliphate. After Mustafa Kemal Atatürk abolished the…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Armenian Genocide: Origins and Aftermath
In this episode, we examine the tragic events of 1915–1916 that led to the Armenian Genocide. Lucas and Luna discuss how World War I created a volatile…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Armenian Genocide: Origins and Aftermath
This episode examines the catastrophic events of 1915-1916, when the Ottoman government deported and massacred its Armenian population. We trace the roots of…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Ottoman Constitutional Revolution of 1908
In 1908, the Ottoman Empire stood on the brink of collapse, squeezed by Russian expansionism after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca and internal decay. This…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca: Russia's First Step to Empire
In 1774, the Ottoman Empire signed a treaty that quietly dismantled its grip on the Black Sea and set the stage for centuries of Russian expansion. This…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Sultan's Secret Police: Ottoman Intelligence Network
Episode 236 explores the intricate world of the Ottoman intelligence apparatus, known as the Akıncı and the network of spies that kept the empire cohesive…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Sultan's Garden: Ottoman Science and the Tulip Era
While previous episodes have explored the political intrigues of the Topkapi Palace and the military might of the Janissaries, this episode shifts focus to the…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Suleiman's Grand Vizier: Rustem Pasha's Rise and Fall
This episode explores the life of Rüstem Pasha, the Ottoman Empire’s most powerful Grand Vizier under Suleiman the Magnificent. Often overshadowed by the…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Sultan Who Saved Byzantine Art in Istanbul
When Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453, the world expected a purge. Instead, he made a radical choice: preserving the Hagia Sophia not as a ruin, but…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Ottoman Constitutional Revolution of 1908
By the early twentieth century, the Ottoman Empire was a shadow of its former self, crumbling under nationalist pressures and economic dependency on European…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Young Sultan Who Reformed an Empire
This episode explores the tragic and ambitious reign of Mahmud II, the Ottoman Sultan who ruled from 1808 to 1839. We examine how he inherited an empire on the…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Women Who Ruled the Ottoman Harem
We often picture the Ottoman Empire through the lens of sultans and grand viziers, but for centuries, the true political gravity in Istanbul lay within the…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era's Secret War: Patrona Halil's Revolt
We left off with the glittering surface of the Lale Devri, but beneath the roses lay a powder keg. This episode examines the 1730 Patrona Halil Revolt, where a…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era's Hidden War: Patrona Halil and the Fall of Ibrahim
We left the Ottoman court in the glittering but fragile days of the Tulip Era, where Sultan Ahmed III and his Grand Vizier Nevşehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Suleiman's Daughter: The Tragedy of Mihrimah Sultan
While her father Süleyman the Magnificent was expanding the Ottoman Empire and his mother Hürrem Sultan navigated the harem’s politics, their daughter Mihrimah…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era's Fatal Flaw: Luxury, War, and Revolution
In 1718, the Treaty of Passarowitz ended decades of Ottoman-Habsburg warfare, ushering in a brief but dazzling period known as the Lale Devri, or Tulip Era…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Tulip Era: Ottoman Luxury and the Fall of Ibrahim
In this episode, we explore the Tulip Period, a brief but glittering era in early eighteenth-century Ottoman history when Istanbul’s elite turned away from war…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Janissary Massacre and the Birth of Modern Turkey
In 1826, Sultan Mahmud II orchestrated one of the most brutal political purges in history to destroy the Janissary corps. This episode explores the…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
Suleiman's Lost Daughter: The Tragedy of Mihrimah Sultan
While we have explored the military might of the Janissaries, the architectural genius of Mimar Sinan, and the political intrigue of the Harem, one figure…
- The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Janissary Corps: The Empire's Iron Fist and Fatal Flaw
We trace the rise and catastrophic fall of the Ottoman Janissary corps, starting with their creation as a standing army under Murad I. We explore the devshirme…