In 1908, the Ottoman Empire tried one last time to reinvent itself. The Young Turk Revolution forced the restoration of the constitution, crowds filled the streets in celebration, and for a brief, fragile moment, Muslims and Christians embraced the dream of a shared Ottoman future.

It would not last.

This episode of The Gilded Sword follows the empire’s final, violent descent from reform into ruin. We trace the collapse through the Libyan War and the Balkan catastrophes, which strip the Ottomans of almost all their European lands. Out of the wreckage emerges a hard nationalist regime—the Three Pashas—who gamble the empire’s fate on alliance with Germany in the coming world war.

World War I brings both legend and horror. Gallipoli forges the reputation of Mustafa Kemal. The Arab Revolt shatters imperial unity. And the Armenian Genocide leaves a permanent scar on the empire’s conscience, as deportation and mass death unfold behind the lines.

Defeat in 1918 brings occupation. Allied warships anchor in the Bosphorus. Greek troops land at Smyrna. Istanbul is humiliated—and Anatolia ignites.

From the interior rises a new movement, led by Mustafa Kemal, rejecting surrender and organizing resistance. The Treaty of Sèvres becomes a death sentence. The War of Independence becomes a rebirth.

By 1922, the Sultanate is abolished. By 1923, the Republic of Turkey is proclaimed. And in 1924, the Caliphate itself is erased, ending six centuries of dynastic rule.

This is not just the fall of an empire. It is the moment the Ottoman world fractures—and something entirely new takes its place.

By the end of the 18th century, the Ottoman Empire was no longer feared—it was diagnosed. European powers now called it the “Sick Man of Europe,” and for the first time, survival depended not on conquest, but on reform.

This episode of The Gilded Sword follows the empire’s century-long struggle to modernize in a world that was leaving it behind. It begins with Selim III and his doomed Nizam-ı Cedid, the first attempt to build a Western-style army—crushed by Janissary revolt and palace intrigue. From there, Mahmud II strikes back with the Auspicious Incident, annihilating the Janissaries and dragging the empire into the modern age by force.

But reform brings new dangers. Greek independence shatters the illusion of unity. Muhammad Ali of Egypt nearly destroys the empire from within. And as the Tanzimat reforms promise equality, railways, and law, they also awaken nationalist movements that the state can no longer contain.

The drama peaks in war and humiliation. The heroic defense of Plevna cannot stop Russian armies from reaching the gates of Istanbul. The Congress of Berlin dismembers Ottoman Europe. Desperation gives way to autocracy under Abdul Hamid II, who rules through spies, censorship, and Pan-Islamic appeal—while quietly expanding schools, railways, and a new officer class.

That officer class will be his undoing.

In 1908, the Young Turks force the restoration of the constitution, ending three decades of personal rule and opening the final chapter of Ottoman history.

From reform to repression, from hope to fracture, this is the story of an empire trying to become a nation—and discovering that change can be as dangerous as decline.

At the dawn of the 18th century, the Ottoman Empire stood wounded but unbroken. The disasters of the previous century had forced a reckoning. The age of easy conquest was over. Survival now required restraint, adaptation, and uneasy peace.

This episode of The Gilded Sword follows an empire caught between elegance and existential threat. We begin with the Edirne Event of 1703, when rebellion in the capital topples a sultan and exposes the growing power of the streets, the Janissaries, and the crowd. From there, the story turns to the glittering calm of the Tulip Era, when courtly life, European art, and new technologies flourished under Ahmed III and his visionary grand vizier. For a moment, it seemed the empire could modernize without breaking itself.

That illusion did not last.

The Patrona Halil Revolt tears down the world of garden parties and fountains, restoring conservative rule and military anxiety. And in the north, a new enemy is rising. Under Catherine the Great, Russia transforms into a modern war machine with its eyes fixed firmly on Ottoman lands and warm-water seas.

The result is catastrophe. In the war of 1768–1774, Ottoman armies collapse, and the navy is annihilated at Chesme. The final blow comes with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, which strips the empire of Crimea and grants Russia the right to intervene in Ottoman internal affairs—an unprecedented breach of sovereignty.

By 1789, as Selim III takes the throne, the message is clear: reform is no longer optional.

From tulips to treaties, from elegance to humiliation, this is the story of how the Ottomans learned that the greatest danger was no longer inside their walls—but standing at their gates.