THE SCRAMBLE FOR THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

This present study forms an integral part which examines the period of decline of the Ottoman Empire. Its purpose is not to tell the story of the last century of this Empire, nor of the Eastern Question. Instead, it aims to highlight two issues. The first concerns the emergence of external factors, namely the role of the European Powers and their involvement in the redefining of the borders of the Sultan's state, as well as the formation of the status of its provinces. Consequently, the relationship of these Powers with the Ottoman Empire and the negotiations among diplomats and statesmen, which resulted in the territorial restriction of the Ottoman state are examined. The second issue concerns the history of five Ottoman provinces which had been cut off from the Ottoman territory after the Congress of Berlin of 1878. In other words, the study's aim was not to rewrite the history of these former Ottoman provinces, but to highlight the diplomatic processes that determined their subsequent historical course. Finally, it aims to provide a synthetic picture of the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, thus filling a gap in the bibliography of international history.