Migrations from Crete in the last period of the Ottoman Empire

The nationalism movement that emerged with the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century spread all over the world after the 1789 French Revolution. The Ottoman Empire, which had a multinational structure, was also affected by this movement with its positive and negative aspects. The Ottoman Empire, which held most of the Balkans in the 19th century, faced the uprisings of the people of different ethnic origins living in these lands. The island of Crete, where the Greek population is in the majority, could not be expected to remain silent against this trend. As a result of the Greek nationalism, which started to flourish since the end of the 18th century, the students studying at the University of Athens and the activities of the Greek consulate, revolts against the Ottoman rule began in Crete from the beginning of the 19th century. In this study, the uprisings that emerged in Crete and within the framework of these uprisings, the reasons that led Muslims to migrate to the existing Ottoman lands, especially Anatolia, are discussed. In addition, the adaptation processes within the framework of the settlement problems and conflicts with the local people after the migration of the Muslims are also included in the content of the study. Key Words: Greek Nationalism, The Cretan Question, 1897 Turk – Greece War, Boycott, Migration, Settlement