Reflections of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (1908) annexation by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Ottoman Press

Bosnia-Herzegovina, an important place in the Balkans and a target of Austria-Hungary, became a part of Eastern Question because of 1875 Uprising. Ottoman Empire that had difficulty to place itself in European Concert and European League that began to emerge in 1870's, lost many of its territories in the Balkans and left Bosnia-Herzegovina to Austria-Hungarian occupation with the Congress of Berlin signed at the end of the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-78. A big majority of Muslim population of Bosnia migrated as a reaction to Austrian-Hungarian occupation and its policies aiming to form New national identity in Bosnia-Herzegovina. During the thirty years following the occupation, Austria-Hungary implied some policies in accordance with its secret plans to annex Bosnia-Herzegovina. Taking advantage of the European League in the 19th century, Austrian-Hungarian Empire, despite the agreement in the Berlin Congress, annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908. Even though this annexation did not result in a war, it caused strong opposition and reaction of both the Ottoman Empire and other European Powers. It affected especially Ottoman Empire and Serbia and caused severe breaks in diplomatic relations between these states and Austria-Hungary. Annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina influenced greatly Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary and caused review of European League and the formation of new blocks among European Powers on the road to the First World War. Based on Ottoman archival sources and some Ottoman newspapers, this thesis aims to analyze how Ottoman government, public and press viewed and reacted to Austrian-Hungarian occupation and later to the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.