Politics in the shadow of guns: Yakup Cemil Bey as a conspirator

The Ottoman Empire was one of the states where the influence of the army in the political arena was felt the most. The Ottoman Army, which developed in parallel with the new enemies that it faced from its establishment, became politicized as it professionalized and gained a decisive role in the politics of the capital. With the end of the era of conquests of the empire, the military became the most important pole in the sharing of political power. The modernization movement, which was initiated with the liquidation of traditional institutions, caused a great change in the world view in the army, but continued to carry the traces of the past in its reactions to the events it was involved in. With the spread of European ideas to the Empire's mentality, new concepts such as the constitution and parliament in Turkish politics and new types of actors struggling for this cause will emerge. At the end of this process, which continued from the New Ottomans to the Committee of Union and Progress, the reformist achieved what they wanted with non-peaceful methods, and the disadvantages of this situation did not leave them even when they were in power. Because the executive wing of these methods, The Fedais, cast a shadow over politics. Yakup Cemil, one of the most famous figures among the bouncers, is one of the biggest contributors to this situation. Born in Yenibahçe, Istanbul in 1883, Yakup Cemil graduated as an Infantry Lieutenant in 1903 from the Military Academy entered in 1901 and was assigned to Macedonia, which was turned into a battlefield by gangs of different nationalities. HeXI joined the Fedai Squad of the Committee of Union and Progress, which he joined in 1908, which was established in the same year, and took on many duties there. After the revolution in 1908, he took part in the assassinations of the opponents of the League, went to help the revolutionaries in Iran, and took care of the interests of the League in Adana, which caused a significant break in his life. After the Tripoli and First Balkan War, he was expelled from the army due to the Bâb-ı Ali raid he was involved in. He served in the Second Balkan War. Yakup Cemil, who was included in the Caucasian front voluntarily when the World War started, then served as internal security, waged gang wars in Eastern Anatolia, and returned to Istanbul after a very short service in Iraq. His inability to persevere in his duties was due to his maverick actions and failure to abide by the hierarchy. As a matter of fact, this aspect will not leave him alone when he returns to Istanbul, and he will pave the way to his end in this way. The Fedai Squad, of which he was a member, became an independent group after the revolution and entered the process of gaining a political identity under the leadership of Enver Bey in the Tripoli War, which would also affect Yakup Cemil's life. For the sake of Enver Bey, he will take up arms many times, act threateningly and contribute to Enver's becoming "Pasha" from being "Bey". Marking the important events of his time with his reckless behavior, Yakup Cemil will be the first symbol that comes to mind when "komitacilik" is mentioned in Turkey. He will even be referred to as a role model in different fields such as the press in terms of his methods.