Rauf Bey (Orbay) - Turkey in the First World War

Hüseyin Rauf was born on 27 July 1881, in Istanbul, in the Cibali district, into a prominent family with deep roots in the Ottoman Navy. His father, Mehmet Muzaffer Paşa, was an admiral of Abkhaz descent and a member of the Ottoman Senate, while his mother, Rüveyde Hanım, came from the influential Bedirhan family of Kurdish tribal origins. His early education began in Cibali, and due to his father's posting as governor in Tripoli (Libya), he attended the military middle school there. He later returned to Istanbul and entered the prestigious Heybeliada Naval Academy, graduating in 1899 as a lieutenant.

Following his graduation, Orbay embarked on a naval career, serving on various ships, including Selimiye, Garp, and Mahmudiye. His promotions were steady, he was promoted to first lieutenant in 1901 and to captain in 1904. In the early 1900s, Orbay was sent abroad, traveling to the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany to study advancements in shipbuilding and naval practices, which would later play a significant role in his military strategies and understanding of modern warfare. These trips contributed to his reputation as a forward-thinking officer in the Ottoman Navy.

One of his earliest significant military actions occurred during the suppression of the 31 March Rebellion in 1909, where Orbay participated in the Army of Action sent to restore order in Istanbul after the rebellion against the constitutional government. This involvement marked his first high-profile action in Turkish military history and began his relationship with key figures like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and İsmet İnönü, who would become crucial in his later political life.

In May 1909, Orbay was appointed to command the Hamidiye, a cruiser that would become central to his legacy. During the Balkan Wars (1912–1913), he led the Hamidiye in one of the most daring and talked-about naval campaigns in Ottoman history. The cruiser sailed for over eight months, disrupting the operations of the Greek navy in the Eastern Mediterranean, even breaking through the naval blockade in the Dardanelles. The Hamidiye’s cruise was hailed as a victory of spirit and strategy, despite the larger geopolitical consequences of the Balkan conflict remaining unchanged. The campaign earned Hüseyin Rauf the nickname Hamidiye Kahramanı (Hero of the Hamidiye), and he became a national symbol of Ottoman resilience.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Rauf's duties expanded. Initially tasked with securing Afghanistan’s support for the Ottoman war effort, he was soon appointed to the Mesopotamian front as part of the secret organization Teşkilât-ı Mahsusa. Here, he worked alongside other Ottoman officials to manage military operations in the region. Following the Ottoman entry into the war, Rauf was appointed Chief of Staff of the Ottoman Navy. His experience in naval warfare proved invaluable as he coordinated operations during the war’s later stages.

After the war, in October 1918, when the new government was formed, Rauf was named Minister of the Navy, replacing Cemal Paşa. He signed the Mudros Armistice on 30 October 1918, which officially ended the Ottoman Empire’s participation in the war. In the post-war years, he became involved in the difficult task of negotiating with the Allied powers. He represented the Ottoman Empire in prisoner exchanges with Russia in Denmark in 1917 and participated in the Brest-Litovsk peace negotiations in 1918, where the terms of Russia’s surrender to the Central Powers were decided.

Following the Ottoman defeat in the First World War and the occupation of Istanbul by British forces, Rauf became deeply involved in the Turkish national movement. In May 1919, he joined Mustafa Kemal Pasha in organizing the national resistance in Anatolia. During this period, he was instrumental in rallying support among the local population, particularly along the Marmara coast, and organizing militias. However, in the wake of the British occupation, he was arrested and detained in Malta, where he remained for over a year. He was eventually released in March 1921 in a prisoner exchange for a British major.

Upon his return to Istanbul, Rauf resumed his political career. He was elected a deputy in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) and, on 12 July 1922, he was appointed Prime Minister of the National Government. His tenure as Prime Minister coincided with the final stages of the War of Independence, including the critical Büyük Taarruz (Great Offensive) in August 1922. After the successful completion of the offensive and the Mudanya Armistice, which ended the conflict, Rauf resigned on August 4, 1923, amid political tensions and disagreements with other leaders, particularly İsmet İnönü.

His political path took a significant turn when, in 1924, he co-founded the Terakkiperver Cumhuriyet Fırkası (Progressive Republican Party) with Kazım Karabekir. The party, which advocated for greater freedoms and a multi-party system, was short-lived, however, and was dissolved by the government in 1925 after the suppression of the Şeyh Said Rebellion. As a result, Rauf faced increasing political pressure and went into exile in Austria for medical treatment. While abroad, he became embroiled in the aftermath of the 1926 assassination attempt against Mustafa Kemal. Although there was no evidence linking him directly to the plot, he was tried in absentia and sentenced to ten years in prison.

After spending several years abroad, Rauf Orbay returned to Turkey in 1935. His name was officially cleared when, in 1939, a military tribunal overturned his conviction, recognizing his innocence. He went on to serve as Turkey’s ambassador to London from 1942 until 1944, though he resigned from this post due to ongoing conflicts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Rauf Orbay spent the rest of his life in relative retirement. He wrote his memoirs, Cehennem Değirmeni ("Windmill of Hell”), which provided an in-depth account of the tumultuous final years of the Ottoman Empire and the early years of the Turkish Republic. He also gave lectures at universities and maintained an active interest in the historical processes shaping modern Turkey. He passed away on 16 July 1964, in Istanbul, at the age of 83, after suffering a heart attack. He was buried in the Sahrayıcedid Cemetery in Erenköy.