The Ambassadorship of Kostaki Musurus in Athens and the Ottoman-Greek Diplomatic Crise

Abstract

Kostaki Musurus caused a diplomatic crise between the Ottoman Empire and Greece in 1847. Colonel Caratoss, the war consultant of the Greek King Othon, has applied the Ottoman Ambassadorhip in Athens for the visa so he wished to go to İstanbul. But his application was not accepted since he was the main actor of uprisings at Salonica, Tirhala and Crete in 1841. After he was refused the King Othon insulted the Ottoman ambassador in a ball before all diplomatic mission. After Othon's insult both the ambassador and the Ottoman administration demanded that the Greek State had to apologize but it was not fulfilled for a long time then it was resulted in a diplomatic erise. Although it seemed like an ordinary diplomatic erise the problem was closely relevant to the expansionist policy -i.e. Megali Idea- of Greece through the Ottoman lands. Since Greece and the Ottoman Empire was aware of the significance of the problem with respect to the inner politics they insisted upon their claims. Finally, the determination of the Ottoman administration and the British support brought the success on behalf of the Ottomans.