Today in History – 23 November

Occupation Forces Commander d’Esperey in İstanbul

As the Allied States began the de facto occupation of İstanbul on November 13 after the Armistice of Mudros was signed, French General Franchet d’Esperey, a leading figure in the occupation, arrived in İstanbul by boat on November 23, 1918. Born in Mostaganem in French Algeria in 1856 d’Esperey was the son of an officer of cavalry in the Chasseurs d’Afrique. After his early military experiences in Algeria and other North African countries, d’Esperey was called back to France in 1913. He fought at different fronts during World War I and, due to his accomplishments, was assigned as the commander of occupying forces in İstanbul.

D’Esperey was met with a lackluster ceremony in İstanbul. Therefore, when he returned on February 8, 1919, he ordered an ostentatious welcoming ceremony for himself. Holding a victory procession form Galata to Beyoğlu, the French general greeted the crowds on horseback “like a Roman Emperor.”

The vain and arrogant demeanor of d’Esperey, who went as far as to say he wanted to reside at Dolmabahçe Palace, was described, even by British Prime Minister Lloyd George as, “pitifully devoid of grace and refinement.” Earning the hate of the Turks during his stay in İstanbul, d’Esperey had prohibited a film on the adventures of a French governess at an Ottoman mansion on the grounds that it was demeaning for the French.