The 1877-78 Russo-Turkish War, known in Turkish sources by its Rumi date: '93 Harbi, has been thoroughly studied through political and military lenses. The mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of Ottoman subjects before the advancing Russian armies was a major humanitarian calamity, one with possibly more long-term historical consequences than the mere shifting of borders. Despite its significance, it has received relatively humble attention in the pages of history. This book attempts to illuminate a lesser known aspect of this subject, in particular, the general voluntary relief efforts on the part of the British people for the Ottoman refugees (the '93 Refugees). This book covers the activities of both the institutions and the prominent figures of this endeavor, against the background of humanitarian diplomacy. In doing so, it provides the reader with an intimate look into a "compassionate" episode in late 19th century Anglo-Ottoman history.
Chapter I The Historical Background
A. Political Developments and Anglo-Ottoman Relations in the Third Quarter of the 19th Century
i. A Turning Point: The Crimean War, 1853-1856
ii. The Bosnian Upheaval of 1875
iii. The Triumph of Agitation: The Bulgarian Crisis of 1876
iv. 1876: The Ottoman- Serbia, Montenegro War
v. The Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78
B. The '93 Refugees
i. Terminology
ii. The Causes of the Exodus
iii. The Structure of the Influx
iv. The Volume of the Influx
v. The Relief Effort
C. Victorian Philanthropy in the Ottoman Empire
i. The Victorian Understanding and Application of Philanthropy
ii. The Emergence of British Relief in the Ottoman Empire
iii. Benevolence as a Political Tool
Chapter II Humanitarian Diplomacy
A. British Diplomacy and Relief to the Refugees of the 1877-78 War
B. Austen Henry Layard: The British Ambassador to the Porte (1877-1880)
C. The Role of the British Consular Network
D. British Concerns over Muslim Public Opinion
Chapter III The Turkish Compassionate Fund
A. The Origins of the Fund
i. Angela Burdett-Coutts: "A Soul of Boundless Philanthropy"
ii. The Founding
iii. Contributions to the Fund
iv. The Recipients of the Relief
v. The Agents of Relief
B. Operations of the Fund
i. The Methods
ii. The Relief Establishments of the Compassionate Fund
iii. The Content of Relief
iv. The Mission of Constance
v. Major Relief Centres
vi. Ahmed Vefik Pasha
C. The Achievements of the Fund
D. The End of Operations: "As you have done to us, so may God do to you and your houses forever"
Chapter IV Unplanned Assistance
A. The Ladies Committee
i. The Origins of the Committee and Its Changing Role
ii. The Employment of Refugee Women
iii. The Committee's Financial Sources
iv. In the Presence of the Sultan
v. Şefkat Nişanı: The Order of Mercy
vi. Continuing the Work
B. The Stafford House Committee
i. The Foundation
ii. Helping the Combatants: the Operations of the Committee
iii. An Innocent Transgression: Succouring the Refugees
iv. The Major Stafford House Contributions to the '93 Refugees
v. The Sultan's Attitude