On Sene Sonra Macar ve Leh Mültecileri (1848-1851): İhtida ve İltica’nın İki Nesli? / Hungarian and Polish Refugees (1848-1851) A Decade Later: Two Generations of Conversion and Refuge?

Hungary's plea for freedom, the longest lasting among the Revolutions of 1848 that swept across Europe, was forcibly crushed by the armies of Tsarist Russia and the House of Austria in August 1849. Consequently, thousands of refugees fled to the Ottoman Empire, which granted them the right to asylum. The period in exile was a catalyst that deepened the differences of opinion among the revolutionaries. Polish General Józef Bem was bitterly criticized by Kossuth when he announced his conversion to Islam, along with his followers. A great deal of scholarly attention is concentrated on the Kossuth group, though they were less in number. For many, the departure of the upper echelon from Turkey, who had been gradually released until 1851, marked the end of an era in the history of the Ottoman Empire. Evidence from the Ottoman Archives suggests that the question that was supposed to be solved in 1851 continued in different forms even later. This study aims to suggest that the Hungarian and Polish refugees question of 1849 is not a historical page that was relevant only between 1848 and 1851, yet it had long-term implications. For this, we should focus more on the refugees and converts who were kept out of the mainstream.