Arab Revolt

The Arab Revolt was an uprising in the Ottoman Empire during the Great War, in which Great Britain sought to undermine the war effort of the Ottomans.

The Conflict

Prelude

During the Great War, the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany, Holland, and Russia against Great Britain, Spain, Occitania, Austria, and Ukraine. This was done in ordfer to gain lost territory in the Balkans, particularly in opposing Bulgaria. However, upon their entry into the war in 1917, Britain began to fund popular uprisings in the Arabian Peninsula, underming the Ottoman war effort and forcing them to look into internal matters.

Deployment

The Arabs, led by the Hashmites and Hussien bin Ali, were promised an independent Arab state with bin Ali as king. However, Britain was further undermined as their secret plans to carve up the Middle East into protectorates was leaked, and that the Arabs were to have a much smaller state than what was promised.

The Engagement

Following the end of the Great War, Britain was forced to remove all military forces from the Middle East, especially in the Arabian Peninsula. However, even without this added support, the Ottomans were pushed out of Arabia by the end of the conflict. The Ottomans still attempted to mount a counter offensive from Anatolia. This failed to cause any major changes on the front lines.

Outcome

Following the failed counter-offensive, Sultan Mehmed VI was forced to sign a peace treaty recognizing the indepence of the Kingdom of Hejaz, deminishing the Ottoman Empire into the Sultanate of Turkey. However, this led to a further conflict between the Kingdom of Hejaz and the Sultanate of Nejd.

Conflict Type

War, Theatre

Start Date

1917

Ending Date

1921