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The Kuvâ-i İnzibâtiyye (Ottoman Turkish: قوای انضباطيّه, lit. 'Forces of Order'; Turkish: Hilafet Ordusu, lit. 'Caliphate Army') was an army established on 18 April 1920 by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire in order to fight against the Turkish National Movement during the Turkish War of Independence in the aftermath of World War I. It was commanded by Süleyman Şefik Pasha.
| Kuvâ-i İnzibâtiyye | |
|---|---|
Soldiers of the Caliphate Army
| |
| Active | April 18, 1920 – June 25, 1920 |
| Country | Ottoman Empire |
| Allegiance | Caliph Mehmed VI |
| Type | Field Army |
| Size | 7,000 (at peak)[1] |
| Nickname(s) | Caliphate Army |
| Engagements | Turkish War of Independence |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Süleyman Şefik Pasha Anzavur Ahmed Bey |
Sensing the situation, Sultan Mehmed VI charged his minister of war, Şevket Süleyman Paşa, with the establishment of an irregular force to exterminate the Nationalists. Realizing he could no longer count on the title "Sultan" alone to influence the Turkish people, he considered it necessary to use the timeless and spiritual title of "Caliph" for the leader of the army - thus depicting Nationalists not only as the enemies of the Sultanate but also as the enemies of God. The British supported the Kuvâ-i İnzibâtiyye with the aim of enforcing British policy in the region and of stabilizing the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Supported by the British, the Sultan began a propaganda war throughout the country. Relayed by imams, he urged the Turks to take up arms against the Nationalists of General Mustafa Kemal, presented as the enemies of God.
The defeat of the Army of the Caliph, a sign of the end of the influence of the Ottoman Sultan in Turkey, ended the civil war and heralded the beginning of the War of Independence against the occupying nations, which culminated in the victory of the Nationalists and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.