Treaty of Sèvres — peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and the Allied Powers at the end of World War I
The unratified treaty began the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire and triggered the Turkish War of Independence, ultimately replaced by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 10 August 1920
- Signing venue
- Manufacture nationale de Sèvres porcelain factory
- Ratification status
- Never ratified
- Superseded by
- Treaty of Lausanne, 1923
- New mandates created
- British Mandate for Palestine; French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The defeat of the Ottoman Empire and its Central Powers allies in World War I, formalized by the Armistice of Mudros, placed the empire at the mercy of the Allied Powers, who sought to partition its territories among France, Britain, Greece, and Italy through a comprehensive peace settlement.
On 10 August 1920, representatives of the Allied Powers and the Ottoman government signed the Treaty of Sèvres at the porcelain factory in Sèvres, France. The agreement required the Ottoman Empire to cede vast territories, recognize Allied occupation zones, and renounce lands not predominantly inhabited by Turks, while introducing new mandated territories across the Eastern Mediterranean.
The treaty was never ratified; its harsh terms provoked fierce Turkish nationalism and the Grand National Assembly under Mustafa Kemal stripped its signatories of citizenship. The resulting Turkish War of Independence, and the near-confrontation of the Chanak Crisis in 1922, compelled the Allies to renegotiate. The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne superseded Sèvres and established the Republic of Turkey.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Mustafa Kemal Pasha.