Salonika Incident
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The Salonika Incident was a major diplomatic incident that broke out on 6 May 1876 after a mob murdered the consuls of France and German Empire in the Ottoman city of Salonica, Jules Moulin and Henry Abbott. After a young Orthodox Christian woman of Bulgarian origin[1] attempted to convert to Islam to marry a Turk against the will of her family, she was detained by the US Consul at Thessaloniki. An enraged mob attempted to retrieve the woman, and murdered Moulin and Abbott when it failed to find her. A diplomatic backlash ensued, leading to displays of force and to reforms in the Ottoman Empire.
In the 1820s, a number of incidents leading to the death of Christians occurred in the Ottoman Empire, notably the Constantinople massacre of 1821, marking the European opinion.[2] The exactions of the bashi-bazouk compounded this sentiment in the following decades.[3] On 15 June 1858, rioting in Jeddah, believed to have been instigated by a former police chief in reaction to British policy in the Red Sea, led to the massacre of 25 Christians, including the British and French consuls, members of their families, and wealthy Greek merchants,[4][5] yielding a two-day retaliation bombardment from the British frigate HMS Cyclops.[6] The declining Ottoman Empire was also relying more and more on European investment and loans even for daily expenditure, which the European public opinion resented as it was perceived that the funds were squandered in inefficient projects and in corruption, contributing to the poor image of the Empire.[7] Finally, the Sublime Porte was entering a period of such political instability that 1876 would become known as the "Year of Three Sultans".[8]
At that time, a Bulgarian notable, Pericles Hajji Lazzaro, acted as US Consul in Thessaloniki (Salonika).[9] The German consul in Thessaloniki was Sir Henry Abbott, a British subject of Orthodox Christian faith. His brothers were George Abbott and Alfred Abbott.[10] The French consul was Jules Moulin. Jules Moulin had married Henry Abbott’s sister, and they were thus all tied by familial links.[9]
On 3 May 1876,[11] a 16-year-old girl named Stephana, was abducted by several women.[12] Stephana, from Bogdanci, near Gevgelija, was of Bulgarian and Christian heritage, but probably had a Muslim lover[13] against the will of her family. Stephana associated with a neighbouring Turkish and Muslim family, which took her in their home[12] and proposed to bring her to Thessaloniki in order to complete administrative paperwork that would officially enact her conversion to Islam.[2] To do so, Ottoman law required the convert to appear before a local council and testify that they were embracing Islam freely, as a sane adult and without coercion.[14] The Turks gave Stephana a traditional attire, comprising a full coat and a veil, and brought her to Gevgelija where she would take the train to Thessaloniki.[15] When the train stopped at Karasuli, Stephana's mother Maria was there and recognised her daughter, whom she tried to convince not to follow through with her conversion to Islam.[16]
The train arrived at Thessaloniki in the morning of 5 May.[16] As Stephana asked policemen to escort her to the governor's residence, her mother called for help from Christian bystanders.[10] According to other sources, Stephana herself called for help.[17][18] As the day was an Orthodox holiday, a 150-strong group of Christians happened to be at the station, including George Abbott, and they attacked Stephana's companions.[10] They seized her, removed her traditional Turkish clothes, put her in a carriage and took her to Hajji Lazzaro's residence.[9][10]
On the next day, a mob gathered to demand that the Consul hand over Stephana to them.[2]
