August is the month of major victories. Menzikert[1] (1071), Mohács[2] (1526) and Dumlupınar[3] (1922)
Generals Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and İsmet İnönü pictured before the Battle of Dumlupinar in August 1922.Mavi Boncuk |"Sovereignty is not given, it is taken." Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, who led the Turkish forces to decisive victory at the Battle of Dumlupınar on August 30, 1922.
Turks pay tribute honor those who fought and sacrificed their lives on the 96th Anniversary of Turkish Victory Day, which commemorates the triumph of the War of Independence in the final decisive battle of the three year long struggle and a pivotal step towards the founding of an independent, sovereign, secular, and democratic Turkish Republic.
Turkish citizens still tirelessly strive and sacrifice to uphold the universal principles upon which the Republic of Turkey was founded.
[1] The Battle of Manzikert was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, theme of Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army and the capture of the Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes played an important role in undermining Byzantine authority in Anatolia and Armenia, and allowed for the gradual Turkification of Anatolia. Many of the Turks, who had been, during the 11th century, travelling westward, saw the victory at Manzikert as an entrance to Asia Minor.
The brunt of the battle was borne by the professional soldiers from the eastern and western tagmata, as large numbers of mercenaries and Anatolian levies fled early and survived the battle. The fallout from Manzikert was disastrous for the Byzantines, resulting in civil conflicts and an economic crisis that severely weakened the Byzantine Empire's ability to adequately defend its borders. This led to the mass movement of Turks into central Anatolia.
[2] The Battle of Mohács (Hungarian: [ˈmohaːt͡ʃ]; Hungarian: Mohácsi csata, Turkish: Mohaç Meydan Muharebesi) was one of the most consequential battles in Central European history. It was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary, led by Louis II, and those of the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent. The Ottoman victory led to the partition of Hungary for several centuries between the Ottoman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, and the Principality of Transylvania. Further, the death of Louis II as he fled the battle marked the end of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Hungary and Bohemia, whose dynastic claims passed to the House of Habsburg. The Battle of Mohács marked the end of the Middle Ages in Hungary.
[3] The Battle of Dumlupınar (Greek: Μάχη του Τουμλού Μπουνάρ; Turkish: Dumlupınar (Meydan) Muharebesi or Başkumandanlık Meydan Muharebesi, literally "Field Battle of the Commander-in-Chief") was the last battle in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) (part of the Turkish War of Independence). The battle was fought from 26 to 30 August 1922 near Dumlupınar, Kütahya in Turkey.