Abstract
Ottoman Empire had been considerably struggling with the question of minorities in the political arena since the second half of the 19th century. This problem, moreover, continued until the Treaty of Lausanne. Under the particular influence of the French Revolution an impellent conflict of Pontus rose in the Ottoman Empire, and the great Powers—also encouraging Greece to be involved—were interested in the lands of Ottoman Empire. However, there is no relationship between the Pontus State in the history and the Pontus State which was desired to be revived. The Ottoman Empire, being a multilateral, multireligious and multicultural state, was extremely destabilized by internal and external interventions during the 19th century. So, the minorities in the Ottoman Empire gradually separated from it under the auspieces of Western states. Accordingly, the Greeks, having been living together with the Turks in Anatolia for centuries, dreamed about the reestablishment of a Pontus State ranging from western Inebolu to Batum. They thought of Samsun as the capital city of this state. Therefore, they comenced some underground activities in Samsun and its surrounding area. The clergy played active roles in provoking these gangs. Ottoman Empire, taking some measures, tried to stop these destructive and cruel activities against the Muslim community.
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