From Plevna Hero to Palace Prisoner: Geopolitics, Victorian Turcophilism and the De/Heroisation of Osman Paşa

Abstract Reappraising the approaches to the “Eastern Question”, this article analyses how the heroic reputation of Osman Paşa, the Ottoman defender of Plevna, evolved in Britain from 1877 to 1900. Besides recognising geopolitical concerns that nurtured Turcophile hero-worship, I stress how socio-cultural or political factors determined the way Britons regarded Ottoman hero figures. I explore how Osman-mania in 1877–1878 served as an instrument to popularise anti-Russian realpolitik , whilst acknowledging how such representations aggrandised Victorian values such as “character”, meritocracy and temperance. Post-1878, the belief that Osman was a driving force behind Anglo-Ottoman geopolitical rivalry soured his reputation and the memory of Plevna in Britain. Turcophobia stemming from the Armenian massacres also eclipsed pro-Osman narratives during the mid-1890s. Nevertheless, British military anxieties and friendly overtures with the Ottomans contributed to more positive outlooks on Osman during the Second Boer War. With his death in 1900, Osman’s image evoked conflicting negative and positive responses.