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An Ottoman palace, a raging mob and the murder of Boris Johnson's Turkish great-grandfather

2026-11-02 20:35:08Histori SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

An Ottoman palace, a raging mob and the murder of Boris Johnson's Turkish

Koray Erdogan – Türkiye Today

More than a century ago, a former minister of the Ottoman Empire entered an elegant palace in Izmit, in northwestern Turkey, thinking he would be taken in by the authorities to face justice.

But instead of a trial, the final chapter of his life began. Outside the palace gates, an angry mob awaited him, who would kill him in one of the most infamous political events of the final days of the Ottoman Empire.

The victim was Ali Kemal, a journalist, politician and former interior minister, one of the most vocal opponents of the Turkish National Movement. He was also the great-grandfather of Boris Johnson, who would become Prime Minister of Great Britain almost a century later.

The palace where Ali Kemal made his final appearance before the military authorities still exists today. Known as the Kasr-i Humayun Palace Museum, it preserves elegant Ottoman architecture, but also the memory of an assassination that shook the empire to its end.

From political clash to lynching

Ali Kemal had served as Minister of Education and then Minister of the Interior in the Ottoman government of Damat Ferit Pasha. He opposed the nationalist movement that sought Turkish independence and the liberation of the country from the occupation of the Allied powers.

In 1919, while he was heading the Ministry of the Interior, he tried to limit protest telegrams supporting resistance against the Allied invasion and the landing of the Greek army in Izmir.

Even after he left the government, he continued to criticize the nationalists through the newspaper “Peyam-i Sabah.” After the victory of the nationalist forces in 1922, the authorities ordered his arrest and deportation to Ankara.

In early November, Ali Kemal was captured in Istanbul and transported by ship to Izmit, where he was handed over to General Nurettin Pasha.

According to historical accounts, he was first brought before the commander at the Qasr-i Humayun palace and then taken outside, where a crowd gathered to await him. The people attacked him with stones and sticks, killing him without any legal process.

His body was then publicly displayed. Some accounts attribute the lynching to Nurettin Pasha. The murder also provoked condemnatory reactions among the leaders of the nationalist movement, including Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Ismet Pasha.

How Ali Kemal's family became connected to British politics

Ali Kemal's connection with Great Britain began in 1903, when he married the British woman Winifred Brun. From this marriage, their son Osman Wilfred Kemal was born in 1909. After his mother's death, he was raised in Britain, where the family later took the surname Johnson.

Osman Wilfred became the father of Stanley Johnson and the grandfather of Boris Johnson, who led the British government from 2019 to 2022. The former prime minister's Ottoman ancestry has repeatedly attracted the attention of British public opinion.

The palace that was turned into a museum

The history of the Humayun Palace dates back to the time of Sultan Murad IV, when a wooden residence was built on this site. It was destroyed by fire and an earthquake, while the building that exists today dates from the reign of Sultan Abdylaziz (1861-1876).

Designed by Ottoman architect Karabet Amira Balyan, the two-story building combines neoclassical and European Baroque elements. The marble facade, ornate ceiling paintings by French artist Sason, and decorative mirrors give it a grand appearance.

In terms of architectural mastery, the palace has been compared to Dolmabahçe in Istanbul, albeit on a smaller scale.

Throughout history, it has hosted Ottoman rulers, high-ranking officials, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and the French writer Claude Farrère.

Later, the building was used for administrative functions and in 1967 it was returned to the Izmit Museum. The devastating earthquake of 17 August 1999 caused considerable damage. Restoration began in 2004 and the museum reopened to visitors on 16 January 2007.

Today, the Humayun Palace Museum preserves an important part of the architectural heritage of the late Ottoman period. But behind its marble walls lies the story of a political assassination that links Turkey's war for independence with the family of one of the most famous British prime ministers of modern times.


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