Sick man of Europe
Topic: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
"Sick man of Europe" was a nickname for the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, when it was growing weak. The phrase is usually credited to Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, c. 1853. It described an empire that was losing land, failing at reform and could not stop its Balkan peoples from breaking away. The nickname matters because the great powers kept arguing over who would get its lands.
Example
Nicholas I is said to have used the phrase in talks with the British ambassador shortly before the Crimean War (1853–1856). Russia hoped to divide the Ottoman lands, but Britain and France fought to stop it.
Don't confuse with
- Eastern Question: this was the great powers' wider diplomatic problem over the Ottoman lands. "Sick man" is just a label for the empire itself.
Related concepts
- Imperialism
- Balkan problem
- Ottoman Empire
- Eastern Question
- Crimean War
- Congress of Berlin 1878
- Pan-Slavism
- Austria-Hungary
- Young Turks
- Balkan Wars 1912-1913