Salih Bozok (1881 – April 25, 1941) was an officer of the

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

, later the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

and a politician of the

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He was the chief aide-de-camp of

Mustafa Kemal Mustafa () is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Moustafa * Moustafa A ...

(Atatürk), the founder of modern Turkey.Türk Parlamento Tarihi Araştırma Grubu, ''TBMB - II. Dönem 1923-1927 - III. Cilt: II. Dönem Milletvekillerin Özgeçmişleri'', Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara, 1995, , pp. 155-156. Bozok was a close childhood and lifelong friend of Atatürk, both having been born in 1881 in Thessaloniki and having attended the

Monastir Military High School The Monastir Military High School (''Manastır Askerî İdadisi''), established in 1847, was one of the three-year educational military high schools of the Ottoman Empire. It was located in Monastir (present day Bitola, North Macedonia). The build ...

together. On November 10, 1938, upon witnessing the dead body of Atatürk in the latter's bedroom of

Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace ( ) is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. Histor ...

, a distraught and stunned Bozok stepped outside and shot himself through the chest with a

pistol A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...

. However, the bullet narrowly missed his heart, and Bozok did not succumb to his fatal wound until April 1941. Bozok's life and friendship with Atatürk was depicted in the successful 2010 Turkish film ''

Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

''. Bozok had

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

origins through his paternal grandfather, Safer Efendi. This is written and documented by

Andrew Mango Andrew James Alexander Mango (14 June 1926 – 6 July 2014) was a British BBC employee and author. Life He was born in Istanbul, one of three sons of Alexander Mango, an Italian-Greek barrister and his White Russian wife Adelaide Damonov; the ...

. Salih has a son, Cemil Bozok.

Works

* (Salih Bozok - Cemil S.Bozok), Hep Atatürk'ün Yanında", ATATÜRK VAKFI YAYINLARI, Istanbul 2019, * (

Can Dündar Can Dündar (, born 16 June 1961) is a Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian. Editor-in-chief of center-left ''Cumhuriyet'' newspaper until August 2016, he was arrested in November 2015 after his newspaper published footage showing the ...

), ''Yaveri Atatürk'ü Anlatıyor'', Doğan Kitapçılık, Istanbul, 2001. * (Cemil S. Bozok), ''Hep Atatürk'ün Yanında'', Çağdaş Yayınları, Istanbul, 1985.

Medals and decorations

* Medal of Independence with Red Ribbon

References

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bozok, Salih 1881 births 1941 deaths Military personnel from Thessaloniki People from Salonica vilayet Macedonian Turks Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Deputies of Yozgat Deputies of Bilecik Ottoman Army officers Turkish Army officers Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars Ottoman military personnel of World War I Turkish military personnel of the Turkish War of Independence Monastir Military High School alumni Ottoman Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Medal of Independence with Red Ribbon (Turkey)

Works

Medals and decorations

See also

References

Sources

External links