In keeping with the now well-established tradition of the lecture, enshrined in the phrase " reprise et rappels ", the third year begins with a summary of the main topics and issues covered in the previous year. It should also be noted that this first session was an opportunity to welcome L students from the Lycée Camille Pissarro, Pontoise, supervised by their history teacher,Mme Christine Guimonnet, deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine Historiens et géographes and general secretary of the Association des professeurs d'histoire et de géographie. Following a chronological rhythm that developed over the first two years, the 2019 year's readings covered a period of around two decades stretching roughly from the start of the Greek insurrection (1821) to the proclamation of the Tanzimat edict (1839). These were clearly two decades characterized by a series of crises and reforms brought about by the increasingly desperate situation facing the ruling class and, above all, Sultan Mahmud II, who had set out to transform his empire by any means at his disposal, starting with an almost total takeover of the state through the establishment of an autocratic regime.
The two decades studied are almost equally divided between two major crises. The Greek crisis - the Moraean uprising and its spread to the rest of the Ottoman territories with a large Greek Orthodox population - quickly turned into a war of independence that would only end with the establishment of a Greek state in 1830. This outcome was particularly hard for the empire to accept, not only because it lost territories it had controlled since the 15th century, but also because it discovered the extent to which the interference of European powers now represented a concrete danger to its territorial integrity, and even its survival in a political environment that was increasingly hostile. Indeed, after initial setbacks, the empire had recovered and was on the verge of regaining the upper hand when the intervention of European fleets at Navarin turned the tide ; Russia delivered the coup de grâce by advancing as far as Andrinople, forcing the Ottoman government to recognize Greek independence. The second crisis, in Egypt, dominated the second decade of the period. Mehmed Ali Pasha, governor of Egypt since the beginning of Mahmud II's reign, had proved a useful vassal during the Greek revolt, which he had initially helped to control with his Western-trained and equipped army. However, disappointed by a defeat that had deprived him of expected rewards, he turned against his master with disconcerting efficiency and speed. In less than two years, the Egyptian army seized Syria and much of southern Anatolia, and, advancing towards the capital, threatened the very sovereignty and existence of its suzerain. With his back against the wall, Mahmud had to accept Russia's interested protection in order to maintain a status quo that established Mehmed Ali Pasha's de facto authority over Egypt, the Hedjaz and Syria.
