# Balfour Declaration (1917)

URL: https://allhistories.com/islam/timeline/1917-balfour-declaration
Location: London, Europe
Themes: Colonialism

Britain supports a Jewish national home in Palestine. At this point in the timeline (1917), the caliph was Mehmed V of the Ottoman line (27 April 1909 – 3 July 1918). The Ottoman sultans held the caliphal title from 1517, though it gained political weight mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries.

## Why it matters
Balfour Declaration mattered because it reflects how European colonialism transformed Muslim societies and provoked resistance.

Caliph at the Time: [Mehmed V](https://allhistories.com/islam/caliphs/mehmed-v)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Balfour Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Balfour Declaration](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Balfour+Declaration)
- [Wikipedia — Colonial Era and Reform (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_modernism)