It was a custom in the Ottoman Empire that the new sultan tip the soldiers (Turkish: Culus bahşişi) when he ascended the throne.
However, due to the costly Cretan War ongoing, the regents of the sultan were unable to pay the required tip.
The sipahi corps, the main cavalry units of the Ottoman Army, were especially complainant, for they were not paid soldiers.
Two months later, the Ottoman Porte, the government, decided to send sipahi units to Crete.
They gathered in the square named Atmeydanı, the Hippodrome from the Byzantine times, situated in front of the Topkapı Palace.