If the army has succeeded in taking power, the generals will have acted because their patience with Mr Erdogan finally cracked.

There will also be a desire for revenge. Since he was first elected as prime minister in 2002, Mr Erdogan has conducted purges of the army high command. In 2003 and again in 2004, he accused senior officers of plotting a coup and placed hundreds on trial in the so-called "sledgehammer" cases.

One of Mr Erdogan's consuming projects has been to thrust aside the generals and assert civilian control over the armed forces. As such, he was once cheered on by Turkey's liberal modernisers.