34. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire II. Who is Abdulhamid? Who Is Not? (1)

34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire II. Abdulhamid:

Date; It is philosophy, logic, geography, religion, mathematics, science, science, literature, art, time travel that connects the past to the future, in short, our yesterday, this present and our future, in short, everything in every aspect of our lives. This is nothing but a definition for myself that I have drawn from my research and writings on history up to now. History is like a flashlight that illuminates us in the dark. It is from this perspective that I wrote this article. Those who read my article to the end will at least have a few words to talk about this topic. As human beings, we have a lack of thought, prejudices, emotions. Our biggest mistake as a society is; It is that our prejudices and emotions feed us, that our mental faculties such as reading, researching, analyzing, comparing and reasoning and ultimately understanding are hindered, that we have not reached the level of knowledge from prowess, our lack of rational, methodical and analytical thinking. Since I only look at the subject from human sociology,

Left and right, our minds are occupied by prejudices, symbols, cults and idols. Abdulhamid is either the Red Sultan or the Great Khan. Abdulhamid; Either he is cowardly, delusional, pathetic, he has made the nation shed blood, or he is “plain, gentle, careful, has a strong memory, gentle and kind, courageous, patient, animal lover, nature lover. But unfortunately, as a society, we always confuse these concepts with each other. Where we need information, we use our emotions. Just like in Abdulhamid, just like in everything.

In short, Who is Sultan II. Abdulhamid?

September 21, 1842 - February 10, 1918), 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 113th Islamic caliph, and the last sultan to establish absolute dominance in the declining state. During his reign, the empire went through a period of disintegration; He witnessed the rebellions that broke out in various regions, especially the Balkans, and the 93 War, which was lost against the Russian Empire. He ascended to the throne on 31 August 1876 and ruled the country until his abdication on 27 April 1909, shortly after the 31 March Incident. As a result of the agreement he made with the pro-Constitutional New Ottomans, he declared the first Ottoman constitution on December 23, 1876, thus giving the impression that it would support the democratization process of the country. Abdulhamid, who took the power after the constitution was proclaimed, closed the parliament in 1878, after he ensured his sultanate and sovereignty by exiling the supporters of the constitution and change and removing those who would oppose him one by one.

Modernization Efforts:

Efforts for the modernization of the Ottoman Empire II. It was continued by Abdulhamid. In addition to the reforms made in the bureaucracy, projects such as the extension of the Rumeli Railway and the Anatolian Railway and the construction of the Baghdad Railway and the Hejaz Railway were carried out during this period. These railways and telegraph systems were developed by German firms. In 1898, the first local law school in the modern sense was opened, as well as registering the population and increasing pressure on the press. The reforms of this period gave wide space to education: many vocational schools were established, including schools of law, arts, commerce, civil engineering, veterinary, customs, agriculture, and languages. Although he closed Istanbul University in 1881, he decided to reopen it in 1900, expanding the education network consisting of primary, secondary and military schools throughout the empire. The sunken economy of the Ottoman Empire in these periods led to the establishment of the Düyûn-ı Umûmiye in the first years of Abdülhamid's reign.

Abdulhamid's Princedom Years:

II. Abdulhamid is the son of Sultan Abdulmecid from Tirimujgan lady. His mother is of Circassian descent. He was born on September 21, 1842, in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, in Topkapı Palace. When his mother, Tirimüjgan Sultan, died when he was only 10 years old, Abdülmecid's other childless wife, Piristû Hanım, took care of him. Piristû Hanım raised Abdülhamid as her own child. His uncle, Abdülaziz, who succeeded to the throne after his father's death, was also closely interested in Abdulhamid's education along with other princes.

II. Abdulhamid's Curiosity for Craft and Art:

II. Abdulhamid, who was interested in opera, translated and translated more than one classical opera into Turkish. He composed opera works for Mızıka-yı Hümâyun, which he founded in Mahmut's time. At the same time, Sultan Abdulhamid, who was very skilled in carpentry, personally made many high quality furniture that can be seen in Yıldız Palace, the Şale Villa and Beylerbeyi Palace today, and his works are witnessing that he is a truly master craftsman even today.

Unlike other sultans before him, Abdulhamid went on trips abroad during his princedom. He accompanied his uncle, Sultan Abdulaziz, during his European tour in 1867, 9 years before his accession to the throne, so he had the opportunity to see other countries and increase his knowledge and manners. This trip, which started from Istanbul on June 21, 1867, consisted of the following parts:

From 30 June to 10 July 1867: Paris/France,

From 12 to 23 July 1867: London/Great Britain,

From 28 to 30 July 1867: Vienna/Austria

After visiting other European capitals and important cities in this trip, which lasted for 47 days in total, he returned to Istanbul on August 7, 1867.

II. Abdulhamid's Connection with Politics:

II. Abdulhamid; He was influenced by the abdication and suspicious death of his uncle Abdulaziz in 1876. Witnessing his elder brother Murat V, who ascended the throne after his uncle, was dethroned and imprisoned in the Çırağan Palace three months later, on the pretext that he had a mental breakdown, left a negative impression on him. He was proclaimed sultan in place of his brother on August 31, 1876, and was enthroned on September 7 after the sword-wielding ceremony in Eyüp. More precisely, it is seated.

When Abdulhamid came to the throne, the Ottoman Empire was in a great depression. After the death of Âli Pasha in 1871, the conflict between the palace and the Sublime Porte had flared up. Meanwhile, due to these internal conflicts in the administration, the system of the state has collapsed. By 1875, the Ottoman Empire was unable to pay its debts and had to declare a moratorium with the Ramadan Decree.

In the same years, under the influence of the Pan-Slavism movement led by Russia, national awakening movements increased in the Balkans, and rebellions broke out in places. On the other hand, the pro-constitutionalist views began to gain strength at home. In fact, the discussions about the dissolution of the sultanate and the proclamation of the republic, as in France, had begun to be made across the country. The state system and the establishment of the sultanate, which were under pressure from outside and inside, had a shaky appearance.

In fact, Abdülhamid realized that the sultanate no longer had any power, and in a sense, its gold was emptied. Although he was very disturbed by what had been done to his uncle and brother in front of his eyes, he could not do anything. After his elder brother was enthroned, he considered it necessary to appoint Mithat Pasha, who was the chief architect of both sultanate changes, as grand vizier. In fact, he had to. II. Abdülhamid proclaimed the first Ottoman constitution, Kanun-ı Esasî, on 23 December 1876, in accordance with the commitment he made to Midhat Pasha before he ascended the throne. The first assembly, the Assembly-i Umumi, consisting of the members of the Majlis-i Mebûsan and the Ayan Assembly, was thus opened on 19 March 1877. Now, the system in which the sultan was the sole authority in the Ottoman Empire was shelved and assemblies were added next to the sultanate. The period of the First Constitutional Monarchy had begun in the Ottoman Empire. Thus, a constitutional monarchy system was introduced, based on the principle that the sultan and the parliament should rule the country together. In this framework, although the independence of the judiciary and fundamental rights were guaranteed in the constitution, the sultan, who was the head of the administrative power, was given the main sovereignty. II. Abdülhamid, using the administrative exile authority granted to him by the 113th article of Kanun-i Esasî, sent Midhat Pasha into exile before the assembly convened. Thus, he gave the first sign that he has a cunning personality and will not hesitate to implement his own policy when the time comes.

External Developments in the First Years of II. Abdulhamid's Sultanate:

While the Herzegovina Revolt and Bulgarian Revolts, which started in 1875, continued, the Balkan lands had almost turned into a battlefield with the Serbian and Montenegrin wars during the reign of Murad V. The Russian Empire, which provoked and supported these revolts, was looking for an opportunity to resolve the Eastern issue in line with its own interests and expectations. During the Crimean War (1853-1856), Russia was defeated by the Western alliance, including the Ottoman Empire, and it was made impossible to descend from the north of the Black Sea. However, in this period, Russia focused its attention on breaking the last resistance in the Caucasus (1863-1864) and seizing the lands of the Turkish khanates in Central Asia (1866-1876) since the 1860s. In the same years, the attention of the United Kingdom and France was directed to the new balances in the European continent as a result of the unification of the German and Italian city-states in their own lands in 1871. Contrary to the period of Palmerston (1855-1865), which supported the Ottoman Empire in the Crimean War, the government of Gladstone (1868-1874, 1880-1885 and 1892-1894) in the United Kingdom adopted a political stance against the Ottoman Empire. While in opposition, Gladstone was also famous for bringing the allegations that the Ottoman Empire committed massacres, especially during the suppression of the Bulgarian Revolts, to the agenda of the British community of nations. This attitude of Gladstone led to the reversal of the positive view towards the Turks throughout Europe, as the Hungarian revolutionaries took refuge in the Ottoman Empire (1848) and were allied to the British and French during the Crimean War (1853-1856).

93 War (1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War):

The Ottoman-Russian War, known as the 93 War, broke out upon the rejection of Russia's proposals for reform in the Balkans by the government of İbrahim Edhem Pasha on 12 April 1877. II. Despite Abdulhamid's opposition, the Russian armies defeated the Ottoman forces on the Balkan and Caucasian fronts, one after the other, in this war, which was entered at the insistence of statesmen such as Mithat Pasha, Damat Mahmud Pasha and Redif Pasha. In the east, Erzurum, and in the west, the whole of Bulgaria and the part of Thrace up to the Istanbul walls were pressed against the Ottoman Empire by the Russians. Upon heavy criticism of the government's war policies in the Majlis-i Mebusan, Abdulhamid said, "I will now have to follow in the footsteps of Sultan Mahmud," and his grandfather, who closed the Janissary Corps, II. Referring to Mahmud, he declared the assembly a mandatory recess on February 18, 1878. Since it did not call the assembly to meet again for the next 30 years, the assembly was actually closed. During this period, he preserved the Constitution of the Constitution, albeit on paper, and put his decisions into effect according to this constitution.

Ottoman borders as a result of the Treaty of Berlin:

The 93 War ended with the Treaty of San Stefano, dictated by the Russian forces, which established headquarters in Ayastefanos (Yeşilköy) outside the Istanbul walls on March 3, 1878. According to the agreement signed between the parties, it was allowed to establish an independent Principality of Bulgaria, whose borders would extend from the Danube to the Aegean, from Thrace to Albania, provided that it remained attached to the Ottoman Empire. Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted independence in its internal affairs. The full independence of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania was recognized by the Ottoman Empire and the expansion of their borders was accepted. Kars, Ardahan, Batumi and Doğubayazıt were given to Russia. Thessaly was ceded to Greece. In addition to allowing reforms in Crete and Armenia, the Ottoman Empire also agreed to pay 30,000 rubles of war indemnity to Russia. Other European states, who were concerned about Russia's overpowering, objected to this treaty, which included very severe conditions. Thus, the Treaty of Berlin, which replaced the Treaty of San Stefano, was signed on 13 July 1878. Although Russia's territorial gains were taken back with the new treaty, independence was given to Romania and Montenegro, while an autonomous principality was created in Bulgaria under the auspices of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

(To be continued)