Sultan II. Abdulhamid is the 34th and last sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He remained on the throne for 33 years in the most difficult time of the Ottoman Empire and became one of the most discussed sultans. Some define Sultan Abdulhamid as the great khan and some as the red sultan. He was the sultan during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Abdulhamid tried to establish a strong regime based on the ideology of Pan-Islamism and made efforts to preserve the territorial integrity of his empire. However, various events took place with the influence of the European powers that tried to interfere in the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire.
Sultan Abdulhamid was such a religious person that he did not take the seal of the Caliphate without ablution. There are testimonies and testimonies of many people close to him on this matter. But he was dethroned by being accused of irreligion. The Parliament, in which the Committee of Union and Progress was at the forefront, was deposed on April 27, 1909, using the March 31 event as an excuse. Abdulhamid, who was dethroned, was removed from Istanbul. He was detained in Alatini Mansion in Thessaloniki until the Balkan Wars.
II. Abdulhamid’s Life
Sultan Abdulhamid is the son of Sultan Abdulmecid. He was born on September 22, 1842 in Istanbul, and died on February 10, 1918. When he was only 10 years old, he lost his mother Trimüjgan Hanım, and he took care of Abdülmecid’s other wife, Piristû Kadın Efendi. His uncle Abdulaziz, who took his place after his father died, did not separate Abdulhamid from his own children and took a close interest in him. Abdulhamid had 13 wives and 20 children, 8 boys and 12 girls. In some sources, it is said that his wife was 16.
Abdulhamid, who was a very intelligent person, was brought up by taking lessons from the best teachers and learned the history of Islam very well. On August 31, 1876, Abdülhamid was proclaimed sultan. He proclaimed the Kanun-ı Esasi, the first Ottoman Constitution in his period. It has made many innovations in this regard by giving great importance to education and culture. Abdulhamid realized a rare event in world politics by forgiving those who wanted to kill him.
He died of tuberculosis on February 10, 1918, as a result of the progress of pneumonia, which he caught in Beylerbeyi Palace. Abdülhamid, who had health problems throughout his life, became ill in his last years and became a lover of meticulousness. She was afraid of the slightest discomfort she felt in her body, and immediately called her doctors to her side. In the end, his death was due to the disease he feared. Sultan II, who was on the Divan Yolu after his death. He was buried in the Mahmud Tomb.
II. Events During the Abdulhamid Period
II. After Abdulhamid came to power, many problems were encountered in the country. Chief among these is the problem with the Balkans. The problem that started in the Balkans before the reign of Abdülhamid continued during his reign as well. Russia, taking advantage of the internal problems of the Balkans, provoked the Slavic people in the Balkans against the Ottomans. After the events, there were losses in the Balkan lands.
One of the most important events during the reign of Abdülhamid was the 93 war. It is a war between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. This war emerged with the outbreak of the problem that started in the Balkans. Abdulhamid did not want to fight the Russians, but the course of events made the war inevitable. Russian forces are superior to the Ottoman army. For this reason, the Ottoman State had to sign the Treaty of San Stefano. With the signing of the treaty, the 93 War actually ended. The treaty, which included harsh conditions, was blocked by the European states with the thought that Russia would gain excessive power. Thereupon, the Berlin Treaty, which was to replace the treaty, and the conditions were slightly changed, was signed. At the end of the treaty, the Ottoman Empire lost territory in the east and west.
II. Innovations Made in the Abdulhamid Era
II. Despite the turmoil and wars, Abdülhamid made many innovations in the country. During his reign, many firsts were realized and great progress was made in education. Commerce and Agriculture Schools, Fine Arts Academy, primary and secondary schools, mute and blind schools, girls’ vocational schools were built. High schools were built in the provinces, secondary schools in the districts, and primary schools in the villages. Primary schools, which were only in Istanbul in 1877, reached 9 thousand in 1905. The number of high school, which was 250 at the time of his accession to the throne, increased to 900, and the number of high schools, which was 6, was increased to 109.
He built Şişli Etfal Hospital and Darülaceze with his own money in Istanbul. He brought drinking water called Hamidiye to Istanbul through pipes. He developed the construction of highways up to the interior of Anatolia. In addition, the Hijaz railway stretching as far as Baghdad and Medina was built and only domestic capital was used. He had horse-drawn tram lines built for big cities in Anatolia.
Haydarpaşa Station and Sirkeci Station II. It was built during the reign of Abdülhamid. Post, telephone and telegraph affairs were turned into a ministry and a money order item was created for the first time within the PTT. The telephones, which started to be used in Europe in 1876, were brought to Turkey in 1881 and put into service.
