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Abdulmecid I
(Ottoman
Turkish: عبد المجيد اول ‘Abdü’l-Mecīd-i evvel)
Sultan of Ottoman Turkey Empire: 1839-1861 A.D. / 1255-1278 A.H.
Silver 37mm (23.45 grams) Minted 1860 A.D. or 1277 A.H.
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Abdülmecid I (Ottoman
Turkish: عبد المجيد اول ‘Abdü’l-Mecīd-i evvel) (23/25 April 1823 – 25
June 1861) was the 31st
Sultan
of the
Ottoman Empire
and succeeded his father
Mahmud II
on 2 July 1839.
His reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire’s
territories. Abdülmecid wanted to encourage
Ottomanism
among the secessionist subject nations and stop the
rise of nationalist movements within the empire
, but failed to succeed
despite trying to integrate non-Muslims
and non-Turks more thoroughly into the Ottoman society with new laws and
reforms. He tried to forge alliances with the major powers of Western Europe,
namely the
United Kingdom
and
France
, who fought alongside the Ottoman Empire in the
Crimean
War
against
Russia
. In the following
Congress of Paris
on 30 March 1856, the Ottoman Empire was officially
included among the European family of nations. Abdülmecid’s biggest achievement
was the announcement and application of the
Tanzimat
(Reorganization) reforms which were prepared by his father
Mahmud II
and effectively started the modernization of
Ottoman Empire
in 1839. For this achievement, one of the
Imperial anthems of the Ottoman Empire
, the
March of Abdülmecid
, was named after him.
Early life
Young Abdülmecid (painting by
David Wilkie
, 1840)
Abdülmecid was born at the
Beşiktaş
Sahil Palace or at the
Topkapı Palace
, both in
Constantinople
.[4][5]
His mother was his father’s first wife in 1839,
Valide Sultan
Bezmiâlem
, originally named Suzi (1807–1852), either a
Circassian
[6]
or
Georgian
slave
Abdülmecid received a European education and was a fluent of
French
speaker, the first sultan to do so.[1]
Like Abdülaziz
who succeeded him, he was interested in literature and classical
music. Like his father
Mahmud II
,
he was an advocate of reforms and was lucky enough to have the support of
progressive viziers such as Mustafa Reşit Pasha,
Mehmet Emin Ali Paşa
and Fuat Pasha. Throughout his reign he had to struggle
against conservatives who opposed his reforms. Abdülmecid was also the first
sultan to directly listen to the public’s complaints on special reception days,
which were usually held every Friday without any middlemen. Abdülmecid toured
the empire’s territories to see in person how the
Tanzimat
reforms were being applied. He travelled to İzmit, Mudanya, Bursa, Gallipoli,
Çanakkale, Lemnos, Lesbos and Chios in 1844 and toured the Balkan provinces in
1846.
Reigns
When Abdülmecid succeeded to the throne, the affairs of the
Ottoman Empire
were in a critical state. At the time his father died, the
news reached Constantinople that the empire’s army had been defeated at
Nizip
by the army of the rebel
Egyptian
viceroy
,
Muhammad Ali
. At the same time, the empire’s fleet was on its way to
Alexandria
,
where it was handed over to Muhammad Ali by its commander
Ahmed Fevzi Pasha
, on the pretext that the young sultan’s advisers had sided
with Russia
.
However, through the intervention of the European powers, Muhammad Ali was
obliged to come to terms, and the Ottoman Empire was saved from further attacks
while its territories in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine were restored. The terms
were finalised at the
Convention of London (1840)
.
Dolmabahçe Palace
, the first European-style palace in
Constantinople, was built by Abdülmecid between 1843 and 1856, at a
cost of five million Ottoman gold pounds, the equivalent of 35 tons
of gold. 14 tons of gold was used to adorn the interior ceiling of
the palace. The world’s largest Bohemian crystal chandelier, a gift
from
Queen Victoria
, is in the centre hall. The palace has the
largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in
the world, and even the staircases are made of Baccarat crystal.
In compliance with his father’s express instructions, Abdülmecid immediately
carried out the reforms to which Mahmud II had devoted himself. In November 1839
an edict known as the
Hatt-ı Şerif of Gülhane
, also known as Tanzimat Fermanı was proclaimed,
consolidating and enforcing these reforms. The edict was supplemented at the
close of the
Crimean
War
by a similar statute issued in February 1856, named the
Hatt-ı Hümayun
. By these enactments it was provided that all classes of the
sultan’s subjects should have their lives and property protected; that taxes
should be fairly imposed and justice impartially administered; and that all
should have full religious liberty and equal civil rights. The scheme met with
strong opposition from the
Muslim
governing classes and the
ulema
, or religious authorities, and was only partially implemented,
especially in the remoter parts of the empire; and more than one conspiracy was
formed against the sultan’s life on account of it.
The most important reform measures promoted by Abdülmecid were:
- Introduction of the first Ottoman paper banknotes (1840)
- Reorganisation of the army, including the introduction of conscription
(1842–1844)[1]
- Adoption of an
Ottoman national anthem
and
Ottoman national flag
(1844)
- Reorganisation of the finance system according to the French model
- Reorganisation of the Civil and Criminal Code according to the French
model
- Reorganisation of the court system, establishing a system of civil and
criminal courts with both European and Ottoman judges.
- Establishment of the Meclis-i Maarif-i Umumiye (1845) which was
the prototype of the First Ottoman Parliament (1876)
- Institution of a council of public instruction (1846)
- Creation of the Ministry of Education
- Establishment of the first modern universities and academies (1848)
- Establishment of an Ottoman school in
Paris
- Abolition of an unfairly imposed capitation tax which imposed higher
tariffs on non-Muslims (1856)
- Non-Muslims were allowed to become soldiers in the Ottoman army (1856)
- Various provisions for the better administration of the public service
and for the advancement of commerce
- New land laws confirming the right of ownership (1858)
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality (1858)
Another notable reform was that the
turban
fezz. European fashions were also adopted by the Court. (The fez itself was
later banned with the “Hat Law” in 1925 by the
Republican National Assembly
which had already abolished the sultanate and
proclaimed the Turkish Republic in 1923).
Sultan Abdulmecid, Queen of
United Kingdomm
,
Victoria
and President of
France
,
Napoleon III
.
Samuel Morse
received his first ever patent for the
telegraph
Beylerbeyi Palace was built in 1861–1865 on the same location) in
Constantinople, which was issued by Sultan Abdülmecid who personally tested the
new invention.
When
Kossuth
and others sought refuge in
Turkey
after
the failure of the
Hungarian
uprising in 1849, the sultan was called on by
Austria
and
Russia
to surrender them, but he refused. He also would not allow the
conspirators against his own life to be put to death. The
Encyclopædia Britannica 1911
says of him, “Abdülmecid bore the
character of being a kind and honourable man, if somewhat weak and easily led.
Against this, however, must be set down his excessive extravagance, especially
towards the end of his life.”
In 1844 he created a new coin with that name[clarification
needed] and in 1852 he instituted the Order of the
Medjidie
.
The Ottoman Empire received the first of its foreign loans on 25 August 1854
during the
Crimean
War
. This major foreign loan was followed by those of 1855, 1858 and 1860,
which culminated in default and led to the alienation of European sympathy from
the Ottoman Empire
Abdülâziz in the following years.
His success in foreign relations was not as notable as his domestic
accomplishments. His reign started off with the defeat of his forces by the
Viceroy of Egypt and the subsequent signing of the
Convention of London (1840)
, which saved his empire from a greater
embarrassment. They successfully participated in the
Crimean
War
and were winning signatories at the
Treaty of Paris (1856)
. His attempts at strengthening his base in the
Balkans
failed in
Bosnia
and
Montenegro
,
and in 1861 he was forced to give up
Lebanon
by
the
Concert of Europe
.
He restored the
Hagia
Sophia
between 1847 and 1849, and was responsible for the construction of
the
Dolmabahçe Palace
. He also founded the first French Theatre in
Constantinople.
He was made the 717th
Knight
of the
Order of the Garter
in 1856 and the 52nd
Grand
Cross
of the
Order of the Tower and Sword
Abdülmecid died of tuberculosis
(like his father) at the age of 39 in Constantinople on 25 June
1861, where he was buried, and was succeeded by his brother,
Abdülâziz
, the oldest survivor of the family of
Osman
.
Marriages and childrenn
The
Crimean War medall
Abdülmecid married twenty five times and left several sons, of whom four
eventually succeeded to the throne. His marriages were:
- Shapsug
HH Hüsnicenan Hanım Efendi (c. 1818,
North Caucasus
– c. 1843,
Istanbul
),
married in Constantinople in 1835 without issue.
- Circassian
HH
Servetsezâ Kadın Efendi
(1 September 1823,
Maykop
,
Russia
– 24
September 1878
Istanbul
),
married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1837, daughter of Prince Mansur Bey Temruko by his
wife Princess Fülane Dadeşkeliani, without issue.
- Georgian
HH Hoşyar Kadın Efendi (c. 1824,
Zugdidi
,
Georgia
– c. 1849
Istanbul
),
married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1839, daughter of Zurab Bey Tuskia, and had one
child.
- Georgian
HH Valide Sultan
Şevkefza Kadın Efendi
, (12 December 1820,
Poti
,
Georgia
– 17 September 1889,
Istanbul
,
Ortaköy
,
Çırağan Palace
), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, on 1 August 1839, daughter of Mehmed Bey Zaurum by his
wife Cemile Hanım, and had two children including,
Murad V
.
- Shapsug
HH
Tirimüjgan Kadın Efendi
(16 August 1819 –
Istanbul
,
Feriye Palace
, 3 October 1852 or 2 November 1853), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, on 10 November 1840, daughter of Bekhan Bey by his wife
Almaş Hanım, and had three children including
Abdul Hamid II
- Bosniann
HH
Gülcemal Kadın Efendi
, (Caucasus,
c. 1826 – Constantinople,
Ortaköy
,
Ortaköy Palace, 16 November 1851 or 29 December 1895), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1840 and had five children including,
Mehmed V
.
-
Abkhazian
HH
Verdicenan Kadın Efendi
(c. 1826,
Sukhumi
,
Abkhazia
– 9 December 1889,
Istanbul
,
Beşiktaş
,
Beşiktaş Palace), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, on 17 December 1840, daughter of Prince Kaytuk Giorgi
Bey Açba by his wife Princess Yelizaveta Hanım, and had two children.[13]
-
Abkhazian
HH Zerrin Melek Kadın Efendi (c.
1824
North Caucasus
– c. 1842
Istanbul
),
married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1841, daughter of Prince Aslan Bey Klıç by his wife
Princess Şaşa Loo, without issue.
-
Abkhazian
HH Nükhetsezâ Hanım Efendi (Hopa,
Caucasus
,
2 January 1827 –
Beşiktaş
,
15 May 1850), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1841, daughter of Hatuğ Bey Baras by his wife
Ferhunde Hanım, and had three children.
- Georgian
HH Nesrin Hanım Efendi (c. 1826,
Poti
,
Georgia
– 2 May 1853, Constantinople), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1842, daughter of Manuçar Bey Asemiani by his wife
Mahra Hanım, and had four children.
-
Ubykh
HH
Düzdidil Hanım Efendi
(c. 1825,
North Caucasus
– 18 August 1845, Constantinople), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, on 2 October 1842, daughter of Şıhım Bey Dişan by his
wife Princess Fülane Çaçba, and had one child,
Cemile Sultan
.
-
Ubykh
HH Şayan Kadın Efendi (c. 1831
Sochi
,
Russia
–
1860 Istanbul
), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1843, daughter of Ahmed Bey Vozden by his wife Nurhan
Kucha, without issue.
-
Chechen
HH
Mehtab Kadın Efendi
(c. 1830,
Makhachkala
,
Russia
–
1888, Istanbul
), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1845, daughter of Hişam Bey by his wife Malika Hanım,
and had two children.
-
Ubykh
HH Ceylanyar Hanım Efendi (c. 1828,
Sochi
,
Russia
– 17
January 1855,
Istanbul
),
married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1847, daughter of Mustafa Bey Berzeg by his wife
Princess Daruhan Dudaruk, and had one child.
- Natukhai
HH Nergis (Nergizu) Hanım Efendi (c.
1830, Anapa
,
Russia
–
Istanbul
,
26 October 1848), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1847, daughter of Albora Bey by his wife Dadüse Hanım,
and had one child.
-
Abkhazian
HH Navekivisal Hanım Efendi (c.
1827,
North Caucasus
– 5 August 1854,
Istanbul
),
married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1848, daughter of Prince Rustem Bey Biberd by his
wife Princess Fatma Kızılbek, without issue.
- Circassian
HH
Bezmara Kadın Efendi
(died 25 January 1909,
Istanbul
),
married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1849. She was the adoptive daughter of Ismail Paşa
son of Mehmet Ali of Egypt. She got divorced in 1852 without issue.
- Natukhai
HH Nalanıdil Hanım Efendi (Caucasus,
c. 1829 – 23 December 1890,
Istanbul
,
Beşiktaş
,
Beşiktaş Palace), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1850, daughter of Prince Natıkhu Bey Çıpakue, and had
two children.
-
Abkhaziann
HH
Şayeste Hanım Efendi
(c. 1838
Sukhumi
,
Abkhazia
– 11 February 1912, Constantinople), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in 1851, daughter of Prince Tataş Bey İnalipa by his
wife Sarey Hanım, and had one child, who died in infancy. She became the
adoptive mother of
Mehmed VI
.[13]
-
Abkhazian
HH
Ayşe Serfiraz Hanım Efendi
(c. 1837
Abkhazia
– 9 June 1905, Constantinople,
Ortaköy
,
Ortaköy Palace), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
-
Abkhazian/a> HH
Gülistan Münire Kadın Efendi
(c. 1831 – May
1861), married in
Constantinople
,
Topkapı Palace
, in August 1854, daughter of Prince Tahir Bey Çaçba by
his wife Afişe Lakerba, and had four children including
Mehmed VI
..
-
Ubykh
HH Valide Sultan
Rahime Perestu Kadın Efendi
(c. 1830,
Sochi
,
Russia
–
1904, Maçka,
Istanbul
),
married in
Constantinople
,
Esma Sultan’s Palace
, on 20 January 1856, daughter of Gök Bey Gogen by
his wife Şah Hanım, without issue. She became the adoptive mother of
Abdul Hamid II
and one of his half sisters,
Cemile Sultan
-
Abkhaziann
HH Nev’eser Hanım Efendi (c. 1841,
Abkhazia
– 12 September 1889,
Yildiz Palace
),
Istanbul
married in
Constantinople
,
Dolmabahçe Palace
- Besleney
HH Yıldız Hanım Efendi, (c.. 1842,
North Caucasus
– c. 1880,
Istanbul
)
married in
Constantinople
,
Dolmabahçe Palace
- Circassian
HH Safderun Hanım Efendi (c.. 1845,
North Caucasus
– c. 1893,
Istanbul
),
married in
Constantinople
,
Dolmabahçe Palace
In fiction
A fictionalized version of Abdülmecid I appears in the 2008 novel
The Bellini Card
, by
Jason Goodwin
.
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