Her an bir ruhu vardr ve bu ruh o an Every era has a soul and that soul imposes a * stanbul ehir

* stanbul ehir niversitesi

devlet sahiplerine benzer ekiller verir, onlar similar form on the owners of the states, shaping
birer heykel gibi yontarak zamana uyakl klar. them like a statue and setting the tone for the
Mesela, XVI. yzyl sadece Osmanl era. For example, the 16th century in the
mparatorluunda Muhteem Sleymann gl Ottoman Empire was not just an era in which
bir kiilik olarak kl kuand bir devre Sleyman the Magnificent girded the sword as a
deildir. Bu asr btn dnyada demir bileklerin powerful person; this was an era in which all the
imparatorluklar ynettii bir byk hkmdarlar mighty empires were governed by great rulers. In
devri olmutur. 1520de padiah olan the age of Sleyman the Magnificent, who
Kanunnin anda ngilterede VIII. Henry ve succeeded to the throne in 1520, Henry VIII
I. Elizabeth, Fransada I. Fransuva, spanyada and Elizabeth I reigned in England and France
arlken, sonra Rusyada Korkun van tahta was ruled by Francois; Charles V governed
gemitir. Douda randa ah smail ve Spain and Ivan the Terrible stormed over
Tahmasb, Hindistanda Babr ve Ekber ahlar Russia. To the east, Shah Ismail and Tahmasb
hkm srmtr. Bylece yarm asr boyunca, ruled, in India Babur Shah and Akbar Shah
ilim ve sanatta bir yenilenme yaayan eski reigned. Thus, for half a century, magnificent
dnyann kaderine muhteem muktedirler, kings and ambitious victors imposed their stamp
muhteris muzafferler mhr vurmutur. te on the fate of the old world, which was
II. Abdlhamid dnemini (1876-1909) de byle undergoing innovations in science and art. We
bir kyas zaviyesinden grmek ve an ruhunu must examine the later era of Abdlhamid II
endmyla gsteren prizmadan bakarak anlamak (1876-1909) from a similar comparative angle and
lazmdr. from a prism that reflects the soul of the age, as well.

Padiahlnn ilk zamanlarnda evresindeki Abdlhamid, who when coming to the throne
devlet adamlarna merutiyeti kabul ettirmekte insisted that the statesmen surrounding him
srar eden Abdlhamid, sadece mecliste cereyan accept a constitutional monarchy, not only did
eden sert tartmalar veya halkn buna hazr not display such an autocratic attitude over the
olmad yolundaki vesayeti tavr yznden government merely because of the severe
deil, dier imparatorluklarda olan bitenlerden arguments that took place in the councils or
dolay da daha otoriter bir tarz- idareye because the people were not ready for more
kaymtr. Abdlhamidin ehzade olarak freedom, but also took up a more authoritative
yetitii devirde ngiltereden baka yerde style of administration due to events in other

Sultan II. Abdlhamidin
ehzadelik mhr
The seal Sultan Abdlhamid
II used as ehzade (prince)
(TSM)
22|
|
S U L T A N I I . A B D L H A M D
M P A R A T O R L U U N
merutiyet yoktur, yani hkmdarlarn yetkileri
yazl anayasalarla snrlandrlmamtr henz. raised as a prince (ehzade) the only constitutional
Avrupadaki byk imparatorluk olan
Almanya, Avusturya ve Rusya birer otokrasidir;
Lui Napolyonun Fransadaki monarisi
istikrarszdr; talya bir millet olarak henz
birlemitir. Dolaysyla Abdlhamid dnemi
kendisi gibi otokratlarn hkmferm olduu bir
adr. 1832 Reform Actinden sonra
W
demokrasinin yeerdii ngilterede bile, t
1901de tahta geen Kral VII. Edward zellikle
d ilikileri hkmetlere brakmayan bir
monarktr.
D ilikileri tekeline alm bir hkmdarn
baka devletlerin bakentlerine sk ziyaretler
yapm olmasn beklersiniz. Ancak tarz- idare
bakmndan benzerleri bulunan Abdlhamidin
adalarna en benzemez taraflarndan biri,
padiahl srasnda imparatorluun bakenti
stanbuldan dar hi kmam olmasdr. administration was that he never left Istanbul
Hibir ada onun kadar bakentine demir
atm deildi. Kendisinden Almanca belgelerde
hep saygyla Effendimis eklinde bahsettiini
bildiimiz dostu Alman Kayzeri II. Wilhelm sk
sk seyahat ettii iin Reisekaiser olarak anlrd,
neredeyse her sene ngiltereyi ziyaret ederdi.
ada olan hkmdarlarn seyahatlerine
verilecek rneklerin sonu gelmez.
Elbette bu gidi gelilerde Avrupadaki
hanedanlar arasndaki akrabalk
mnasebetlerinin de etkisi vardr. Alman
Kayzeri ngiltere Kraliesi Viktoryann torunu,
yani daha sonra 1901de tahta geecek olan Kral
Edwardn yeeni idi. Danimarka Kral IX.
Christian Kral Edwardn kaynpederi, 1863te
-1913te bir suikaste kurban gidinceye kadar-
Yunan Kral olan I. Georg da kaynbiraderiydi.
Baldz Dagmar, ar III. Aleksander ile evliydi.
Bulgaristan Prensi Ferdinandn babas Kralie
Viktoriann kuzeni, annesi ise Fransa Kral Lui
Filipin kzyd. Romanyann ilk ve en uzun
sreli kral (1881-1914) I. Karol Fransa
mparatoru III. Napolyonun kuzeniydi ve saire.
Bu akrabalk ilikileri diplomaside ittifaklar
veya anlamazlklar derinden etkileyebiliyordu.
Abdlhamid ise hkmdarlar liginde slam
dnyasn temsil eden bir sultan olarak oyunu
tek bana oynamak zorundayd. Byle olunca,
bu padiahn nasl yetitiini ve yaadn, nasl Abdlhamid had to play the game as the sole
bir karaktere ve ruh haline sahip olduunu
bilmek, oyunda gsterdii performans daha iyi
deerlendirme imkn verecektir.
S O N N E F E S
empires. In the era in which Abdlhamid was
monarchy was England; that is, the authority of
the rulers had not, as yet, been limited by
constitutions. Germany, Austria and Russia, the
three great empires in Europe, were autocracies,
while the monarchy in Napoleons France had
no power and Italy had not yet united as a
nation. Therefore, the era of Abdlhamid was
one in which autocratic rulers like himself
prevailed. Even though democracy sprouted in
England after the 1832 Reform Act, King
Edward VII, coming to the throne in 1901, did
not leave foreign affairs to the government.
e would expect that a ruler who enjoyed a
monopoly on foreign affairs would frequently
visit the capital cities of other stategs. However,
where Abdlhamid most differed from his
contemporaries with similar styles of
during his sultanate. No other contemporary
anchored himself in the capital to the same
extent. His friend the German Kaiser Wilhelm
II, who always referred to the Sultan in German
documents as Effendimis, was ridiculed with
the title of Reisekaiser due to his frequent
voyages and visited England almost every year.
The examples of journeys made by other
contemporary rulers are endless.
Naturally the familial relationships between the
rulers in Europe had an effect on this coming
and going. The German Kaiser was the grandson
of Queen Victoria, that is, he was the nephew of
King Edward, who would come to the British
throne in 1901. The Danish king, Christian IX,
was the father-in-law of King Edward and the
brother-in-law of George I, the king of Greece
after 1863, ruling until he died in 1913, the
victim of an assassination. Christian IXs sister-
in-law, Dagmar, was married to Czar Alexander
III. The Bulgarian Prince Ferdinands father was
the cousin of Queen Victoria and his mother
was the daughter of Frances king, Louis
Phillipe. Romanias first and longest reigning
king, Karol I (1881-1914), was the cousin of the
French emperor, Napoleon III. The list goes on.
These relationships could seriously affect
alliances and conflicts in diplomacy.
sultan representing the Islamic world. Thus,
knowing how this sultan was raised and how he
lived, what kind of character and spiritual state
 A B D L H A M D
T H E L A S T B R E A T H O F
Sultan II. Abdlhamid devri Trkiye ve komu
topraklar iin hl canl bir tarihtir. Padiahn
ahsiyeti ve politikalar gncel tartmalarda bile
yank bulmaya devam ediyor. Ancak, ulu hakan-
kzl sultan kutuplamalarnn tozu duman
arasnda gerek Abdlhamidi tanmak
isteyenlerin, siyasi ve ideolojik durulardan
kaynaklanan bilgi kirlilii arasnda doru
kaynaklara ulamalar kolay olmuyor.
Hatrat ve otobiyografiler tarihte iz brakan
ahslar tanmak iin belki de en nemli
kaynaklardr. Ancak Sultan Abdlhamide ait
bir hatrat yoktur, ona atfedilenler ise gerekte
onun deildir. Ali Birinci tarihi kulislerinde
dinmeyen bir tartma konusu olan
Abdlhamidin hatrat meselesini her ynyle
akla kavuturmutur (Dvn, 10/19, 2005/2).
Buna gre, Sultan Abdlhamidin Hatra Defteri
olarak yllarca ok satan kitap ona deil,
kendisinden sonra lkeyi yneten ttihat ve
Terakki Frkasnn politikalarndan rahatszlk
duyan Sleyman Nazife ait bir metindir. Kitap
iinde verilen bilgilerin doruluu yanll
deildir buradaki mesele; bakasnn yazd bir
metin uydurma bulunu hikyeleriyle
Abdlhamide atfedilmitir.
Abdlhamid hatrat yazmamtr; tahttayken
vakti yoktu, Selanikte srgndeyken ise
ttihatlar mani oldu. Anlatt hatralar
kaleme alan katibi Ali Muhsin Beyi muhafz
zabitler Abdlhamidle bir daha grmemesi
iin Alatini Kknn bodrumuna
hapsetmilerdi, hem de Ramazan aynda. Yine
de baka kaynaklarda, eitli hatrat, gnlk ve
muhtra yaynlarnda Abdlhamidden sdr olan
szler bulmak mmkndr. Tahttan
indirildikten sonra lnceye kadar
Abdlhamidin zel doktorluunda bulunan Atf
Hseyin Beyin Hatrat bu bakmdan nemli
bilgiler veren bir gnlktr. Nerinde birok
kusur varsa da, kendisini sevmeyen bir ttihat
tarafndan yazld iin iinde Abdlhamide sultans memoirs, was locked in the basement of
atfedilen konumalarn shhatinde phe yoktur.
Bu metinde Abdlhamidin eitimi ve kltr
hakknda kendi azndan anlatlanlar bize pek
renkli bir portre sunuyor:
Abdlhamid ehzadeliinde zel hocalardan
tahsil grmtr. Selanikte srgnken Halley
kuyrukluyldznn geiini izlemek amacyla bir
gecesini pencere nnde geirdii iin ten
Abdlhamid yldzlara merakldr; ilm-i ncm
I I
T H E E M P I R E
he had, will give us a chance to better evaluate
his performance in this game.
The era of Sultan Abdlhamid is still a lively
one for Turkey and her neighboring territories.
The sultans personality and policies continued
to cause reverberations, even in daily discus-
sions. However, for those who want to discern
the real Abdlhamid among the dust of the
polarizations of ulu hakan (sublime emperor)
and kzl sultan (red/murderous-sultan), it is not
easy to find reliable sources that are free of
information that has been sullied by political
and ideological stances.
Memoirs and autobiographies are perhaps the
most important resources for learning about the
personalities who have left their traces in
history. However, no memoir was written by
Sultan Abdlhamid; that which has been
attributed to him was not written by him. Ali
Birinci has clarified the matter about
Abdlhamids memoirs, putting an end to the
never-ending argument which has been raging
in the backstages of history (Dvn, 10/19,
2005/2). According to this author, the book
that has sold so many copies in the last decades
as Sultan Abdlhamidin Hatra Defteri (Sultan
Abdlhamids Memoirs) is not his, but rather a
text that belonged to Sleyman Nazif, one who
was upset by the policies of the ttihat ve Terakki
Frkas (the Committee of Union and Progress),
which ruled the country after the sultan. The
subject here is not whether the information in
the book is correct or incorrect; it is rather that
the stories that others made up and wrote have
been attributed to Abdlhamid.
Abdlhamid did not write memoirs; he had no
time when he was on the throne or when he
was in exile in Salonica; the ttihat partisans
prevented him from doing so. His scribe Ali
Muhsin Bey, who took up the pen to record the
the Alatini Manor so that he would not be able
to meet with Abdlhamid again, even though it
was the month of Ramadan. However, it is
possible to find words from Abdlhamid in a
variety of memoirs, diaries and memoranda, as
well as other sources. The memoir Atf Hseyin
Beyin Hatrat, written by Abdlhamids private II. Abdlhamidin ahsi armas
doctor, recording the time the sultan was Abdlhamid IIs personal coat
removed from the throne until he died, provides of arms
important information. Although there are (BOA)
|23|
II. Abdlhamidin arabas ve arabasndaki devlet armas / Abdlhamid IIs carriage and the state coat of arms on the
carriage (YSM)
 S U L T A N I I . A B D L H A M D
M P A R A T O R L U U N S O N N E F E S

many faults in the transliterated text, there can

be no doubt about the authenticity of the
speeches attributed to Abdlhamid; this work
was written by a Unionist who did not like the
former sultan. In this text Abdlhamid himself
presents us a very colorful portrait about his
education and culture.

Abdlhamid was educated by private tutors

when he was a prince. He was an avid
astronomer, one night catching cold as he stood
in front of the window to watch Halleys Comet
in his exile in Salonica. He had also studied
some astronomy. How interesting that he
selected a palace called Yldz (star) as a base to
reign over the empire. He was good at
mathematics and had even written a treatise on
determining the distance for firearms, telling of
what he had discovered in simple style; if only
this treatise was to hand today. His medical
knowledge was surprisingly wide; in fact he had
read Ibn Sina in the Arabic. He was so interested
in medical knowledge that he would visit the
operating theaters from time to time. He would
constantly ask famous doctors questions.

That he studied Quranic commentary is clear

from the verses he sprinkles throughout his
speeches. It has been said a number of times
that Abdlhamid read Bukhari constantly. He
was devoted to the traditional implementations
of the religion; during the battle at Gallipoli he
completed reading Delil-i Hayrt and if-i erf.
He was familiar with religious sciences and the
occasions on which he would interject and
make a comment when the narrators were
unable to provide an answer during tafseer
(commentary) lessons in Ramadan were many.
He was confident enough in this matter to say
If I were to wear a turban and give sermons and
lectures, I would be respected.
II. Abdlhamidin tren
elbisesi, fesi, ayakkabs ve
elbise dmeleri
He read the diwan of Shirazi in Persian. He even
Abdlhamids ceremonial
wrote poetry and made excellent drawings. From
uniform, fez, shoes and some of his expressions it can be understood
buttons that he was a member of the Qadiri sect. He
(YSM)
boasted about providing services for the Pirs
(Sa sayfa / Facing page)
tomb in Baghdad. He could speak northern
Albanian, and he tells us himself that he
understood Circassian; however, it is clear that
he knew French, Arabic and Persian well, as we
can confirm this from other sources.

As Abdlhamid was concerned with saving

 A B D L H A M D I I
T H E L A S T B R E A T H O F T H E E M P I R E

okumuluu vardr. mparatorluu ynetecei s time, he would have the newspapers read to him
olarak ad Yldz olan bir saray tercih etmesi ne while he ate. He earned a great deal of money
ilgin bir tevafuktur. Matematikte iyidir, hatta from trade when he was a ehzade, raising animals
tahdd-i mesha, yani ateli silahlar iin mesafe on the farm in Maslak and selling them. As he
tayini hususunda bir risalesi olduunu, burada was fond of animals and raised a number of
kendi kefettii basit bir usul kaleme aldn animals, he was as knowledgeable about animal
syler; keke bu risale elimizde olsayd. Tp diseases as a veterinarian. He had a cat, a dog, a
bilgisi de alacak derecede genitir; hatta bn parrot, horses and pigeons. In his youth he took
Snnn kitabn Arapadan okumutur. care of a snake, and even tried caring for a lion and
Hekimlie o derece merakldr ki, tigers, but later found that he did not enjoy this.
ameliyathanelere ara sra devam edermi.
Mehur doktorlara srekli sorular sorarm. He was fond of his gardens, and the garden in
Tefsir okuduu, konumalar arasnda his pavilion in Yeniky when he was a ehzade
serpitirdii ayetlere getirdii aklamalardan was so well-known that the doors would be
bellidir. Her daim Buhr-i erf okuduunu sk opened on Fridays and Sundays to allow the
tekrarlar Abdlhamid. Halk dininin geleneksel people to walk around them. He was a good
uygulamalarna baldr; anakkale Sava hunter when he was a ehzade, and this had led
srasnda Delil-i Hayrt ve if-i erf hatimleri to a slight deafness in his right ear. He had
indirmitir. Din ilimlere vkftr, hatta learned to use a sword and had a collection of
Ramazanlarda huzurunda yaplan tefsir antique weapons. He was a good swimmer and
derslerinde sorulara cevap veremeyen would boast of this. His carpentry skills were
mukarrirlerin yerine mdahale edip yorum famous and he had a workshop in the Yldz
getirdii oktur. Bama sark sarsam, vaz Palace; this place was a center for skilled artists.
nasihat etsem itibar bulurum diyecek derecede bu
konularda kendisine gvenir. Culture requires time. The primary thing that
is preventing us from progressing is the army,
Farsadan rz divann okumu. Hatta iir de said Abdlhamid. The primary reason why our
yazm ve dahi resim yapm. Birok ifadesinden country is not developing like the European
Kadir olduu anlalyor. Prinin Badattaki countries and that our people have remained
trbesine hizmet etmi olmakla vnyor. ignorant is the army. At this time the period
imal Arnavuta konuabildiini, erkezce one had to serve in the army was very long; it
anladn kendisi sylyor; ancak Franszca, was for this reason that Abdlhamid reduced
Arapa ve Farsay iyi bildii kesindir, bunu the seven to eight year compulsory service to
baka kaynaklardan da teyit edebiliyoruz. three years. He returned the years that had been
stolen from the youth, a generation that wanted
Vaktine dkn olduundan, gazeteleri yemek to develop themselves. In fact, he wanted to
yerken kendisine okuturmu. Ticaretten ok reduce the military service to two years, but the
para kazanmtr ehzadeliinde, Maslaktaki military command was worried about the
iftliinde hayvanat yetitirip satarm. Hayvan problem of under-population; therefore this
merakls olduundan, ok hayvan beslemi decision was not ratified.
olduundan, adeta bir baytar kadar hastalklar
bilir. Kedisi, kpei, papaan, atlar ve According to Abdlhamid, love novels
gvercinleri vardr. Genliinde ylan bile destroyed morals; one rather should read
beslemi, hatta arslan ve kaplan beslemeyi de travelogues and murder stories. In contrast to
denemi, ama bunlar sonra houna gitmemi. this he was interested in Western music, and
had four pianos brought to the palace from
Bahelerine dkndr, ehzadelii zamannda Germany for his children. Abdlhamid, who
Yenikydeki kknn bahesi yle mehurmu could play the piano and other instruments,
ki, Cuma ve Pazar gnleri kaplar atrrm, said: It is necessary to be able to read music,
ahali gezmeye gelirmi. ehzadeliinde iyi bir and I know how to do this well. If you want the
avcdr, o yzden sa kula iyi iitmezmi. Kl truth, I am a Turk, but I prefer European
kullanmay renmi ve eski silahlardan oluan melodies and operas to Turkish melodies.
bir koleksiyonu varm. yi bir yzcym, Turkish music is in a minor key and sends
bununla vnr. Marangozluu zaten nldr, people to sleep. And these melodies that we call

|27|
 II. Abdlhamidin ahsi Yldz Saraynda atlyesi vardr; buraya Turkish are not actually Turkish. They have
armasnn ilendii klc
yetenekli zanaatlar celbederdi. been taken from Greece and Persia. The
Abdlhamids sword and the
coat of arms on the sword
Turkish instruments are the drum and the
(YSM)
Kltr zaman ister. Bizi balca terakkiden men zurna. His daughter, Aye Sultan, would
eden askerliktir diyor Abdlhamid, sometimes play the piano, violin or harp for her
Memleketimizde Avrupa memleketleri gibi imar father. Abdlhamid was proud of the little
olunamamasna, halkn cahil kalmasna sebep theater in Yldz, and brought Italian actors
balca askerliktir. Tabi o zamanlar askerlik ok there. He was particularly fond of Verdis operas.
uzundur, Abdlhamid askerlik sresini bu All this information, which can be found in Atf
yzden yedi-sekiz seneden seneye indirmitir. Hseyins memoirs, confirms many other
Kendisini yetitirmek isteyen genlere devletin recollections about Abdlhamid.
gasp edecei yllar geri vermitir. Aslnda
askerlii iki seneye indirmek istiyordu, fakat While in his youth Abdlhamid was a person
genelkurmay nfusu yeterli bulmadndan bu who loved traveling and adventure, that is, he
karar verememitir. was a person who loved life, during his thirty-
three year sultanate (1876-1909) he never left
Abdlhamide gre akl mekli romanlar ahlak Istanbul. This sultan, who never went to the
bozar, seyahatnameleri ve cinayet romanlarn provinces, had the provinces brought to him via
okumak lazmdr. Buna karn Bat mziine the photographs and telegraphs from the
merakldr, Almanyadan ocuklar iin drt inspectors and governors who provided him
tane piyano getirtmitir saraya. Piyano ve sair with provincial reports. He left the country only
sazlardan bazlarn kendisi de alabilen twice when he was a ehzade, and this was on
Abdlhamid yle der: Nota bilmek arttr, gzel the trips that his uncle Sultan Abdlaziz took to
bilirim. Dorusunu isterseniz ben Trkm ama Egypt and Europe.
Trke havalardan ziyade alafranga havalar,
operalar houma gider. nk Trke minrdr, The reason why the sultan never left Istanbul
insana uyku getirir. Hem de bizim Trke dediimiz was his fear of assassination; this was also the
makamlar Trke deildir, Yunandan Acemden driving force behind many of his other
alnmtr. Trk algs davul zurnadr. Kz Aye characteristics. If we examine what he and the
Sultan piyano, keman ve arp alard zaman other members of the imperial family
zaman babasna. Yldzdaki kk tiyatrosuyla experienced in the second half of the 19th
gurur duyan Abdlhamid talyadan oyuncular century, can we say that he was wrong to arrive
getirtmitir. zellikle Verdinin operalarn at such a conclusion? It is known that
sever. Atf Hseyinin hatratnda yer alan btn Abdlhamid, who had come to the throne after
bu bilgileri, Abdlhamidi anlatan birok baka two of his predecessors were dethroned in rapid
hatrat teyit ediyor. succession, one losing their life, had narrowly
escaped being dethroned and assassinated a
Abdlhamid ehzadeliinde gezmeyi, maceray, number of times. His sister Seniha Sultan was
ksaca hayat seven bir insanken, otuz yllk even involved in conspiracy theories to bring
padiahlnda (1876-1909) stanbul dna hi her other brother, residing in raan Palace, to
II. Abdlhamidin kmamtr. Taraya gitmeyen bu padiah the throne. These events caused Abdlhamid to
atnn eyeri
fotoraflarla, telgraflarla, mfettilerle ve be on edge and suspicious with even his closest
The tack of
Abdlhamids horse valilerden srekli isteyedurduu vilayet environment. Even after he had been removed
(YSM) raporlaryla taray kendisine getirmitir. lke from the throne there were attempts on his life.

28|
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dnaysa sadece ehzadelii zamannda iki defa
kmt ki, bunlar da Sultan Abdlaziz
amcasyla yapt Msr ve Avrupa seyahatleridir.
Hkmdarlnn birok zellii gibi, stanbul of killing him was contemplated. When
dna kmamas da vehmine, suikast korkusuna
dayandrlr. Kendisinin ve dier hkmdar
ailelerinin XIX. asrn ikinci yarsnda
yaadklarna baklrsa Sultan Abdlhamidin
vehmini hakl grmemek mmkn mdr? Ksa
zaman iinde hal edilen ve biri ldrlen iki
seleften sonra tahta kan Abdlhamidin
defalarca drlme ve suikast tehlikesi atlatt
biliniyor. Ablas Seniha Sultan bile raandaki
dier aabeyini tahta geirmek iin kendisini
devirme komplolarna girmiti. Bu olaylar
Abdlhamidi en yakn evresine kar bile
srekli tetikte ve phe iinde olmaya sevk
etmitir. Tahttan indirildikten sonra dahi
kendisine suikast teebbsleri olmutur.
Selanikteyken muhafz zabitlerden Krt Salim
kendisine kurun skmt. Abdlhamidin
Beylerbeyindeki zorunlu ikameti srasnda bir
ara ldrlmesi bile dnlmtr: Mahmud violent actions were those carried out by the
evket Paa suikaste kurban gidince, bu cinayeti
Abdlhamid taraftarlarnn bir hkmet darbesi
yapmak maksadyla ilemi olduklar
vehmedilmiti. Enver Paa Beylerbeyindeki
muhafzlardan birine, bu pheyi dorulayan bir
izlenimi olursa derhal Abdlhamidi ldrmesi
grevini vermiti.
Jn Trklerin iktidara gelmeden nceki yllarda
sadece tekilatlanmalarnda deil, tasarladklar
eylemlerde de Avrupadaki rgtlerden rnek
aldklar biliniyor. Mesela eylem yoluyla
propaganda (propagande par le fait) dncesi,
Bakunin ve Brousse gibi anaristler tarafndan
tam da II. Abdlhamidin yaad zamanda
savunulmutur. Anaristler iin eylemlerin en
makbul hkmdarlarn ldrlmesi (regicide) idi.
Bu ynde en iddetli eylemleri nihilist olarak
anlan Rus anaristler yapt. 1879da Kharkov
Valisi Prens Kropotkin vuruldu, 1880de arn
klk saraynn bir ksm havaya uuruldu (8
While in Salonica, Krt Salim, one of his
guards, shot at him. While Abdlhamid was
under house arrest in Beylerbeyi Palace, the idea
Mahmud evket Pasha was assassinated it was
thought that this action had been carried out by
the supporters of Abdlhamid in order to stage a
coup dtat. Enver Pasha gave orders to one of
the guards in the Beylerbeyi Palace that if he
were to observe anything that should confirm
this suspicion he should immediately murder
Abdlhamid.
It is known that in the years before the Young
Turks came to power, European organizations
were used as examples not only for institutions,
but also for movements in the provinces. For
example, the idea of propagande par le fait
(propaganda of the deed) was defended by
anarchists like Bakunin and Brousse during the
time Abdlhamid II was alive. The most desirable
action for anarchists was regicide. The most
Russian nihilists. Prince Kropotkin, the
Governor of Kharkov, was shot in 1879, and in
1880 a part of the tsars winter palace was blown
up (8 soldiers were killed and 45 were wounded).
The greatest action was the murder of the great
tsar in Russia: ironically, the victim was not
Nicholas I, who was known as the Don
Quixote of Absolutism, but the reformer
Alexander II, the Tsar Liberator, who by
abolishing serfdom in 1861 and institutionalizing
the provincial councils had essentially
established a new Russia. He was assassinated in
1881, after being saved from four assassination
attempts. This event certainly affected
Abdlhamid IIs ideas on reforms.
Kaiser Wilhelm I in 1878, the Belgian King
Leopold in 1902, and the Spanish king and his
wife in 1906 were all saved from assassination
attempts. In 1887 in Britain a plot by Irish
terrorists to assassinate Queen Victoria at her
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 S U L T A N I I . A B D L H A M D
M P A R A T O R L U U N S O N N E F E S

II. Abdlhamidin tra asker ld ve 45 tanesi yaraland). Eylemlerin en
takm
by koca arn ldrlmesiydi: Rusyada Iranian shah was murdered. In 1898 Empress
Abdlhamid IIs
shaving set
Mutlakiyetiliin Don Kiotu olarak anlan I.
(TSM)
Nikolann deil de, 1861de serflii kaldrarak
deta yepyeni bir Rusya kuran, bu yzden Tsar
Liberator olarak bilinen, vilayet meclislerini
kurumsallatran reformist ardl II. Aleksanderin
(kurtulduu drt suikastten sonra) 1881de
katledilmesi, II. Abdlhamidin reformlar
konusundaki fikirlerini etkilemi olmaldr.
1878de Kayzer I. Wilhelm, 1902de Belika
Kral Leopold, 1906da spanya Kral ve ei
suikastten kurtulmutu. ngilterede 1887de
Kralie Viktoryann altn jbilesinde rlandal
terristlerce hazrlanan suikast plan ortaya
karlmt. 1896da ran ah ldrld. of fear in Abdlhamid was the spying and
1898de Avusturyada Kayzer Franz Josefin kars
Golden Jubilee was uncovered. In 1896 the
Elizabeth, the wife of the Austrian Kaiser, was
assassinated, in 1900 the Italian king Umberto,
and in February 1908 the Portuguese king also
were killed. This wave of murders was not only
directed at the royal families; the French
president, Carnot (1894) and the Spanish prime
minister, Canovas (1897), were victims of such
plots. In the United States four presidents were
assassinated; if we remove Kennedy from among
these, the other three were killed during the
lifetime of Abdlhamid: Lincoln in 1865,
Garfield in 1881, and McKinley in 1901.
Another significant factor that fueled the fires
denouncing activities that had been magnified;

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 A B D L H A M D
T H E L A S T B R E A T H O F
mparatorie Elizabet ldrld, 1900de talya
Kral Umberto, 1908 ubatnda Portekiz Kral.
Bu cinayet furyasndan sadece kraliyet aileleri
etkilenmedi, Fransa Cumhurbakan Carnot
(1894) ve spanya Babakan Canovas (1897) da
nasiplendi. ABD tarihinde drt bakan
ldrld; ok bilinen Kennedy haricindekilerin
Abdlhamid yaarken suikaste urad:
Lincoln 1865te, Garfield 1881de, McKinley
1901de ldrld.
Abdlhamidin iindeki korku ateini
krkleyen baka bir byk etken ise, bizzat
kendi adamlarnn ihdas ettii ve memurlarn
klah kapmak iin byttkleri hafiyecilik ve
jurnalcilik messesesi idi. Yldz Merkeziyet
Sistemine asl kt hretini veren de,
neredeyse btn brokrasinin bir ekilde dhil
olduu bu haberalma sistemiydi. O dnemde
saraya yakn grevlerde alan bir memurun
ifadesiyle, Abdlhamidin korkularn, bir de
phesini ve vehmini tahrik edici jurnaller beslemekte
olduu iin gece gndz tela her eyden ziyade hal
keyfiyeti zerinde toplanyordu (Ahmet Semih
Mmtaz, s. 23). Jurnal tabir edilen istihbarat
pusulalarn gnderenlere balangta yz veren
padiah zamanla kendi nmn ve shhatini
zedeledi. Kendisini vehim krizlerine mptela
eden bu jurnalcilikten muzdarip ve mteki
oldu. Sonralar bu jurnallerin ounu okumadan
uvallarda biriktiren padiah, Mabeyn idaresinde
bunlar tahkik edecek bir kad istihdam etti.
Abdlhamid iin jurnallerin galiba asl ilevi,
brokratlarnn hizipler iinde ihanet
senaryolarna giriebilme ihtimallerini
azaltmakt. Diplomaside nasl Avrupa
devletlerini birbirine kar kullandysa, paalarn
da bu ekilde idare etmitir.
Aslnda son zamanlarnda Abdlhamid de
tktini zorlayan mutlakiyeti-merkeziyeti idare
sisteminden memnun deildi. Tipik bir
ilerlemeci ve yukardan modernleme yanls
olarak, Abdlhamid milletin I. Merutiyeti
hazmedemediini, buna hazr olmadn
dnyordu: Biliyorsunuz ki lk Merutiyeti ben
iln etmitim ve daima Merutiyet taraftar olarak
kaldm. Lkin biz Japonlar gibi millet-i vhide
deiliz. Muhtelif unsurlardan mteekkil olan
mparatorluumuzda yklmak tehlikesi bizi ok
korkutmutu. Bu sebeple bir zaman iin kaldrmaya
lzum grld. II. Merutiyetin ilk gnlerinde
sarf ettii bu szlere yle devam ediyordu:
Millet bugn eskisi gibi cahil deildir. Olduka
I I
T H E E M P I R E
these were carried out by the men and officials,
men he had himself employed, to grab official
posts. What actually gave the Yldz Centrality
System its bad name was this intelligence
system, which snaked its way through the
bureaucracy. In the words of an official who was
working in close contact with the palace in this
period, Abdlhamid was in a state of worry, day
and night, as the fears, doubts and conjectures
were enflamed by the reports of the informers
(Ahmet Semih Mmtaz, p. 23).
The intelligence reports, which at first were sent
as memoranda, were encouraged by the sultan;
over time this destroyed his own reputation and
authority. Later, as many of these reports started
to be collected in sacks, without being read, the
sultan employed a judge to oversee these matters
as part of the mabeyn administration. For
Abdlhamid, the actual function of the
intelligence reports was probably to speed up the
bureaucracy and to reduce the possibilities of
betrayal. In the same way that he used the
European states against one another in
diplomacy, the sultan manipulated the pashas
against each other.
In fact, in later years Abdlhamid was not happy
with the absolutist-centralist administrative
system that wearied his stamina. Like any supporter
of progress and modernization imposed from
above, Abdlhamid thought that the people had
not digested the constitutional monarchy and
that they were not ready for it: As you know
I promulgated the First Merutiyet
(Constitutional Monarchy) and have always
remained its supporter. However, we are not a
millet-i vhide (nation of one people), like the
Japanese. In our empire, which consists of a
variety of components, the danger was so great
that we were truly frightened. For this reason it
was seen necessary to abolish this measure at
one time. These words, uttered during the first
days of the Second Merutiyet, continue as
follows: The nation is no longer as ignorant as
it used to be. They have made great advances.
Schools have been opened, officers have been
trained and the constitutional monarchy can
now be put into operation. It matters not that
the newspapers are opposed to us; inshallah I am
determined and resolute that the administration II. Abdlhamidin
of the constitutional monarchy will be bastonu, kams
implemented. I will confront all difficulties Abdlhamids cane, whip
(Aye Osmanolu, p. 136). (YSM)
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 S U L T A N I I . A B D L H A M D
M P A R A T O R L U U N S O N N E F E S
terakki etmitir. Mektepler alm, zbitler yetimi,
merutiyeti idrk edecek hle gelmitir. Gazeteler ne
kadar aleyhimizde bulunursa bulunsunlar, inaallah
merutiyet idaresini yrtmek azm kararndaym.
Her trl glklere gs gereceim. (Aye parliament. In fact, before the promulgation of
Osmanolu, s. 136).
II. Merutiyetin ilanyla sonulanan olaylar, tam
da Abdlhamidin kendi iktidarn bir
anayasayla ve bir meclisle snrlamay tasarlad
sralara denk gelmitir: Esasen merutiyetin
ilanndan nce btn devletlerin kaanun-i esslerini
tercme ettiriyor, bize en uygun olann intihap
etmek, bu suretle devleti dalmaktan kurtaracak bir
kanun-i essye mlik olmak, merutiyeti bu suretle
ilan etmek istiyordum. Ne yapalm. Allah nasib
etmedi diyor kendisi (ayn, s. 173). Padiaha
eyrek asr mabeyn mtercimlii ile hizmet eden
Hasan Srr Bey de hatralarnda Abdlhamidin
II. Merutiyetin ilanndan birka ay evvel bir
gn sarayda Avrupa devletlerince mer kanun-
esaslerin celbi ile bit-tercme takdim irade ettiini
yazyordu. Ona gre, padiah Kanun- Esasyi hi
olmazsa kendisini bsbtn bhuzur etmeyecek bir
ekilde tashih ettirerek ilana hazrlanyordu zaten
(rikaaszade, s. 122). ki farkl hatratta geen
bu paralel bilgiler belgesel bir aratrmayla
derinletirilmeye muhtatr. Yine baka bir kz,
adiye Sultann hatratnda naklettiine gre
Abdlhamid oktan mevkiini terk etmei
hatrna koyduunu, bunu bendegnna
sylediini, ancak onlarn daima mukavemet
H
ederek onu bu fikirden caydrdn sylyordu:
nk refahlar saltanatmla kimdi (s. 59). Bu
son cmle nemli, nk Abdlhamidin
brokratlar hakikaten kendisini
ynlendirebiliyor, kandrabiliyor, nemli vukuat
hakknda bilgisiz brakabiliyorlard.
Brokratik hiyerariyi ineterek devlet ilerini
resen grd sarayda byk hizmetlerde birok
chely istihdam etmesi, arzu etmedii kiileri
birer vazife ile taraya gndermesi, zelzele
srasnda gsterdii metanet ve huzuruna
girenleri byleyen cazibe kuvveti gibi elikili
ynlerini nakleden Hasan Srr Bey, padiah
yle vasfediyordu: Ayn zamanda cesur ve
korkak, kil ve mecnun, efik ve zalim, hsl
cmil-ezdd idi (ayn, s. 126). Yani sultan
birbiriyle zt zellikleri ahsnda toplamt.
Aslnda Abdlhamid tipik bir Baak burcu
erkeidir. Burlar edbne vasfeden Jacques
Bertrandn kelimeleriyle Baak kk tutkularla
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|
The events that resulted in the promulgation of
the Second Merutiyet coincided with a time
when Abdlhamid was designing limitations for
his own power with a constitution and a
the Merutiyet, the constitutional laws of all the
states were being translated and we wanted to
select the most suitable one, thus introducing a
constitutional law that would save the state
from disintegration; it was our desire to promulgate
the Merutiyet in this way. What can I do? God
did not desire this to happen. (Aye Osmanolu,
p. 173) In the memoirs of Hasan Srr Bey, who
served the sultan as state translator for a quarter
of a century, he writes that a few months before
the promulgation of the Merutiyet he presented
him with a translation of the current
constitutional laws of the European states.
According to this author the sultan was
preparing a revision of the constitution that, if
nothing else, would not make him more
comfortable (rikaaszade, p. 122). It is
necessary to produce further documentary
evidence of this statement, which appears in
two different memoirs. In the memoirs of another
daughter, adiye Sultan, Abdlhamid had long
since made up his mind to renounce the throne,
and he had told this to his milieu; however, as
they resisted this idea he had been dissuaded:
because their welfare was only possible with
my sultanate. (p. 59) This last sentence is important
as it shows that Abdlhamid was aware that the
bureaucracy could maneuver behind his back,
directing and deceiving him, leaving him devoid of
information in important events.
asan Srr Bey describes the many contradictory
faces of Abdulhamid: he acted of his own accord
in state matters and ignored the bureaucratic
hierarchy, a number of ignorant people were
employed in important posts in the palace, he
sent undesirable people to far provinces on some
duty; however during the earthquake the sultan
displayed fortitude and those who went into his
presence were aware of a bewitching attraction.
In the end, Hasan Srr Bey qualifies the sultan
as follows: He was brave and cowardly, intelligent
and mad, compassionate and cruel, he was a cmil-
ezdd (a man containing many contradictions
within himself) (rikaaszade, p. 126).
In fact, Abdlhamid was a typical Virgo male. In
the words of Jacques Bertrand, who explains the
character of Virgo in a literary way, Virgos
sarho olur, dakiktir, eczacdr, akll ve
dzenlidir; paradan btn karr, btn punctual, healing, intelligent and organized; they
paralara ayrmay iyi bilir; imla yanllarn,
hesap hatalarn ve dzgn balanmam
kravatlar fark etmekte stne yoktur. Dzeltir,
temize eker, rtular, mkemmelletirir. nce
eleyip sk dokur, her ite bir bityenii arar.
Bcekleri ve yldzlar inceler. Dosdorudur,
rahatsz etmeye gelmez, kibarlk ister.
Harcamaktan ekinir, yokluktan korkar. Saknr,
ac ekmekten korkar. Endieyle kendine
kapanr, kabzdr, barsaklar tkanr, telalanr,
kaslr, mtekidir. Esrarn korur,
mkemmeliyetidir, yanlmaz, her zaman
hakldr, ok abuk ekilmez olur. Baaklktan
nefret ettii zaman akrebe dnr. Bu
zelliklerin her biri ayr ayr ele alnarak ilgin
bir Abdlhamid portresi ina edilebilir.
Abdlhamid, bu en stanbullu padiah,
hkmdarlndan sonra yllna Selanikli
olmutur. Osmanl tarihinde ok padiahlar
devrilmi ve ldrlm, ama hibiri
imparatorluun bir tara vilayetinde srgn
become intoxicated with small passions, they are II. Abdlhamidin verdii
Murassa Nin- l-i
mtiyaz emsesi
can understand the whole from just one part, The Murassa Nin- l-i
and know how to separate the pieces. There is mtiyaz emse of
no one better for spotting spelling mistakes, Abdlhamid II
miscalculations or a badly tied tie. They will
organize, clean up, retouch and perfect. They are
very thorough and will look for a hidden blemish
in everything. They will examine insects and the
stars. They are honest, will not cause discomfort,
but demand courtesy. They are wary of spending
and fearful of poverty. They are afraid of pain.
They can become caught up in worry, are
constipated, anxious, constrained and complaining.
They protect a secret, are perfectionists, are
never in the wrong, always right and quickly
become unbearable. When they dislike being a
Virgo they become a Scorpio. When we examine
these qualities, one by one, we can build an
interesting portrait of Abdlhamid.
Abdlhamid, the most Istanbulian of the sultans,
spent three years of his late life in Salonica.
Many sultans in Ottoman history were dethroned
|33|
 II. Abdlhamid'in hali
Abdlmecid Efendi Sultan
II. Abdlhamidin Hali adl
tablosunu nasl yaptn, kendi
maiyetinde bulunan smail
Baykaln sorusu zerine yle
anlatr: Evvela grdnz bu
ahslarn hepsini saraya davet
ettim. Abdlhamidin hal kararn
tebli ettikleri gn karsnda
duru ve vaziyetlerini tesbit ettim.
Esasen Abdlhamidin simasn
o kadar iyi bilirim ki, grmeden
dahi izebilirim ve nitekim de
yaptm. Yalnz bunlar arasnda
Karasu Efendinin duruunda, bir
aleti gsne sokarcasna vaziyet
almas dikkatimi ekti, izmekle
beraber kendisinden sual
ettiimde Efendimiz
biliyorsunuz, Abdlhamid atc bir
zat idi. Ve eli de cebinde olduuna
gre, behemahal (mutlaka) her iki
elinde de birer tabanca olduunu
zannederek bende de var fikrini
vermek zere byle hareket ettim
demiti.
The dethronement of
Abdlhamid II
Ablmecid Efendi, when asked by
one of his retinue, smail Baykal,
how he had made the painting
The Dethronement of Sultan
Abdlhamid II, gave the following
answer: First of all I invited all of
these people to the palace.
I determined the stance and
condition of them when the
decision to dethrone him was
communicated to Abdlhamid.
In fact, I know Abdlhamids face
so well that I can draw it without
looking, and this is what I did.
However, when I was drawing the
stance of Karasu Efendi I noticed
that he was trying to hide an
instrument in his breast; while
continuing to draw I asked him
about this. He answered, Sir, you
know that Abdlhamid was a
hunter. And as one hand is in his
pocket, I think we can assume
that he had a gun in each hand,
and I wanted to give the same
impression.
G. Sevin, Ressam ehzade Abdlmecid
Efendi'nin Sultan II. Abdlhamid'in Tahttan
indirilii (Hal'i) Adl Tablosuna Dair
zmlemeler, Trkiyede Sanat, 45 (2000)

34|
|
 II. Abdlhamide tahttan
indirildiinin bildirilii. Sultan
II. Abdlhamid dnda
resimde yer alan ahslar
srasyla: Bahriye Feriki Arif
Hikmet Paa, Selanik Mebusu
Emanuel Karasu, Dra Mebusu
Esad Toptani Paa,
Senatr Aram Efendi ve
Miralay Galip Efendi
The communique announcing
the dethronment of
Abdlhamid II. The people in
the photograph other than
Abdlhamid II are the naval
commander, Arif Hikmet
Pasha, the Thessalonica
deputy, Emanuel Karasu, the
Dra deputy, Esad Toptani
Pasha, Senator Aram Efendi
and Colonel Galip Efendi

|35|

II. Abdlhamidin Beylerbeyi
Sarayndaki alma odasnda
kendi yapt dolap, masa,
sandalye
The cupboard, table and
chairs that Abdlhamid II
made in Beylerbeyi Palace
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|
S U L T A N I I . A B D L H A M D
M P A R A T O R L U U N S O N N E F E S
olarak yaamamt. Tarihte bu durumu ilk defa and killed, but none of them were exiled to the
tecrbe eden Abdlhamid olmutu. ttihat ve provinces. Abdlhamid was the first sultan to
Terakki idaresi altnda yaanan Balkan experience this. When this territory was about to
harpleriyle oras da elden gitmek zereyken be lost during the Balkan Wars, waged by the
stanbula geri getirildi ve Beylerbeyi Sarayna ttihat ve Terakki administration, the sultan was
yerletirildi. Burada hane hapsi yaayan sbk brought back to Istanbul and placed in Beylerbeyi
sultan 10 ubat 1918de, yani Cihan Harbinin Palace. Here the former sultan was under house
bittiini gremeden vefat edecektir. arrest; he died on 10 February, 1918, that is
before the end of the First World War.
raan Saraynda alnan ilk nefes,
Beylerbeyinde verilen son nefes: 33 yln He was a sultan who took his first breath in the
hkmdar 75 yldan fazla yaad. Sanki gzn raan Palace and breathed his last in
bitirip k mevsimine giren imparatorluun Beylerbeyi Palace; he ruled for 33 years and lived
kaderini yaam gibi, Abdlhamid 22 Eyllde for more than 75. Just like the empire, which had
balad hayat 10 ubatta bitirdi. Her a come to the end of autumn and had entered its
devlet sahiplerine ruhunu fler, dedik. Acaba winter, Abdlhamid started his life on 22
tam tersi midir, aa o ruhu fleyen devlet September and died on 10 February. It is said that
sahiplerinin ta kendileri midir? Solunan her every age breathes its spirit into the state ruler.
nefesin geri verilmesi gibi, belki de devlet However, I wonder if the reverse could be true?
 A B D L H A M D I I
T H E L A S T B R E A T H O F T H E E M P I R E

sahiplerinin mtekbilen verdikleri nefeslerdir
alara ekil veren...
II. Abdlhamid Yllar
1842: Doumu. Babas Sultan Abdlmecid 19,
Aabeyi Murad 2 yanda.
1844: Kardei Mehmed Readn doumu.
1847: Aabeyi Murad ile beraber snnet oldu,
Haydarpaada trenle Kurana balad.
1853-56: Krm Harbi
1856: Islahat Ferman
1861: Babas Sultan Abdlmecidin vefat
1863: Msr seyahati, Amcas Sultan Abdlaziz
ile zmir zerinden
1867: Avrupa seyahati, Amcas Sultan Abdlaziz ile
1868: lk kz Ulviye Sultan dodu.
1870: lk olu Mehmed Selim Efendi dodu.
Could it be that it is the rulers who breathe their II. Abdlhamidin Beylerbeyi
Sarayndaki yatak odas
state into the age, as if giving back every breath
The bedroom of Abdlhamid
they took? Perhaps it is the mutual breaths of the II in Beylerbeyi Palace
state rulers that give shape to the era.
The Life of Abdlhamid
1842: Birth. His father Sultan Abdlmecid was
19, his older brother Murad was 2.
1844: His brother Mehmed Read was born.
1847: He and his older brother Murad were
circumcised; he started Quran lessons after a
ceremony in Haydarpaa.
1853-56: Crimean War
1856: Imperial Reform Decree
1861: His father Sultan Abdlmecid dies
1863: Egyptian journey with his uncle, Sultan
Abdlaziz, leaving from zmir
1867: European journey with his uncle, Sultan Abdlaziz

|37|
 S U L T A N I I . A B D L H A M D
M P A R A T O R L U U N S O N N E F E S

Selanike Gidi
stanbula Dn

Babamn bamabeyncisi Tahsin Paa azlolmu, onun yerine ktiplerden Jn Trklerin itimat ettii ttihat ve
Terakki mensubu Cevat Bey tayin olunmutu. Tesadfen o gn babama gitmitim. lk defa huzura kan
Cevat Bey "Ah efendiciim, ben sizin sdk bendenizim. Tahsin Paa beni uzun zaman huzurunuza
karmad. Byk bir mzayaka iindeyim" diye yalvarr gibi konuuyordu. Babam hareme girdi. zntl
idi. Btn saray halknca dalkavukluk ve mrailii ile isim yapm byle bir adamn kendisine husus ktip
olarak verilmesinden duyduu ye'si gizlemeye alyordu. ekmecesinden bir deste banknot alarak,
selmlkta bekleyen Cevat Bey'e gtrp verdi. Fakat bu zengin ihsan grnce yerlere kapanp ayaklarn
pmeye alan Cevat Bey'i, bu teebbsnden dolay hayatnn en buhranl nnda dahi tekdir ve takbih
etmeyi ihml etmemitir:
"Rica ederim! Secdeler Allah'a mahsustur. Bu gibi hareketlerde bulunmamanz ve ikinci ihtara lzum
brakmamanz rica ederim" demitir.
Birka gn sonra, babamn hl'ine ve Read Efendinin clusuna ait Meb'uslar Meclisi karar tebli edildi.
Babam gayet serin kanllkla: "Madem ki, otuz sene memnun edemedim, kimi isterlerse hayrl etsin.
Yalnz rica ederim, btn ailemle beraber biraderimin oturduu raan Sarayna beni gtrnz," dedi.
Tebli heyeti "Meb'uslar Meclisinde, Selanik'te hazrlanan kke gitmeniz iin karar alnmtr," cevabn
verdi. Babam: "Yorgunum ve yam da uzun yolculuklara msait deildir. Allah'a kasem ederim ki,
saltanatta gzm yoktur, fakat ailemle raan Saraynda ikametimi rica ediyorum" dedi. Tebli heyeti,
Meclise yeniden arzedileceini ve alnacak cevabn yeni bamabeynci Cevat Bey ile bildirileceini syleyip
ayrld. Bir iki saat sonra cevap geldi. Derhal Selanik'e hareket iin hazrlanlmas hakknda Meclis kararn
Cevat Bey, maalesef birka gn nce bir deste banknotu ald vakit yerlere kapanarak ayaklarn pt
babama, ok ar szler sarfederek bildirdi.
Azna ald kelimeler terbiye d idi, alelade bir adama dahi sylenmesi aypt. te babam o zaman ok
mahzun oldu. kbalde iken en yakn, dt vakit en insafsz hasm kesilmiti. Babam ok nzik bir ed ile:
"Hangi vicdan elverir ki, sarayda bu kadar masum ve gnahsz kadnlar a ve emniyetsiz braklsnlar. ahsma
gelince, ehemmiyeti yok," dedi. Cevat Bey de: "Banza gelen ve gelecekleri evvelce dnseydiniz!" eklinde
cevap verdi. Babam: "Denin yardmcs Allah'tr. Elbette benim mazlum kalbimin h bir gn kacaktr," diye
mukabele etti. O zaman babacmn gzleri yala dumanlanmt. Bunu grdm vakit kalbime bir haner
soksalar kat'iyen ac duymayacaktm. erden bir lk duyduk. Pencereye kotuk. Sarayn kaps ardna kadar
alm, eli sngl askerler hareme giriyorlard.

adiye Osmanolu, Babam Abdlhamid Saray ve Srgn Yllar, st. 2009, s. 52-53.

***
Sadrazam Ahmed Muhtar Paa'dan Sultan II. Abdl-hamid'in Selanik'ten kmak istemediini duyan
erif Paa, vali ile beraber kendilerini istikbale ve ziyarete gelen Mevki Kumandan Muhiddin Paa'ya "Siz
kendilerini evvelce Bursa'ya gitmek zere Selanik'ten ayrlmaya davet ettiiniz zaman size ne dedilerdi?" diye
sordu ve u cevab ald: "... Bir gece idi, iptida ben gittim. Bursa'ya nakilleri hakkndaki iradeyi tebli ettim.
'Katiyen yerimden kmldanmam,' cevabn verdi. Tehlikeyi gsterdim. 'mmet-i Muhammed'e ne olursa
bana da olur, bundan ne kar?' dedi. Uratm, bir trl iknaya muvaffak olamadm...
imdi Mehmet erif Paa'y dinleyelim: "Kkn ikinci katna kan mermer merdivenin sahanlnda hakan-
sabk bizi istikbal etti. Elbise zerine her zaman yapt gibi boz renkli paltosunu giymiti. Ayanda da potin
stne glse kunduralar vard. Titrek ve heyecanl bir sesle iptida bana hitap etti ve kendisine mahsus
halavetli bir eda ile ve kaln bir sada ile 'Sizi buraya hangi rzgr getirdi?' hitabnda bulundu. nmze
dt, bizi ikinci katta bir salona gtrd; bir kanepeye oturdu, bize de emretti, karsndaki sandalyelere
oturduk. Benim yzme bakt, zmnen sebeb-i vrudumuzu sorar gibi oldu. Derhal Sultan Mehmet Read'n
beyanatn aynen arz ettim. Ve ilveten Yunan donanmasnn Selanik'i bombardman etmesi ihtimali vardr.

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 A B D L H A M D I I
T H E L A S T B R E A T H O F T H E E M P I R E

Hatta Yunan askeri de karadan sekiz on saatlik mesafeye kadar gelmitir, dedim. Mahzun mahzun dnd II. Abdlhamidi Selanikten
stanbula getiren gemi
ve bana u cevab verdi: Bir kere Bursa'ya git dediler, katiyen gitmem dedim. Kuvve-i cebriye ile dahi
The ship that took
kmayacam syledim. ekildik, burada oturuyoruz. Uradm felket bana yetiir. imdi de hokka gibi Abdlhamid II from
oradan oraya gitmekte ne mana var? Amma imdi dman bombardman edecekmi! Ne yapaym? Kaderim Thessalonica to Istanbul
neyse onu grrm. Selanik'te bu kadar ehl-i slm ve o kadar halk var. Onlarn bana ne gelirse bana da (Nuran Yldrm Arivi)

gelir. Ben de bir silah alrm, askerle beraber mdafaada bulunurum. lrsem ehit olurum, stanbul'da
tehlike yok mudur? Ben Bulgarlar iyi bilirim hedefleri stanbul'dur. Etrafmda muhafzlar olmasa bile ben
hl-i skndan kmam merak etmesinler beni rahat braksnlar, burada rahat oturaym.

Bu cevab aldktan sonra ben yine tekrar ettim ve efendimiz ikamet-i ahaneleri iin stanbul'dan baka bir yer
tahsis olunmayacana dair bendenizde bir de tezkere var, takdim edeyim dedim verdim. Gzln takt,
okudu. nanmad m nedir bilmem? kmam gitmem demekle srar etti. Ben daha ileri gittim. Maazallah
dmann esaretine dmek ihtimalini telmih ederek mahza kendisinin temin-i syanet ve selameti iin geldik
dedim. Bu srada Arif Hikmet Paa da beni teyit etti. Etti amma Sultan II. Abdlhamid inadndan
vazgemiyordu. Bunun zerine sylemediimiz kalmad, son derece ricalarda bulunduk. 'ayan- teem-
mldr. Bakaym dneyim. Bana msaade ediniz' dedi. Huzurundan ktk.

Bir mddet sonra bizi bir daha kabul etti. 'Mademki stanbul'a gitmemi istiyorlar pekl giderim'
muvafakatn verdi. Bu defa bizi kk bir sofada ve ayakta kabul etmiti. Giderim dedikten sonra da unlar
syledi: 'Ben zaten raan'da dodum. Byk birader (Sultan Murad) de orada oturdu; ben de otururum.
Fakat eyam beraber gtrmeliyim. br defa geldiim zaman yirmi gn bir kat amarla kaldm. Kanepe
zerinde yattm. Size bir ey daha syleyeyim: Yakn bir yerden iskeleye giderek vapura binmeliyim. Arabalar
da kapal olsun. Yarn saat e kadar hazrlanmaya alrz.' Bunun zerine arz- teekkr ettik ve istedii
eylerin hepsinin temin edileceini syledik."

Hakan- sabk Selanik'ten stanbul'a davete memur olan paalar geceyi vapurda geirdiler ve ertesi sabah
nc zabit kumandasnda bulunan sandallarla Alatini Deirmen skelesi'ne ktlar, oradan da kke gittiler.
kinci sandal vapurun hekimi igal ediyordu. Sultan II. Abdlhamid, paalar huzuruna artt. skelede
sandallarn hazr olduunu arz ettiler. "Benimle ocuum (Abid Efendi) bir de iki haremim bineriz. Siz
yabanc deilsiniz, familyadansnz, bizimle beraber binersiniz" teklifinde bulunur. Ve iki haremiyle olunu
beraber alp bir lndo arabasna rakip olur. Mehmed erif ve Arif Hikmet paalarla vali Nzm ve kumandan
paalar kendisine kapda selam dururlar ve arabay baka bir arabaya binerek takip ederler. skeleye varrlar.
Gene erif Paa'y dinleyelim: "skeleye gelir gelmez vapurun nc svarisini takdim ettim. Zabite iltifat
etti ve sandala bindi. Bize de emretti sandala girdik musahip Nuri Aa'y da aldk. Bu srada vali paann
rhtmda bulunduunu arz ettim. Hemen sandalda ayaa kalkt, selam verdi, sizi ve memleketi Allah'a emanet
eyledim, dedi.
Ahmet Semih Mmtaz, Sultan Abdlhamid ve Zaman, haz. smail Derviolu, st. 2008, s. 139-140.

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 S U L T A N I I . A B D L H A M D
M P A R A T O R L U U N
1872: Kz Zekiye Sultan dodu.
1875: lk kz Ulviye Sultan vefat etti. Bosna-
Hersek syan.
1876: Kz Naime Sultan dodu. Amcas
Abdlaziz tahttan indirildi. Aabeyi V. Muradn
clsu. Yunanistan ve Karadala sava.
V. Muradn hali, kendisinin tahta kmas,
Kanun- Esasnin ilan.
1877: Osmanl-Rus Harbi. Hilal-i Ahmer
(Kzlay) Cemiyeti kuruldu. Sultan Yldz
Sarayna tand.
1878: Oullar Abdlkadir ve Ahmed Nuri
efendiler dodu. Edirne Atekesi, Meclis-i
Mebusann datlmas, Ayastefanos Anlamas.
Ali Suavinin darbe teebbs.
Kbrsn ngiltereye braklmas. Berlin Kongresi.
1879: Adli slahatlar. eyh Ubeydullah syan.
1880: Kendinden yedi ay byk ablas Refia
Sultann vefat. Mekteb-i Hukuk ald.
1881: Fransann Tunusu igali. Muharrem
Kararnamesi. Dyn-i Umumiyenin kurulmas.
1882: ngilterenin Msr igali. Bayezid
Ktphanesi kuruldu.
1883: Sanayi-i Nefise (Gzel Sanatlar) Mektebi ve
Beyolu Nis (Emrz- Zhreviye) Hastanesi ald.
1884: Kz Naile Sultan dodu. Baka bir kz
(Seniyye) doumda ld. Midhat Paa Taifte
ldrld.
1885: Kz Seniha Sultan doumda ld. Olu
Burhaneddin Efendi dodu. Dou Rumeli
Eyaletinin Bulgar Prensliine iltihak. Yldz
Camii inaat.
1886: Kz adiye Sultan dodu. Kuduz asn
bulan Pasteure nian, Pasteur Enstitsne
ba gnderdi. Yldz Asker Hastanesi kuruldu.
Hnak cemiyeti Cenovada kuruldu.
1887: Kz Aye Sultan dodu. lk torunu
Mehmed Efendi dodu. Dnyann nc kuduz
enstits olan Dlkelp Ameliyathanesi
kuruldu. Paris-stanbul demiryolu hatt
ald. Namk Kemal ld.
1889: Alman mparatorunun ilk ziyareti. Dilsiz
Mektebi ald. Askeri Tbbyede ttihad- Osman
Cemiyeti kuruldu. Ahmed Rza Parise kat.
1890: Lalas ve Mabeyncisi (semte adn veren)
Osman Bey ve ilk torunu Mehmed Efendi
ld. Tanak Cemiyeti kuruldu.
1891: Kz Refia Sultan dodu. Hamidiye
Alaylar kuruldu. Sr- Hitn- Hmyun (9656
ocuun snnet edildii byk len). mlar
Mektebi ald. Ahmed Vefik Paa ld.
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S O N N E F E S
1868: His eldest daughter Ulviye Sultan is born.
1870: His eldest son Mehmed Selim Efendi is born.
1872: His daughter Zekiye Sultan is born.
1875: His eldest daughter Ulviye Sultan dies.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina Rebellion.
1876: His daughter Naime Sultan is born. His
uncle Abdlaziz is dethroned. His brother
Murad V is placed on the throne. War with
Greece and Montenegro. Murad V is dethroned,
and he ascends the throne himself, promulgating
the Kanun- Esas (constitutional law).
1877: Ottoman-Russian War. The Hilal-i
Ahmer (Red Crescent) Society is estab lished.
The sultan moves to Yldz Palace.
1878: His sons Abdlkadir Efendi and Ahmed
Nuri Efendi are born. The Edirne Ceasefire is
signed, the Meclis-i Mebusan (parliament) is
dissolved, the Treaty of San Stefano. The Ali
Suavi coup dtat attempt. Cyprus is handed
over to Britain. Berlin Congress.
1879: Justice reforms. The Sheikh Ubeydullah
Rebellion.
1880: His sister, seven months older than he,
Refia Sultan, dies. The Mekteb-i Hukuk (Law
School) is opened.
1881: France invades Tunisia. The Muharrem
Decree. The establishment of the Dyn-i
Umumiye (Public Debt).
1882: Great Britain invades Egypt.
The establishment of the Bayezid Library.
1883: The Sanayi-i Nefise (Fine Arts) School
and the the Beyolu Nis (Emrz- Zhreviye)
Hospital are opened.
1884: His daughter Naile Sultan is born.
Another daughter, (Seniyye) is stillborn.
Midhat Paa is murdered in Taif.
1885: His daughter Seniha Sultan is stillborn.
His son Burhaneddin Efendi is born. Eastern
Rumelia joins the Bulgarian Principality. Yldz
Mosque is constructed.
1886: His daughter adiye Sultan is born. He sends
a medal to Pasteur, who developed an immunization
for rabies, and sends a donation to the Pasteur
Institute. The Yldz Military Hospital is estab-
lished. The Hnak Society is established in Genoa.
1887: His daughter Aye Sultan is born. His first
grandchild Mehmed Efendi is born. The
Dlkelp Surgery, the third rabies institute in
the world, is established. The railway from Paris
to Istanbul is opened. Namk Kemal dies.
1889: The first visit from the German emperor.
The Dilsiz Mektebi (School for the Mute) is
opened. The ttihad- Osman Society is
established in the Askeri Tbbiye (Military
Medical School). Ahmed Rza flees to Paris.
 A B D L H A M D I I
T H E L A S T B R E A T H O F T H E E M P I R E

1892: Dads Nergis-Misal ld. Airet Mektebi,
ve iek as reten ilk Telkihhane kuruldu.
1893: Peyveste Hanmefendi ile evlendi.
stanbulda kolera salgn. Hfzsshha Komisyonu
kuruldu. Makedonya Devrimci rgt
kuruldu.
1894: Olu Abdrrahim Efendi dodu. stanbul
depremi. Sason Ayaklanmas. Bakteriyolojihane
kuruldu.
II. Abdlhamid
1890: His tutor and chamberlain Osman Bey
(TSM)
(whom the area in Istanbul was named after)
dies, as does his first grandson Mehmed Efendi. The
Tanak Society is established.
1891: His daughter Refia Sultan is born. The
Hamidiye Troops are established. The Sr-
Hitn- Hmyun (A great celebration that
provides the circumcision for 9,656 boys) takes
place. The mlar Mektebi (school for the
blind) is opened. Ahmed Vefik Pasha is killed.

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M P A R A T O R L U U N
1895: Ahmed Cevdet Paa, Mabeyn Bakatibi
Sreyya Paa ve Nzik-ed Bakadnefendi ld.
Galata Rhtm ald. Hnaklarn Babli Telkihhane, which produces immunization for
nnde gsterisi. Jn Trklerin ilk byk
eylemleri.
1896: Fatma Pesend Hanm ile evlendi. Giritte
Rum syan. Tanaklarn Osmanl Bankas
Baskn. Servet-i Fnn kuruldu. Darlaceze ald.
1897: Kz Hatice Sultan dodu. Yunanllara
kar asker zafer. Girite zerklik.
1898: Kz Hatice Sultan sekiz aylkken vefat
etti. Alman mparatorunun ikinci ziyareti.
Glhane Tababet-i Askeriye Tatbikat Mektebi
(bugnk GATA) ve ac yetitirmek
zere A Dershanesi ald.
1899: Kz Hatice Sultana ithafen Hamidiye
(ili) Etfal Hastanesi ald. Badat Demiryolu
imtiyaz Almanlara verildi. Haydarpaa Liman
inaat balad.
1900: Clsun 25. yl kutlamalar; Hicaz
Demiryolu inaat balad; Darlfnun ald.
Franszlarn Midilliyi igali. Gazi Osman Paa
ld. Padiah kzlar Aliye ve Cemile
sultanlar birka gnlkken vefat etti.
1901: kiz oullar Nureddin ve Bedreddin
efendiler dodu. Dilpesend 3. Kadnefendi ld.
Theodor Herzlin Filistin iin grmesi
1902: Pariste Jn Trk Kongresi. Hseyin Hilmi
Paa Makedonyaya Umumi Mfetti oldu.
1903: azeli eyh Zfirin vefat. Makedonyada
Bulgar Ayaklanmas. Mrzteg Reform Program.
1904: emseddin Sami ve V. Muradn vefat.
Yemen syan.
1905: En kk olu Mehmed Abid Efendi
dodu. Yemende asilerin Sanay ele geirmesi.
Cuma selamlnda suikast teebbs.
1906: St kardei ve Esvapbas smet Bey
ld. Akabe-Taba krizi.
1907: Pariste ikinci Jn Trk Kongresi, ttihat
ve Terakki Cemiyetinin bymesi.
1908: Son kz Samiye Sultan dodu. Reval
bulumas, Jn Trk htilali, Kanun- Esasnin
tekrar ilan. Hicaz Demiryolu bitti.
Bulgaristann bamszl, Bosna-Hersekin
Avusturya-Macaristanca ilhak, Giritin
Yunanistana iltihak.
1909: Son kz Samiye Sultan (1 ya) ve Mezde
Padiahm ok yaa
Mestn 3. Kadnefendi ld. Rifa eyhi
Sandalye
Long live the Sultan
Ebl-Hdnn vefat. 31 Mart Vakas, Adana
Chair Vakas, Abdlhamidin hali ve
(YSM) Selanike srgn, V. Mehmed Readn clsu.
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S O N N E F E S
1892: His nanny, Nergis-Misal, dies. The Airet
Mektebi (tribal school) and the first
smallpox, is established.
1893: He marries Peyveste Hanmefendi. There
is an outbreak of cholera in Istanbul.
The Hfzsshha (Hygiene) Commission is
established. The Inner Macedonian
Revolutionary Organization is established.
1894: His son Abdrrahim Efendi is born. There
is an earthquake in Istanbul. The Sason Uprising.
A bacteriology laboratory is established.
1895: Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, State Chief
Secretary Sreyya Pasha and Nzik-ed
Bakadnefendi die. The docks at Galata are
opened. The Hnaks demonstrate in
front of the Sublime Porte. The first great
demonstration of the Young Turks.
1896: He marries Fatma Pesend Hanm. The
Greek Uprising in Crete. The Tanaks
raid the Ottoman Bank. The Servet-i Fnn
(Science Fund) is established. The Darlaceze
(poorhouse) is opened.
1897: His daughter Hatice Sultan is born. Military
victory against the Greeks. Autonomy for Crete.
1898: His daughter Hatice Sultan dies when she
is only eight months old. The second visit of the
German emperor. The Glhane Tababet-i
Askeriye Tatbikat Mektebi (todays GATA
military hospital) and the A Dershanesi
(immunization school) were opened.
1899: The Hamidiye (ili) Etfal Hospital,
dedicated to his daughter Hatice Sultan is
opened. The concessions for the Baghdad
Railway are given to the Germans. The
construction of Haydarpaa Port begins.
1900: Silver Jubilee; construction of the Hijaz
Railway begins; the Darlfnun (school of sciences)
is opened. The French invade Lesbos. Gazi Osman
Pasha dies. His daughters Aliye Sultan and Cemile
Sultan die when they are a few days old.
1901: Twin sons Nureddin Efendi and
Bedreddin Efendi are born. Dilpesend, the third
kadnefendi, dies. Meetings with Theodor Herzl
about Palestine.
1902: The Young Turks meeting in Paris.
Hseyin Hilmi Pasha is appointed as
General Inspector for Macedonia.
1903: azeli Sheikh Zfir dies. The Bulgar Uprising
in Macedonia. The Mrzteg Reform Program.
1904: emseddin Sami and Murad V die. The
Yemen Uprising.
1905: His youngest son Mehmed Abid Efendi is
born. The rebels in Yemen capture Sana. There
is an assassination attempt during the Friday
Procession.
 A B D L H A M D I I
T H E L A S T B R E A T H O F T H E E M P I R E

kinci Abdlhamidin Defni

Sultan bdlhamid, kendisini haledip devletin bana bir kbus gibi
musallat olan Makedonya komitecilerinin o muazzam devleti on sene
iinde nasl yele verip inkraza srklediklerini Mirsd- ibretten tem ederek lmtr. Birinci cihan
harbinde kumandanlkla Trablusgarba gnderilmi olan shak Paann anlatt bir htray burada tarihe
aynen tevdi etmeyi vazife bilirim. O meum harbin en buhranl gnlerinden birinde devletin hayatiyle
alkadar ok mhim bir mesele hakknda Sultan Hamidin malmatndan istifde iin her naslsa fikrini
anlamak istiyen Talat ve Enver Paalar shak Paay Beylerbeyi sarayna gndermilerdir. O zamanki
tabiriyle Hkan- sbkn verdii cevap aynen yledir: Bu vaziyette artk benim verebileceim hi bir fikir
ve tavsiye edebileceim hi bir tedbir kalmamtr: nk bu zavall devlet harb-i-umumye srklendii gn
mnkariz olmutur! Sizi bana gnderenler o lgnl irtikb etmeden evvel gndermeliydiler: Btn dnya
denizlerine hkim olan devletlere kar Almanya ve Avusturya gibi kara hudutlar iinde mahbus yayan iki
devletle beraber atee atlmak tarihin kaydettii en byk hamkattir. Sultan Hamidin son nefesine kadar
yannda bulunmu olan drdnc refikas Mfika Kadn-Efendi bir gn bana Beylerbeyi sarayna gelen
Envere de Sultan Hamidin ayni mealde szler sylemi olduundan bahsetmitir.

Sultan Hamidin cenazesi Topkapu sarayna nakledilerek tehiz ve tekfini orada yapldktan sonra, Sultan
Readm iradesiyle lmnn ertesi gn pdihlara mahsus muazzam merasimle Sultanmahmut trbesine
defnedilmitir. Bizzat hid olduum bu muhteem merasim esnasnda Ayasofyadan trbeye kadar iki sra
asker dizilmiti; cadde ile caddeye kan sokaklar, pencereler, damlar, aalar ve hatt trbe mezarlnn
etrafndaki duvarlar maher gibi halk ktleleriyle dolmutu. Btn halk derin bir teessr iindeydi.
Alyanlar, hkranlar ve hatt: Bizi brakp nereye gidiyorsun? diye haykranlar oluyordu. Bu heybetli ve
umum teessr iinde lbl tavrl tek bir kii vard: Sarkamn hazin kahraman Enver Paann elleri
arkasndayd!

Abdurrahman eref merhum halkn bu derin ve hakl teessrn pervasz bir ifdeyle yle tasvir etmiti:
Hengm- ikblinde (Ne kendi eyledi rahat, ne halka verdi huzur) msran okuyanlardan bir ounun
cenaze namaznda Bknin: Kadrini seng-i musallada bilp ey Bak / Durup el balayalar karna yaran saf saf
beytini hatra getirmeleri hsn-i hatimeye dl garib-i mukadderattandr.

Eski Dhiliyye nazrlarndan Ebubekir Hazm Bey bir gn Abdlhak Hamidin salonunda Sultan Hamidin
lmyle alkadar bir htrasn anlatmt. O srada ry--Devlet direlerinden birinin reisliinde bulunan
Hazm Bey, Sultan Hamidin terekesini tesbit iin Enver Paann riyasetinde tekil edilen heyete dahilmi;
merhumun irtihalinden birka gn sonra Beylerbeyi sarayna gidilip lm gn mhrlenmi olan yatak odas
alm; Ebubekir Hazm Bey bir ok kymetli eya iinde pek ehemmiyetsiz bir eye dikkat etmi: Sultan
Hamidin btn hayatnda boynuna asl ve teninin stnde sakl bulundurduu bir muska varm, keli
bir gm mahfaza iinde bulunan bu muska alm: Mavi bir mektup kd km; i yzndeki iki
sahifesinin birincisinde krmz mrekkeple yle bir sual yazlym:

-yi adam nasl olur? Bu sulin altnda iyi adamn btn klsik tarifleri sralanm; mukabil sahifedeki
-Fena adam nasl olur? sulinin altnda da mdhi bir zlim tasvir ediliyormu! Bu iki sahife Sultan Hamidin
kendi el yazsyla yazlm ve hatt bz silikler bile varm: frklere, bylere, efsunlara mutekd ve hatt
mptel zannedilen zavall kinci Abdlhamidin mehur muskas ite byle bir muskaym! - Eer Ftih,
Yavuz ve Kanun 15 inci ve 16 nc asrlarda gelmeyip de Sultan Hamidin zamannda gelmi olsalard, ne
yapabilirlerdi? Bu byk pdihn ahsiyyetini tesbit etmek istiyenler iin byle bir sulin cevabn ok iyi
dnmek gerektir. Her halde tarih, kinci Abdlhamidi dima hrmet ve rahmetle yd edecektir.
(smail Hami Danimend, zahl Osmanl Tarihi Kronolojisi, 4, st., ts. s. 438-439.)

Hazrlayan: Enes Gl

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 S U L T A N I I . A B D L H A M D
M P A R A T O R L U U N S O N N E F E S

II. Abdlhamidin sandukas

ve defnedildii dedesi
II. Mahmudun Trbesi
(Divanyolu)
The coffin of Abdlhamid II
and the mausoleum of his
grandfather, Mahmud II
(Divanyolu)

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 A B D L H A M D
T H E L A S T B R E A T H O F
1910: Arnavutluk ve Yemende isyan.
1911: Babli Yangn. Trablusgarbin
talyanlarca igali.
1912: talyanlarn adalar igali, Balkan Harbi,
Abdlhamidin Beylerbeyine nakli.
Arnavutlukun istiklali. Ahmed Midhat
Efendinin vefat.
1913: Olu Mehmed Bedreddin Efendi (2 ya)
ld. Babli Baskn. Mahmud evket Paa
suikasti. II. Balkan Harbi, Edirnenin geri
alnmas. Kamil Paann vefat.
1914: Cihan Harbi balad. Said Paann vefat.
1915: Sarkam, anakkale, Ermeni tehciri.
1916: Arap syan balad. eyhlislam
kabineden karld.
1917: Arap topraklar dt.
1918: Abdlhamidin vefat, V. Mehmed
Readn vefat, VI. Mehmed Vahdeddinin
clsu
KAYNAKLAR / SOURCES
Ahmet Semih Mmtaz, Sultan II. Abdlhamid ve Zaman,
haz. smail Derviolu, st. 2008.
Ali Birinci, Sultan Abdlhamidin Hatra Defteri Meselesi,
Dvn lm Aratrmalar, 10/19, (2005/2), s. 177-194.
Jacques Bertrand, Terazinin Hzn, st. 1990.
Sultan II. Abdlhamidin Srgn Gnleri (1909-1918): Hususi
Doktoru Atf Hseyin Beyin Hatrat, haz. Metin Hlag, st. 2003.
Aye Osmanolu, Babam Sultan Abdlhamid, Ank. 1986.
Franois Georgeon, Sultan Abdlhamid, ev. Ali Berktay, st.
2006.
I I
T H E E M P I R E
1906: His milk-brother and esvapba smet
Bey dies. The Akabe-Taba crisis.
1907: The second Young Turks congress in Paris,
growth of the ttihat ve Terakki Society.
1908: His youngest daughter Samiye Sultan is
born. Meeting of Reval, the Young Turk
Revolution, the re-promulgation of the Kanun-
Esas (constitutional law). Completion of the Hijaz
Railway. Independence of Bulgaria, annexation of
Bosnia-Hezergovinia by the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, annexation of Crete by Greece.
1909: His youngest daughter Samiye Sultan
(1 year old) and the third kadnefendi,
Mezde Mestn, die. Rifa Sheikh Ebl-Hd
dies. Incident of 31 March, the Adana Incident,
the dethronement of Abdlhamid and exile to
Salonica, ascension of Mehmed Read V.
1910: Rebellion in Albania and Yemen.
1911: Fire at the Sublime Porte. The invasion of
Tripoli by the Italians.
1912: Italians invade the islands, the Balkan
War, Abdlhamid is transferred to Beylerbeyi
Palace. Albania declares independence. Death of
Ahmed Midhat Efendi.
1913: His son Mehmed Bedreddin Efendi
(2 years old) dies. Invasion of the Sublime
Porte. Mahmud evket Pasha is assassinated. 2nd
Balkan War, Edirne is reclaimed. Kamil Pasha.
1914: First World War begins. Said Pasha dies.
1915: Sarkam, anakkale, Armenian relocation.
1916: The Arab rebellions begin. The sheikh-ul-
Islam is removed from the cabinet.
1917: Arab lands are lost.
1918: Death of Abdlhamid, death of Mehmed
Read V, ascension of Mehmed Vahdeddin VI.
Translation: Zeynep (Jane Luis) Kandur
rikaaszade Hasan Srr Bey, Sultan Abdlhamid Devri
Hatralar ve Saray daresi, haz. A. Adem Yrk, st. 2007.
Simon Heffe, Power and Place: The Political Consequences of
King Edward VII, London 1998.
adiye Osmanolu, Babam Abdlhamid, st. 2009.
Wolfgang J. Mommsen, War der Kaiser an allem Schuld?
Wilhelm II. und die Preussisch-Deutschen Machteliten, Berlin
2005.
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