Abdülaziz I: The Sultan Trapped Between Two Worlds

Sultan Abdülaziz I (1830–1876) was the 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigning from 1861 to 1876. His historical figure is that of a monarch of contrasts: a man who was physically imposing and fond of traditional Turkish wrestling, yet harbored a deep fascination with the progress and culture of Western Europe. His reign was a turning point in the empire’s modernization efforts, marked by audacious reforms and an economic collapse that led to his dramatic and mysterious downfall.

Personality and Court Culture

Abdülaziz was a man of great size and strength, famed for being a Turkish wrestling enthusiast, earning him the nickname Güreşçi (the “Wrestler”). However, beneath this “rustic” image lay an intellect drawn to modernity:

· Artist and Musician: He spoke fluent French and had a keen interest in music and poetry. He was a talented composer and actively promoted symphonic music and opera at court, contrasting with the more traditional tastes of his predecessors.

· Architecture and Luxury: His admiration for the West translated into sumptuous palace architecture. Beyond the Beylerbeyi Palace and additions to Dolmabahçe, his extravagant tastes included creating one of the world’s largest porcelain collections at Topkapı and an imperial zoo that was opened to the public.

The Era of Tanzimat’s “Turkification”

Abdülaziz’s government continued the Tanzimat reforms but with a greater focus on strengthening Ottoman identity and infrastructure, rather than simply copying Western models.

1. Administrative Reorganization: Under the leadership of his capable Grand Viziers, Fuad Pasha and Âli Pasha (who dominated the first decade of his reign), the empire’s administrative districts were reorganized into new provincial systems called vilayets (1864), following the French territorial division.

2. Education and Law: The Mejelle (1869–1876) was promulgated, a pioneering attempt to codify Islamic civil law (Sharia) for modernization. Advanced military academies were also established, and public education was organized under a French model, culminating in the founding of the first modern university.

3. The Army and the Iron Fleet: Military modernization was his greatest priority. The naval fleet was renewed with modern ironclad battleships, making it at one point the third largest fleet in the world, surpassed only by those of Great Britain and France. This costly fleet would become a symbol of both his ambition and his ruin.

The Trip to Europe (1867)

His journey in 1867 was a diplomatic event of the highest order, demonstrating that the Ottoman Empire was still a relevant player in international politics. It was the peak of his reign, where the Sultan, by dressing in European-style military uniforms, projected an image of modernity and power. This tour cemented his conviction that only Westernization would save the empire, but it also increased his appetite for European luxury.

The Collapse: Debt, Opposition, and Deposition

Following the deaths of Âli Pasha and Fuad Pasha in 1871, Abdülaziz assumed a more absolutist role. This, coupled with the harvest failure of 1873 and his uncontrolled spending, precipitated the catastrophe.

The need to fund the fleet and palaces led to an extreme reliance on foreign loans, to the point where interest payments consumed half of the state’s revenue. When the empire declared partial bankruptcy in 1875, the Sultan’s international credibility vanished, and internal discontent exploded.

On May 30, 1876, a military coup d’état led by liberal ministers (the “Young Ottomans”) and military figures like Midhat Pasha and Hüseyin Avni Pasha, deposed Abdülaziz, accusing him of losing his sanity and of malversation.

Death: Suicide or Assassination?

Four days after his removal, on June 4, 1876, Abdülaziz was found dead in the Çırağan Palace with deep cuts on both wrists.

· Official Version: It was declared a suicide, arguing that the shock of the deposition had driven him to take his own life with a pair of scissors.

· The Controversy: This explanation was met with skepticism. Doctors at the time noted the absence of bruises that would indicate a struggle. Logic suggested that it is near impossible for a person to cut both veins with the necessary force. Abdülaziz’s family, including his mother, Pertevniyal Sultan, firmly believed he had been assassinated by the same conspirators who deposed him

The truth was never legally established with certainty, although a later investigation during the reign of Abdülhamid II (who benefited from his uncle’s death) yielded a verdict of assassination. Regardless, Abdülaziz’s death was a bloody reminder that the struggle between modernization and tradition in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire had become a matter of life and death for its leaders.