ABSTRACT
The year 1876 that many scholars in their periodisation of nineteenth century Ottoman history see as the end of the Tanzimat era was marked by some extraordinary political events. The deposition of two sultans, something that had not happened since the early nineteenth century, as well as the promulgation of the first Ottoman constitution offer the possibility of looking at Ottoman political history from different perspectives. Constitutionalism was a new element in Ottoman political culture that
was first introduced by the Young Ottomans to the public. To some of its adherents it offered a new way of thinking on authority and legitimacy and, most importantly, the possibility to limit the authority of the sultan. In 1876, among the advocates of a constitution there was a group of young army officers who were the harbingers of an increasing role of the military in Ottoman politics and the modernisation of its political culture. The promulgation of the first constitution was made possible by a series
of events that started with the deposition of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-76) for Sultan Murad V who, within a month, was in turn exchanged for Abdülhamid II (1876-1909). The speed of these exchanges attest to the fact that, under special circumstances, the legitimacy of a ruling sultan could become extremely precarious. The easy success stands in marked contrast to earlier examples when opposition had started with the same objective. Mainly responsible for this success was the cast of characters involved in these events. The conspirators that organised the coup came from within the political elite. Introducing the individuals planning and executing this coup and scrutinising their aims and motivations, this chapter will offer a view on elite political culture. Their way into opposition to their sovereign was a long-term process which was caused by the contradictions inherent in the Tanzimat political system. Likewise important was the way these individuals orchestrated the coup in conjunction with other groups in society. This illustrates the mechanisms with which a traditional political culture of opposition could be activated and manipulated successfully. In the 1870s the political system of the Ottoman Empire underwent a
change, which prepared the basis of the coup in 1876. From the death of sultan Mahmud II in 1839 onwards officials from the Porte had dominated
and guided Ottoman politics. One of the main objectives of the reform decree of 1839 had been to secure the position of the bureaucracy vis-à-vis the sultan. As a result, first Res¸id and then from the mid-1850s onwards Âli and Fuad Pashas had dominated the central administration of the empire. The Kuleli conspiracy as well as the opposition of the Young Ottomans were attempts to challenge the exclusive position of the two statesmen and the reforms they had initiated. When Fuad and Âli died in 1869 and 1871 respectively they left no apparent successor who could fill their dominant position in the Ottoman administration. Sultan Abdülaziz who longed for a more independent political role appointed ministers from various factions shifting them at an increasing speed. The office of the grand vizier as well as the various councils that had been created during the Tanzimat lost much in importance during this time.1
