Abdulaziz (Ottoman Turkish:عبد العزيز,romanized: ʿAbdü'l-ʿAzîz;Turkish:Abdülaziz; 8 February 1830 – 4 June 1876) was thesultan of theOttoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he wasoverthrown in a government coup.^[1] He was a son of SultanMahmud II and succeeded his brotherAbdulmejid I in 1861.^[3]

Abdulaziz
Ottoman Caliph Amir al-Mu'minin Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Khan
Photo byAbdullah Frères
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Padishah)
Reign	25 June 1861 – 30 May 1876
Predecessor	Abdulmejid I
Successor	Murad V
Grand viziers	See list Mehmed Emin Âli Pasha Mehmed Fuad Pasha Yusuf Kamil Pasha Mehmed Rushdi Pasha Mahmud Nedim Pasha Midhat Pasha Ahmed Esad Pasha Şirvanlı Mehmed Rüşdi Pasha Hüseyin Avni Pasha
Born	8 February 1830 Constantinople,Ottoman Empire
Died	4 June 1876(1876-06-04) (aged 46)[1] Feriye Palace, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Burial	Tomb of Sultan Mahmud II,Fatih, Istanbul
Consorts	Dürrinev Kadın Edadil Kadın Hayranidil Kadın Neşerek Kadın Gevheri Kadın Yıldız Hanim
Issue Among others	Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin Saliha Sultan Şehzade Mahmud Celaleddin Nazime Sultan Abdulmejid II Şehzade Mehmed Şevket Esma Sultan Emine Sultan Şehzade Mehmed Seyfeddin
Names Abdülaziz Han bin Mahmud[2]
Dynasty	Ottoman
Father	Mahmud II
Mother	Pertevniyal Sultan
Religion	Sunni Islam
Tughra

Abdulaziz's reign began with the Ottoman Empire resurgent following theCrimean War and two decades ofTanzimat reform, though reliant on European capital. The decade after his accession was dominated by the duo ofFuad Pasha andAali Pasha, who accelerated reorganization. TheVilayet Law was promulgated, Western codes were applied to more aspects ofOttoman law, and themillets were restructured. The issue ofTanzimatdualism continued to plague the empire, however.

He was the first Ottoman sultan who traveled to Western Europe in a diplomatic capacity, visiting a number of important European capitals includingParis,London, andVienna in the summer of 1867. With Fuad and Aali dead by 1871, Abdul Aziz promulgated reactionary ministries and attempted absolutist rule. In his last years as sultan,famine,economic crisis anddefault, diplomatic isolation, government dysfunction, anduprisings by Christian minorities culminated into a general international crisis known as theGreat Eastern Crisis. He wasdeposed by his ministers on the grounds of having mismanaged theOttoman economy on 30 May 1876, and was found dead six days later in mysterious circumstances.

Abdulaziz was born at Eyüp Palace,Constantinople (Istanbul) on 8 February 1830.^[4][5] His parents wereMahmud II andPertevniyal Sultan,^[6] originally named Besime, aCircassian.^[7]

ThePertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque was built under the patronage of his mother. The construction work began in November 1869 and the mosque was finished in 1871.^[8]

His paternal grandparents were SultanAbdul Hamid I and SultanaNakşidil Sultan. Several accounts identify his paternal grandmother withAimée du Buc de Rivéry, a cousin ofEmpress Joséphine.^[9] Pertevniyal was a sister ofHushiyar Qadin, third wife ofIbrahim Pasha of Egypt. Khushiyar and Ibrahim were the parents ofIsma'il Pasha.^[10][11]

Abdulaziz received an Ottoman education but was nevertheless an ardent admirer of the material progress that was being achieved in the West. He was the first Ottoman sultan who traveled toWestern Europe, visiting a number of important European capitals includingParis,London, andVienna in the summer of 1867.

In addition to his interest in literature, Abdulaziz was also aclassical music composer. He took a special interest in documenting the Ottoman Empire. Some of his compositions, together with those of the other members of theOttoman dynasty, have been collected in the albumEuropean Music at the Ottoman Court by the London Academy of Ottoman Court Music.^[12]

Between 1861 and 1871, theTanzimat reforms which began during the reign of his brotherAbdulmejid I were continued under the leadership of his chief ministers,Mehmed Fuad Pasha andMehmed Emin Âli Pasha.New administrative districts (vilayets) were set up in 1864 and aCouncil of State was established in 1868.^[1] Public education was organized on theFrench model andIstanbul University was reorganised as a modern institution in 1861.^[1] He was also integral in establishing the first Ottomancivil code.^[1] Under his reign,Turkey's first postage stamps were issued in 1863, and the Ottoman Empire joined theUniversal Postal Union in 1875 as a founding member.

Abdulaziz cultivated good relations withFrance and theUnited Kingdom. In 1867 he was the first Ottoman sultan to visitWestern Europe.^[1] Ostensibly he was to see theParis exhibition of 1867 atNapoleon III's invitation, however the real goal was to reestablish Ottoman credit and forestall a Franco-Russian intervention inrebellious Crete. His voyage in visiting order (from 21 June 1867 to 7 August 1867): Istanbul –Messina –Naples –Toulon –Marseille –Paris –Boulogne –Dover –London –Dover –Calais –Brussels –Koblenz – Vienna –Budapest –Orșova –Vidin –Ruse –Varna – Istanbul.^[13] In London, he was made aKnight of the Garter byQueen Victoria^[14] and shown aRoyal Navy Fleet Review withIsmail Pasha. He travelled by a private rail car, which today can be found in theRahmi M. Koç Museum in Istanbul. His fellow Knights of the Garter created in 1867 wereCharles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond,Charles Manners, 6th Duke of Rutland,Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort,Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (a son of Queen Victoria),Franz Joseph I of Austria andAlexander II of Russia. Impressed by the museums in Paris (30 June – 10 July 1867),^[13] London (12–23 July 1867)^[13] and Vienna (28–30 July 1867)^[13] he ordered the establishment of an Imperial Museum in Istanbul: theIstanbul Archaeology Museum.

In 1868, Abdulaziz received visits fromEugénie de Montijo, Empress consort ofNapoleon III of France and other foreign monarchs on their way to the opening of theSuez Canal. He took Eugénie to see his mother inDolmabahçe Palace. Pertevniyal considered the presence of a foreign woman within her private quarters of theseraglio to be an insult. She reportedlyslapped Eugénie across the face, which almost caused an international incident.^[15] According to another account, Pertevniyal was outraged by the forwardness of Eugénie in taking the arm of one of her sons while he gave a tour of the palace garden, and she gave the Empress a slap on the stomach as a possibly more subtly intended reminder that they were not in France.^[16]

The first Ottoman railroads were opened betweenİzmir–Aydın andAlexandria–Cairo in 1856, during the reign of SultanAbdulmejid I. The first large railway terminal within present-day Turkey, theAlsancak Terminal in İzmir, was opened in 1858. However, these were individual, unconnected railroads, without a railway network. Sultan Abdulaziz established the first Ottoman railway networks. On 17 April 1869, the concession for theRumelia Railway (i.e. Balkan Railways,Rumeli (Rumelia) meaning theBalkan peninsula inOttoman Turkish) which connected Istanbul toVienna was awarded to BaronMaurice de Hirsch (Moritz Freiherr Hirsch auf Gereuth), a Bavaria-born banker from Belgium. The project foresaw a railway route from Istanbul viaEdirne,Plovdiv andSarajevo to the shore of theSava River. In 1873, the firstSirkeci Terminal in Istanbul was opened. The temporary Sirkeci terminal building was later replaced with the current one which was built between 1888 and 1890 (during the reign of Abdülhamid II) and became the final destination terminus of theOrient Express. In 1871, Sultan Abdulaziz established theAnatolia Railway. Construction works of the1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge on the Asian side of Istanbul, fromHaydarpaşa toPendik, began in 1871. The line was opened on 22 September 1872.^[18] The railway was extended toGebze, which opened on 1 January 1873. In August 1873 the railway reachedIzmit.Another railway extension was built in 1871 to serve a populated area alongBursa and theSea of Marmara. The Anatolia Railway was then extended toAnkara and eventually toMesopotamia,Syria andArabia during the reign of SultanAbdulhamid II, with the completion of theBaghdad Railway andHejaz Railway.

Also in 1867, Abdulaziz became the first Ottoman Sultan to formally recognize the title ofKhedive (Viceroy) to be used by the Governor of theOttoman Eyalet of Egypt and Sudan (1517–1867), which thus became the autonomousOttoman Khedivate of Egypt and Sudan (1867–1914).Muhammad Ali Pasha and his descendants had been the governors of Ottoman Egypt and Sudan since 1805, but were willing to use the higher title of Khedive, which was unrecognized by the Ottoman government until 1867. In return, the first Khedive,Ismail Pasha, had agreed a year earlier (in 1866) to increase the annual tax revenues which Egypt and Sudan would provide for the Ottoman treasury.^[19] Between 1854 and 1894,^[19][20] the revenues from Egypt and Sudan were often declared as asurety by the Ottoman government for borrowing loans from British and French banks.^[19][20]

Abdulaziz gave special emphasis on modernizing theOttoman Navy. In 1875, the Ottoman Navy had 21 battleships and 173 warships of other types, ranking as the third largest navy in the world after the British and French navies. His passion for the Navy, ships and sea can be observed in the wall paintings and pictures of theBeylerbeyi Palace, which was constructed during his reign. However, the large budget for modernizing and expanding the Navy, combined with the1873–1875 Anatolian Famine which reduced the government's tax revenues, contributed to the financial difficulties that caused thePorte to declare asovereign default with the "Ramazan Kanunnamesi" on 30 October 1875. The subsequent decision to increase agricultural taxes for paying theOttoman public debt to foreign creditors (mainly British and French banks) triggered theGreat Eastern Crisis in theempire's Balkan provinces. The crisis culminated in theRusso-Turkish War (1877–78) that devastated the already struggling Ottoman economy, which led to the establishment of theOttoman Public Debt Administration in 1881, during the early years of SultanAbdulhamid II's reign.^[19]

Theglobal financial turmoil increased the importance for Britain of the sureties regarding the Ottoman tax revenues fromEgypt and Sudan for the repayment ofOttoman debts to British banks.^[20] Combined with the strategically importantSuez Canal which was opened in 1869, these sureties were influential in the British government's decision tooccupy Egypt and Sudan in 1882, with the pretext of helping the Ottoman-Egyptian government to put down theʻUrabi revolt (1879–1882). Egypt and Sudan (together withCyprus) nominally remained Ottoman territories until 5 November 1914,^[21] when the British Empire declared war against the Ottoman Empire duringWorld War I and changed the status of these territories as British protectorates (which was formally recognized by Turkey with Articles 17–21 of theTreaty of Lausanne in 1923).^[21]

By 1871, both Fuad Pasha and Âli Pasha were dead.^[1] TheSecond French Empire, the Western European model embraced by Sultan Abdulaziz, had been defeated in theFranco-Prussian War. Abdulaziz turned to theRussian Empire for friendship, as unrest in the Balkan provinces continued. In 1875, theHerzegovinian rebellion triggered further unrest in the Balkan provinces. In 1876, theApril Uprising saw insurrection spreading among theBulgarians. Ill feeling mounted against Russia for its encouragement of the rebellions.^[1]

While no single event led to his deposition, the crop failure of 1873 and his lavish expenditures on theOttoman Navy and on new palaces which he had built, along with mounting public debt, helped to create an atmosphere that conducted to the end of his reign. Abdulaziz wasdeposed by his ministers on 30 May 1876.^[1]

Following Sultan Abdulaziz's dethronement, he was taken into a room at theTopkapı Palace, which happened to be the same room that SultanSelim III was murdered in. The room caused him to be concerned for his life and he subsequently requested to be moved toBeylerbeyi Palace. His request was denied for the palace was considered inconvenient for his situation and he was moved toFeriye Palace instead. He nevertheless had grown increasingly nervous and paranoid about his security. In the morning of 4 June, Abdulaziz asked for a pair of scissors to trim his beard. Shortly after this, he was found dead in a pool of blood flowing from two wounds in his arms.

Several physicians were allowed to examine his body. Among which "Dr. Marco, Nouri, A. Sotto, Physician attached to the Imperial and Royal Embassy of Austria-Hungary; Dr. Spagnolo, Marc Markel, Jatropoulo, Abdinour, Servet, J. de Castro, A. Marroin,Julius Millingen, C. Caratheodori; E. D. Dickson, Physician of the British Embassy; Dr. O. Vitalis, Physician of the Sanitary Board; Dr. E. Spadare, J. Nouridjian, Miltiadi Bey, Mustafa, Mehmed" certified that the death had been "caused by the loss of blood produced by the wounds of the blood-vessels at the joints of the arms" and that "the direction and nature of the wounds, together with the instrument which is said to have produced them, lead us to conclude that suicide had been committed".^[22] One of those physicians also stated that "His skin was very pale, and entirely free from bruises, marks or spots of any kind whatever. There was no lividity of the lips indicating suffocation nor any sign of pressure having been applied to the throat".^[23] Abdulaziz's death was documented as a suicide.^[1][24]

There are several sources claiming the death of Abdulaziz was due to an assassination. Islamic nationalist authorNecip Fazıl Kısakürek claimed that it was a clandestine operation carried out by the British.^[25]

Another similar claim is based on the bookThe Memoirs of Sultan Abdulhamid II. In the book, which turned out to be a fraud,^[26][27] the author claims thatSultan Murad V had begun to show signs of paranoia, madness, and continuous fainting and vomiting until the day of his coronation, and he even threw himself into a pool yelling at his guards to protect his life. High-ranking politicians of the time were afraid the public would become outraged and revolt to bring Abdulaziz back to power. Thus, they arranged the assassination of Abdulaziz by cutting his wrists and announced that "he committed suicide".^[28] This book of memoir was commonly referred to as a first-hand testimony of the assassination of Abdulaziz. Yet it was proven, later on, that Abdulhamid II never wrote nor dictated such a document.^[26][27]

Abdülaziz's family was also convinced that he was murdered, according to the statements of one of his consortsNeşerek Kadın and his daughterNazime Sultan.^{[29][30][31][32]}

•  Mexican Empire:Grand Cross of the Mexican Eagle, with Collar,1865^[33]
•   United Kingdom:Stranger Knight Companion of the Garter,14 August 1867^[34]
•   Kingdom of Portugal:Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword
•   Spain:Knight of the Golden Fleece,24 June 1870^[35]
•   Oldenburg:Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown,14 December 1874^[36]

Abdülaziz'sharem was known because, although slavery in theOttoman Empire had already been abolished, his motherPertevniyal Sultan continued to send him slave girls from theCaucasus.

Abdülaziz had six consorts:^{[37][38][ a]}

• Dürrinev Kadın (15 March 1835 - 4 December 1895).BaşKadin. Called also Dürrunev Kadın. Georgian, born Princess Melek Dziapş-lpa, before becoming a consort she was a lady-in-waiting toServetseza Kadin, consort of Abdülmecid I. She had two sons and a daughter.
• Edadil Kadın (1845 - 12 December 1875). Second Kadın. She was Abkhazian, born Princess Aredba. She became Abdülaziz's consort at the time of his accession to the throne. She had a son and a daughter.
• Hayranidil Kadın (2 November 1846 - 26 November 1895). Second Kadın after Edadil's death. She perhaps was of slave origin. She had a son and a daughter.
• Neşerek Kadın (1848 - 11 June 1876). Third Kadin. Called also Nesrin Kadın or Nesteren Kadin. Circassian, born in Sochi as Princess Zevş-Barakay. She had a son and a daughter.
• Gevheri Kadın (8 July 1856 - 6 September 1884). Fourth Kadın. She was Abkhazian and her real name was Emine Hanim. She had a son and a daughter.
• Yıldız Hanim.Baş Ikbal. Sister ofSafinaz Nurefsun Kadın, consort of Abdülhamid II. She had two daughters.

In addition to these, Abdülaziz planned to marry the Egyptian princessTawhida Hanim, daughter of the EgyptianKhediveIsma'il Pasha. His Grand Vizier,Mehmed Fuad Pasha, was opposed to marriage and wrote a note for the sultan explaining that marriage would be politically counterproductive and would give Egypt an undue advantage. However, the Grand Chamberlain, instead of handing the note to the sultan, read it to him in public, humiliating him. Although the marriage project was abandoned, Fuad was fired for the accident.

Abdülaziz had six sons:^[39][40][41]

• Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin (11 October 1857 - 1 February 1916) - with Dürrinev Kadın. Favorite son of his father, he was born when Abdülaziz was still aprince and therefore was kept hidden until his accession to the throne. During his reign, Abdülaziz unsuccessfully attempted to change the law of succession to allow him to inherit the throne. He had six consorts, two sons and two daughters.
• Şehzade Mahmud Celaleddin (14 November 1862 - 1 September 1888) - with Edadil Kadin. He was vice admiral, pianist and flutist. He was the favorite nephew ofAdile Sultan, who dedicated several poetic components to him. He had a consort but no child.
• Şehzade Mehmed Selim (28 October 1866 - 21 October 1867) - with Dürrinev Kadın. Born and died inDolmabahçe Palace, buried inMahmud IImausoleum.
• Abdülmecid II (29 May 1868 - 23 August 1944) - with Hayranidil Kadin. He never became sultan due to the abolition of the Sultanate in 1922, and was the last caliph of the Ottoman Empire.
• Şehzade Mehmed Şevket (5 June 1872 - 22 October 1899) - with Neşerek Kadın. Parentless at the age of four, he was welcomed inYıldız Palace by Abdülhamid II, who raised him with his children. He had a consort and a son.
• Şehzade Mehmed Seyfeddin (22 September 1874 - 19 October 1927) - with Gevheri Kadin. Fatherless at the Age of two, he was welcomed by Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin. Vice admiral and musician. He had four consorts, three sons and a daughter.

Abdülaziz had seven daughters:^[39][42][43]

• Fatma Saliha Sultan (10 August 1862 - 1941) - with Dürrinev Kadın. She married once and had a daughter.
• Nazime Sultan (February 25, 1866 - 9 November 1947) - with Hayranidil Kadin. She married once but had no children.
• Emine Sultan (30 November 1866 - 23 January 1867) - with Edadil Kadin. Born and died in Dolmabahçe Palace. Buried in the Mahmud IImausoleum.
• Esma Sultan (21 March 1873 - 7 May 1899) - with Gevheri Kadin. Fatherless at the age of three, she was welcomed with her mother by her half-brotherŞehzade Yusuf Izzedin. She married once and had four sons and a daughter. She died in childbirth.
• Fatma Sultan (1874–1875) - with Yıldız Hanim. She was born and died in Dolmabahçe Palace, buried in Mahmud II mausoleum.
• Emine Sultan (24 August 1874 - 29 January 1920) - with Neşerek Kadın. Parentless at the age of two, she was welcomed with her mother by her half-brother Şehzade Yusuf Izzedin. She married once and had a daughter.
• Münire Sultan (1876/1877 - 1877) - with Yıldız Hanim. She was born posthumously and died as a newborn.

• Imperial Firman of 27 May 1866

• Brookes, Douglas Scott (2010).The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem. University of Texas Press.ISBN 978-0-292-78335-5.
• Uçan, Lâle (2019).Son Halife Abdülmecid Efendi'nin Hayatı - Şehzâlik, Veliahtlık ve Halifelik Yılları(PDF) (PhD Thesis). Istanbul University Institute of Social Sciences.Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
• Uluçay, M. Çağatay (2011).Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ötüken.ISBN 978-9-754-37840-5.OCLC 854893416.

  Media related toAbdül Aziz I at Wikimedia Commons

  Works by or aboutAbdülaziz atWikisource

• "Abd-ul-Aziz" .Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.