Sultan Abdulaziz's Perplexing Demise: Was It a Suicide, an Assassination, or Something Else?
In the heart of the Ottoman Empire, on June 4, 1876, a shocking event unfolded. Sultan Abdulaziz, the former sovereign of the vast empire, was found dead in the Feriye Palace on the Bosphorus. The official cause of death was suicide, but whispers of a more sinister plot began to circulate.
Princess Nazime, the daughter of Sultan Abdulaziz, claimed to have witnessed his murder. She was not present at the time of his death, but the details she shared were disturbing. The body of the sultan was wrapped in curtains to conceal the violence of his death, suggesting a hurried and secretive burial.
Sultan Abdulaziz had been confined under guard at the Feriye Palace after a coup led by Midhat Pasha and Huseyin Avni Pasha, days before his death. The coup deposed him in favour of his brother, Sultan Murad V. However, Murad V's reign was short-lived. He suffered a nervous breakdown after his uncle's violent death and spent the rest of his life in confinement at the Ciragan Palace.
Midhat Pasha, one of the main actors in the coup against Sultan Abdulaziz, orchestrated another coup, deposing Sultan Murad V in favour of his younger brother, Abdulhamid II. Abdulhamid II initially promised constitutional reform but later abolished the constitution and restored autocracy.
The conspiracy against Sultan Abdulaziz involved key figures such as Midhat Pasha, Mahmud Nedim Pasha, and other high-ranking officials. Captain Cerkes Hasan, the sultan's brother, sought vengeance for his death and stormed a cabinet meeting at Midhat Pasha's house, killing Huseyin Avni Pasha and the Foreign Minister Mehmed Rashid Pasha, and wounding others, before being captured and executed.
Intriguingly, experts concluded that the official verdict of suicide was improbable. A bloodied nightshirt and undergarments, believed to belong to Sultan Abdulaziz, were found in the Topkapi Palace archives in 2007, further fuelling speculation.
The Ottoman Empire in 1876 covered approximately 12 million square kilometres, spanning 35 countries. With a population of 64 million, it commanded the world's fourth-largest army and the third-largest navy. Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, was the fifth-largest city in the world.
Sultan Abdulaziz's third consort, Nederek Kadinefendi, died seven days after his death. Some accounts suggest she died due to childbirth, while others attribute her death to grief.
Midhat Pasha was arrested for his role in Sultan Abdulaziz's death in 1881, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and he was exiled to Ta'if, Hejaz, where he was strangled in 1883.
The death of Sultan Abdulaziz remains a dark and intriguing chapter in Ottoman history, shrouded in mystery and conspiracy theories. The truth may never be known, but the events of that fateful day continue to captivate historians and the general public alike.
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