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Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
351
Ottoman Empire
Gold 100 Kurush, AH 1293//14
‘Abd al-Hamid II, Ottoman Sultan, AH 1293-1327/AD 1876-1909
KM 730. PCGS MS-64.
Qustantiniyah (Constantinople) mint (7.24gm). Tughra and regnal year, stars above, wreath below com-
posed of olive branches and quivers with arrows; Reverse, ‘aaza nasruhu, mint and accession date, all
within olive wreath.
‘Abd al-Hamid II (1876-1909) was the 34th Ottoman Sultan. He has been called the “Bloody Sultan”
or the “Damned” due to his massacre of minorities, especially the genocide of Armenians, and his use
of secret police to silence dissent. He was paranoid about the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the
role that Christians were playing in the dissolution of his empire. His actions led to a coup staged by
the young officers of the Turkish Army forcing him to declare a reformation of Ottoman constitution.
He was forced to initiate reforms across his empire in education and transportation. ‘Abd al-Hamid’s
paranoia and fear of republicanism among the educated classes paralyzed the state. The sultan was
eventually forced to abdicate.
352
Ottoman Empire
Gold 100 Kurush, AH 1336//1
Mehmet VI, Ottoman Sultan, AH 1336-1341/AD 1918-1922
KM 821. PCGS MS-63.
Qustantiniyah (7.24gm). Tughra, stars above, wreath below composed of olive branches and quivers
with arrows; reverse, ‘azza nasruhu, mint and accession date, all within olive wreath.
Mehmet VI (1918-1922) was the last of the Ottoman Sultans. He was well-educated and highly civil in
his interactions with the court and government. As a result of the First World War in which the Ottoman
Turks were defeated, virtually all Ottoman territories outside Anatolia were placed under League of
Nations mandate. The cities of Istanbul and Izmir were occupied by Allied troops. Under these condi-
tions, Ottoman rule was no longer acceptable. The leader of the Young Officers, Mustafa Kemal (later
known as Ataturk meaning “Father of Turkey”), convened a special session of the national assembly and
declared the end of the Ottoman Empire and birth of the Turkish Republic. Mehmet VI went into Exile
in Italy and died in 1926.