Editing Abdulaziz

{{Short description|Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1861 to 1876}}
{{for-multi|the Saudi monarch also known as "Abdulaziz"|Ibn Saud|other uses|Abdul Aziz (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Abdulaziz
| title        = [[Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques]]<br>[[Khan (title)|Khan]]
| titletext    = 
| more         = 
| type         = 
| image        = File:4f3bdb2b3891715176c6580e6ab6cb4b--ottoman-empire-sultan.jpg
| alt          = 
| caption      = Photo by [[Abdullah Frères]]
| succession   = [[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|Sultan of the Ottoman Empire]] ([[Padishah]])
| moretext     = 
| reign        = 25 June 1861{{snd}}30 May 1876
| coronation   = 
| cor-type     = 
| predecessor  = [[Abdulmejid I]]
| reg-type     = {{nowrap|[[Grand vizier]]s}}
| regent       = {{collapsible list|title=''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]]}}
| successor    = [[Murad V]]
| succession2  = [[Ottoman Caliph]] (''[[Amir al-Mu'minin]]'')
| predecessor2 = Abdulmejid I
| successor2   = Murad V
| spouse       = {{Plainlist|
*[[Dürrinev Kadın]]
*[[Edadil Kadın]]
*[[Hayranidil Kadın]]
*[[Neşerek Kadın]]
*[[Gevheri Kadın]]
*Yıldız Hanim}}
| spouse-type  = Consorts
| issue        = {{plainlist|
*[[Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin]]
*[[Saliha Sultan (daughter of Abdulaziz)|Saliha Sultan]]
*[[Şehzade Mahmud Celaleddin]]
*[[Nazime Sultan]]
*[[Abdulmejid II]]
*[[Şehzade Mehmed Şevket]]
*[[Esma Sultan (daughter of Abdulaziz)|Esma Sultan]]
*[[Emine Sultan (daughter of Abdulaziz)|Emine Sultan]]
*[[Şehzade Mehmed Seyfeddin]]}}
| issue-link   = #Sons
| issue-pipe   = Among others
| full name    = Abdülaziz Han bin Mahmud<ref>Garo Kürkman, (1996), ''Ottoman Silver Marks'', p. 46</ref>
| house        = [[Ottoman dynasty|Ottoman]]
| house-type   = Dynasty
| father       = [[Mahmud II]]
| mother       = [[Pertevniyal Sultan]]
| birth_date   = 8 February 1830
| birth_place  = [[Ottoman Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1876|6|4|1830|2|8|df=y}}<ref name=EB>{{cite encyclopedia |editor-first=Dale H. |editor-last=Hoiberg |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |title=Abdülaziz |edition=15th |year=2010 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. |volume=I: A-ak Bayes |location=Chicago, IL |isbn=978-1-59339-837-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/21 21] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/21 }}</ref>
| death_place  = [[Feriye Palace]], Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
| burial_date  = 
| burial_place = Tomb of Sultan Mahmud II, [[Fatih]], Istanbul
| signature_type = [[Tughra]]
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]]
| signature    = Tughra of Abdülaziz.svg
}}

'''Abdulaziz''' ({{langx|ota|عبد العزيز|ʿAbdü'l-ʿAzîz}}; {{langx|tr|Abdülaziz}}; 8 February 1830{{snd}}4 June 1876) was the [[sultan of the Ottoman Empire]] from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was [[1876 Ottoman coup d'état|overthrown in a government coup]].<ref name=EB/> He was a son of Sultan [[Mahmud II]] and succeeded his brother [[Abdulmejid I]] in 1861.<ref>''[[iarchive:chamberssbiograp00thor|Chambers Biographical Dictionary]]'', {{ISBN|0-550-18022-2}}, page 2</ref>

Abdulaziz's reign began during the Ottoman Empire's resurgence following the [[Crimean War]] and two decades of the [[Tanzimat]] reforms, though it was still reliant on European capital. The decade after his accession was dominated by the duo of [[Mehmed Fuad Pasha|Fuad Pasha]] and [[Mehmed Emin Âli Pasha|Aali Pasha]], who accelerated reorganization of the Empire. The [[Vilayet Law]] was promulgated, Western codes were applied to more aspects of [[Law of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman law]], and the [[Millet (Ottoman Empire)|millets]] were restructured. The issue of [[Tanzimat]] [[Dualism (politics)|dualism]] 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 including [[Paris]], [[London]], and [[Vienna]] in the summer of 1867. With Fuad and Aali dead by 1871, Abdul Aziz promulgated reactionary ministries and attempted personal rule, revealing his eccentricities. In his last years as sultan, [[1873–1875 Anatolian Famine|famine]], [[Panic of 1873|economic crisis]] and [[Great Eastern Crisis#Ottoman economic crisis and default|default]], diplomatic isolation, government dysfunction, and [[Great Eastern Crisis#Uprisings and wars in the Balkans|uprisings by Christian minorities]] culminated into a general international crisis known as the [[Great Eastern Crisis]]. He was [[1876 Ottoman coup d'état|deposed]] on 30 May 1876 by his ministers on the grounds of having mismanaged the [[Ottoman economy|economy]]. Six days later, he was found dead. His death was officially ruled as [[suicide]], although there are numerous theories that he was assassinated.

==Early life==
[[File:Abdulaziz (Sultan of the Ottoman Empire).jpg|thumb|195px|left|A portrait of Sultan Abdulaziz (1869)]]

Abdulaziz was born at Eyüp Palace, [[Ottoman Constantinople|Constantinople]] ([[Istanbul]]) on 8 February 1830.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071218080707/http://concise.britannica.com:80/ebc/article-9368294/Istanbul Britannica, Istanbul]: ''When the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, the capital was moved to Ankara, and Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul in 1930.''</ref><ref>Finkel, Caroline, ''Osman's Dream'' (Basic Books, 2005), 57; "Istanbul was only adopted as the city's official name in 1930."</ref> His parents were [[Mahmud II]] and [[Pertevniyal Sultan]],<ref>{{cite web| url = http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dantrogers/pafg1639.htm| title = Daniel T. Rogers, "All my relatives: Valide Sultana Partav-Nihal"}}</ref><!--[[:tr:Pertevniyal Valide Sultan]]-->  originally named Besime, a [[Circassians|Circassian]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.osmanli700.gen.tr/english/sultans/32index.html| title = His profile in the Ottoman Web Site}}</ref>

The [[Pertevniyal 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;30;en|title=Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque Complex|publisher=Discover Islamic Art|access-date=26 January 2008}}</ref>

His paternal grandparents were Sultan [[Abdul Hamid I]] and Sultana [[Nakşidil Sultan]]. Several accounts identify his paternal grandmother with [[Aimée du Buc de Rivéry]], a cousin of [[Empress Joséphine]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://historycooperative.org/journal/royal-french-women-in-the-ottoman-sultans-harem-the-political-uses-of-fabricated-accounts-from-the-sixteenth-to-the-twenty-first-century/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061025090840/http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jwh/17.2/isomverhaaren.html|url-status=dead|title=Royal French Women in the Ottoman Sultans' Harem: The Political Uses of Fabricated Accounts from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-first Century &#124; History Cooperative|date=27 August 2020|archivedate=25 October 2006}}</ref> Pertevniyal was a sister of [[Hoshiyar Qadin|Hushiyar Qadin]], third wife of [[Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt]]. Khushiyar and Ibrahim were the parents of [[Isma'il Pasha]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/states/islamic/egypt.html |title=Non European Royalty Website, entry:"Egypt" |access-date=6 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716065848/http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/states/islamic/egypt.html |archive-date=16 July 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1840.htm| title = "Women in Power" 1840-1870, entry: "1863-79 Valida Pasha Khushiyar of Egypt"}}</ref>

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 to [[Western Europe]], visiting a number of important European capitals including [[Paris]], [[London]], and [[Vienna]] in the summer of 1867.

In addition to his interest in literature, Abdulaziz was also a [[classical music]] composer. He took a special interest in documenting the Ottoman Empire. Some of his compositions, together with those of the other members of the [[Ottoman dynasty]], have been collected in the album ''European Music at the Ottoman Court'' by the London Academy of Ottoman Court Music.<ref>[https://www.amazon.co.uk/European-Music-at-Ottoman-Court/dp/B0000542KD ''European Music at the Ottoman Court'', London Academy of Ottoman Court Music.] CD album released on 6 November 2000. ASIN: B0000542KD.</ref>

==Reign==
[[File:Sultan Abdulaziz of the Ottoman Empire.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Sultan Abdulaziz during his visit to the [[United Kingdom]] in 1867.]]Between 1861 and 1871, the [[Tanzimat]] reforms which began during the reign of his brother [[Abdulmejid I]] were continued under the leadership of his chief ministers, [[Mehmed Fuad Pasha]] and [[Mehmed Emin Âli Pasha]]. [[Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire#Administrative reform, 1864|New administrative districts (''vilayets'')]] were set up in 1864 and a [[Council of State (Ottoman Empire)|Council of State]] was established in 1868.<ref name="EB" /> Public education was organized on the [[Education in France|French model]] and [[Istanbul University]] was reorganised as a modern institution in 1861.<ref name="EB" /> He was also integral in establishing the first Ottoman [[civil code]].<ref name="EB" /> Under his reign, [[Postage stamps and postal history of Turkey#Tughra issue|Turkey's first postage stamps]] were issued in 1863, and the Ottoman Empire joined the [[Universal Postal Union]] in 1875 as a founding member.

=== European tour ===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = Arrivée du sultan à Paris.jpg
| width1            = 185
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Charles Porion - The kings of Europe in Paris for the opening of the Exposition of 1867.jpg
| width2            = 185
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = 
| footer            = Sultan Abdulaziz, accompanied by Emperor [[Napoleon III]], arrives in [[Paris]] in 1867 (top). The Kings of Europe are in Paris (Sultan Abdulaziz is second from right) for the opening of the [[Exposition Universelle (1867)|Universal Exposition of 1867]] (bottom).
}}
[[File:Queen Victoria and Sultan Abdülaziz.jpg|thumb|185px|[[Queen Victoria]] and Sultan Abdulaziz on the [[royal yacht]] [[HMY Victoria and Albert (1855)|HMY ''Victoria and Albert'']] during the Sultan's visit to the United Kingdom in 1867.]]

Abdulaziz cultivated good relations with [[Second French Empire|France]] and the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]. In 1867 he was the first Ottoman sultan to visit [[Western Europe]].<ref name="EB" /> Ostensibly he was to see the [[Paris Exhibition of 1867|Paris exhibition of 1867]] at [[Napoleon III]]'s invitation, however the real goal was to reestablish Ottoman credit and forestall a Franco-Russian intervention in [[Cretan revolt (1866–1869)|rebellious Crete]]. His voyage in visiting order (from 21 June 1867 to 7 August 1867): Istanbul – [[Messina]] – [[Naples]] – [[Toulon]] – [[Marseille]] – [[Paris]] – [[Boulogne-sur-Mer|Boulogne]] – [[Dover]] – [[London]] – [[Dover]] – [[Calais]] – [[Brussels]] – [[Koblenz]] – Vienna – [[Budapest]] – [[Orșova]] – [[Vidin]] – [[Ruse, Bulgaria|Ruse]] – [[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]] – Istanbul.<ref name="AbdulazizVoyage">{{cite web |title=Voyage of Sultan Abdülaziz to Europe (21 June 1867{{snd}}7 August 1867) |url=http://blog.milliyet.com.tr/sultan-abdulaziz---avrupa-seyahati/Blog/?BlogNo=367847}}</ref> In London, he was made a [[List of Knights and Ladies of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]] by [[Queen Victoria]]<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Abd-ul-Aziz|volume=1|page=35|noicon=y}}</ref> and shown a [[Fleet Review, Royal Navy#Queen Victoria|Royal Navy Fleet Review]] with [[Isma'il Pasha|Ismail Pasha]]. He travelled by a private rail car, which today can be found in the [[Rahmi M. Koç Museum]] in Istanbul. His fellow Knights of the Garter created in 1867 were [[Charles 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]] and [[Alexander II of Russia]]. Impressed by the museums in Paris (30 June – 10 July 1867),<ref name="AbdulazizVoyage" /> London (12–23 July 1867)<ref name="AbdulazizVoyage" /> and Vienna (28–30 July 1867)<ref name="AbdulazizVoyage" /> he ordered the establishment of an Imperial Museum in Istanbul: the [[Istanbul Archaeology Museum]].

In 1868, Abdulaziz received visits from [[Eugénie de Montijo]], Empress consort of [[Napoleon III of France]] and other foreign monarchs on their way to the opening of the [[Suez Canal]]. He took Eugénie to see his mother in [[Dolmabahçe Palace]]. Pertevniyal considered the presence of a foreign woman within her private quarters of the [[seraglio]] to be an insult. She reportedly [[Slapping (strike)|slapped]] Eugénie across the face, which almost caused an international incident.<ref>{{cite web |title="Women in Power" 1840-1870, entry: "1861-76 Pertevniyal Valide Sultan of The Ottoman Empire" |url=http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1840.htm}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Duff |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/eugenienapoleoni00duff |title=Eugenie and Napoleon III |publisher=William Morrow |year=1978 |isbn=0688033385 |location=New York |page=191 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

=== Railroads ===
[[File:Istanbul Rahmi M Koc Museum 6022.jpg|thumb|185px|Imperial Coach used by Sultan Abdulaziz during his visit to [[Paris]], [[London]] and [[Vienna]] in 1867, currently at the [[Rahmi M. Koç Museum]] in [[Istanbul]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rmk-museum.org.tr/istanbul/en/collection/rail-transportation/imperial-coach-of-sultan|title=Imperial Coach of the Sultan|publisher=www.rmk-museum.org.tr|access-date=2020-04-06}}</ref>]]

The first Ottoman railroads were opened between [[İzmir]]–[[Aydın]] and [[Alexandria]]–[[Cairo]] in 1856, during the reign of Sultan [[Abdulmejid I]]. The first large railway terminal within present-day Turkey, the [[İzmir Alsancak Terminal|Alsancak 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 the [[Chemins de fer Orientaux|Rumelia Railway]] (i.e. Balkan Railways, [[Rumelia|''Rumeli'' (Rumelia)]] meaning the [[Balkans|Balkan peninsula]] in [[Ottoman Turkish language|Ottoman Turkish]]) which connected Istanbul to [[Vienna]] was awarded to Baron [[Maurice de Hirsch]] (Moritz Freiherr Hirsch auf Gereuth), a Bavaria-born banker from Belgium. The project foresaw a railway route from Istanbul via [[Edirne]], [[Plovdiv]] and [[Sarajevo]] to the shore of the [[Sava|Sava River]]. In 1873, the first [[İstanbul Sirkeci Terminal|Sirkeci 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 the [[Orient Express]]. In 1871, Sultan Abdulaziz established the [[Chemins de Fer Ottomans d'Anatolie#Ottoman Government Railways (1871–1888)|Anatolia Railway]]. Construction works of the {{RailGauge|1435mm|allk=on}} on the Asian side of Istanbul, from [[Haydarpaşa]] to [[Pendik]], began in 1871. The line was opened on 22 September 1872.<ref name="CFOA">[http://www.trainsofturkey.com/w/pmwiki.php/History/CFOA CFOA History] - Trains and Railways of Turkey</ref> The railway was extended to [[Gebze]], which opened on 1 January 1873. In August 1873 the railway reached [[Izmit]]. [[Chemin de Fer Moudania Brousse|Another railway extension]] was built in 1871 to serve a populated area along [[Bursa]] and the [[Sea of Marmara]]. The Anatolia Railway was then extended to [[Ankara]] and eventually to [[Mesopotamia]], [[Syria]] and [[Arabia]] during the reign of Sultan [[Abdul Hamid II|Abdulhamid II]], with the completion of the [[Baghdad Railway]] and [[Hejaz Railway]].

=== Further decline of the empire ===
[[File:Ottomans 1875.png|thumb|left|The [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1875]]

Also in 1867, Abdulaziz became the first Ottoman Sultan to formally recognize the title of [[Khedive]] (Viceroy) to be used by the Governor of the [[Egypt Eyalet|Ottoman Eyalet of Egypt and Sudan]] (1517–1867), which thus became the autonomous [[Khedivate of Egypt|Ottoman Khedivate of Egypt and Sudan]] (1867–1914). [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|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, [[Isma'il Pasha|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.<ref name="OttomanDebt">{{cite web| url = http://www.mevzuatdergisi.com/2006/04a/03.htm| title = Mevzuat Dergisi, Yıl: 9, Sayı: 100, Nisan 2006: "Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nda ve Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'nde Borçlanma Politikaları ve Sonuçları"}}</ref> Between 1854 and 1894,<ref name="OttomanDebt" /><ref name="Lausanne18">{{cite web| url = http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Treaty_of_Lausanne| title = Article 18 of the Treaty of Lausanne (1923)}}</ref> the revenues from Egypt and Sudan were often declared as a [[surety]] by the Ottoman government for borrowing loans from British and French banks.<ref name="OttomanDebt" /><ref name="Lausanne18" />

Abdulaziz gave special emphasis on modernizing the [[Ottoman 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 the [[Beylerbeyi Palace]], which was constructed during his reign. However, the large budget for modernizing and expanding the Navy, combined with the [[1873–1875 Anatolian Famine]] which reduced the government's tax revenues, contributed to the financial difficulties that caused the [[Sublime Porte|Porte]] to declare a [[sovereign default]] with the "Ramazan Kanunnamesi" on 30 October 1875. The subsequent decision to increase agricultural taxes for paying the [[Ottoman public debt]] to foreign creditors (mainly British and French banks) triggered the [[Great Eastern Crisis]] in the [[Rumelia|empire's Balkan provinces]]. The crisis culminated in the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–78)]] that devastated the already struggling Ottoman economy, which led to the establishment of the [[Ottoman Public Debt Administration]] in 1881, during the early years of Sultan [[Abdul Hamid II|Abdulhamid II]]'s reign.<ref name="OttomanDebt" />

[[File:Sultan Abdülaziz.JPG|thumb|185px|Sultan Abdulaziz in 1863.]]

The [[Panic of 1873|global financial turmoil]] increased the importance for Britain of the sureties regarding the Ottoman tax revenues from [[Khedivate of Egypt|Egypt and Sudan]] for the repayment of [[Ottoman public debt|Ottoman debts]] to British banks.<ref name="Lausanne18" /> Combined with the strategically important [[Suez Canal]] which was opened in 1869, these sureties were influential in the British government's decision to [[History of Egypt under the British|occupy Egypt and Sudan]] in 1882, with the pretext of helping the Ottoman-Egyptian government to put down the [[ʻUrabi revolt]] (1879–1882). Egypt and Sudan (together with [[Cyprus Convention|Cyprus]]) nominally remained Ottoman territories until 5 November 1914,<ref name="Lausanne17-21">{{cite web| url = http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Treaty_of_Lausanne| title = Articles 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 of the Treaty of Lausanne (1923)}}</ref> when the British Empire declared war against the Ottoman Empire during [[World War I]] and changed the status of these territories as British protectorates (which was formally recognized by Turkey with Articles 17–21 of the [[Treaty of Lausanne]] in 1923).<ref name="Lausanne17-21" />

By 1871, both Fuad Pasha and Âli Pasha were dead.<ref name="EB" /> The [[Second French Empire]], the Western European model embraced by Sultan Abdulaziz, had been defeated in the [[Franco-Prussian War]]. Abdulaziz turned to the [[Russian Empire]] for friendship, as unrest in the Balkan provinces continued. In 1875, the [[Herzegovina Uprising (1875–1878)|Herzegovinian rebellion]] triggered further unrest in the Balkan provinces. In 1876, the [[April Uprising]] saw insurrection spreading among the [[Bulgarians]]. Ill feeling mounted against Russia for its encouragement of the rebellions.<ref name="EB" />

While no single event led to his deposition, the crop failure of 1873 and his lavish expenditures on the [[Ottoman 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 was [[1876 Turkish coup d'état|deposed by his ministers]] on 30 May 1876.<ref name=EB/>

== Death ==
{{unbalanced|section|date=November 2020}}
[[File:Sultan tombs Divan Yolu March 2008.JPG|upright|thumb|left|The ''[[türbe]]'' (mausoleum) of Sultan [[Mahmud II]] (his father) on [[Divanyolu Street|Divan Yolu street]], where Abdulaziz was also buried.]]

Following Sultan Abdulaziz's dethronement, he was taken into a room at the [[Topkapı Palace]], which happened to be the same room that Sultan [[Selim III]] was murdered in. The room caused him to be concerned for his life and he subsequently requested to be moved to [[Beylerbeyi Palace]]. His request was denied for the palace was considered inconvenient for his situation and he was moved to [[Feriye 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

[[File:Bedroom of Sultan Abdulaziz Dolmabahce March 2008pano.jpg|thumb|Bedroom of Sultan Abdulaziz at [[Dolmabahçe Palace]] in Istanbul.]]
[[File:Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmud II - sarcophagus of Sultan Adbulaziz - P1030837.JPG|thumb|Sarcophagus of Sultan Abdulaziz in the mausoleum of his father, Sultan [[Mahmud II]]. Some of the sultans' descendants are also buried nearby.]]

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".<ref name="Ali Haydar Midhat Bey">{{cite book|last1=Ali Haydar Midhat Bey|title=The Life of Midhat Pasha|date=1903|publisher=JOHN MURRAY|location=London|pages=89–90|url=https://archive.org/stream/lifemidhatpasha00mithgoog/lifemidhatpasha00mithgoog_djvu.txt}}</ref> 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".<ref name="Dicskon">{{cite journal|last1=Dickson|first1=E. D.|title=Report on the Death of the Ex-Sultan Abdul Aziz Khan|journal=The British Medical Journal|date=8 July 1876|volume=2|issue=810|pages=41–12|language=en|pmc=2297901|pmid=20748260|doi=10.1136/bmj.2.810.41}}</ref> Abdulaziz's death was documented as a suicide.<ref name="EB" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Claire |url=https://archive.org/details/palaceoftopkapii00davi |title=The Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=1970 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/palaceoftopkapii00davi/page/222 222] |id=ASIN B000NP64Z2 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

===Conspiracy theories===
There are several sources claiming the death of Abdulaziz was due to an assassination. Islamic nationalist author [[Necip Fazıl Kısakürek]] claimed that it was a clandestine operation carried out by the British.<ref>{{cite book | title=Ulu Hakan: II. Abdülhamid Han| last=Kısakürek| first=Necip Fazıl| year=2007| pages=688| publisher=Büyük Doğu Yayınları| location=İstanbul| isbn=9789758180301}}</ref>

[[File:Victor Masson, Mort d'Abdülaziz, 1876.jpg|left|thumb|upright|''Death of Abdulaziz'' (1876), an imaginary depiction by French artist Victor Masson (1849–1917).]]

Another similar claim is based on the book ''The Memoirs of Sultan Abdulhamid II''. In the book, which turned out to be a fraud,<ref name="Murat Bardakçı">{{cite web| url = https://www.haberturk.com/yazarlar/murat-bardakci/2235484-abdulhamidin-hatira-defteriyoktur-bu-isimdeki-kitap-sahtedir-inanmayin-ve-kullanmayin| title = Murat Bardakçı, Abdülhamid'in hatıra defteri yoktur, bu isimdeki kitap sahtedir, inanmayın ve kullanmayın! (Turkish)| date = 25 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="Ali Birinci">{{cite web| url = https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/254481| title = Prof. Dr. Ali Birinci, Sultan Abdülhamid'in Hatıra Defteri Meselesi (Turkish)}}</ref> the author claims that [[Murad V|Sultan 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".<ref>{{cite book | title=Sultan Abdülhamid'in Hatıra Defteri| last=Bozdağ| first=İsmet| year=2000| pages=223| publisher=Pınar Yayınları| location=İstanbul| isbn=9753520344}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Murat Bardakçı"/><ref name="Ali Birinci"/>

Abdülaziz's family was also convinced that he was murdered, according to the statements of one of his consorts [[Neşerek Kadın]] and his daughter [[Nazime Sultan]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brookes |first=Douglas Scott |editor-first1=Douglas Scott |editor-last1=Brookes |date=2008-12-31 |editor-first= |title=The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.7560/718425 |pages=43 |doi=10.7560/718425|isbn=9780292793903 }}</ref>{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|p=233}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Abdülaziz Han'ın kızı: Babamın katledilişini gördüm - Timeturk Haber |url=https://www.timeturk.com/tr/2011/09/27/sultan-abdulaziz-in-kizi-babamin-katledilisini-gordum.html |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=www.timeturk.com |language=tr |archive-date=16 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116042606/https://www.timeturk.com/tr/2011/09/27/sultan-abdulaziz-in-kizi-babamin-katledilisini-gordum.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Harun Yahya, Adnan (2017). ''Mastermind: The truth of the British Deep State Revealed''. Araştırma Publishing. p. 263.</ref>

== Honours, emblem, flag ==

=== Honours ===
* {{flagicon image|Imperial Standard of Mexico (1864-1867).svg}} [[Second Mexican Empire|Mexican Empire]]: [[Imperial Order of the Mexican Eagle|Grand Cross of the Mexican Eagle]], with Collar, ''1865''<ref>{{citation |title=Almanaque imperial para el año 1866 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VOAxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA243 243] |year=1866 |access-date=29 April 2020 |chapter=Seccion IV: Ordenes del Imperio |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VOAxAQAAMAAJ |language=es}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}: [[Order of the Garter|Stranger Knight Companion of the Garter]], ''14 August 1867''<ref>Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) ''The Knights of England'', '''I''', London, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n153/mode/2up p. 64]</ref>
* {{flag|Kingdom of Portugal}}: [[Order of the Tower and Sword|Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword]]
* {{flagcountry|Restoration (Spain)}}: [[Order of the Golden Fleece|Knight of the Golden Fleece]], ''24 June 1870''<ref>{{citation |title=Guía Oficial de España |date=1875 |page=103 |access-date=21 March 2019 |chapter=Caballeros de la insigne orden del toisón de oro |chapter-url=http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000878746&search=&lang=es |language=es}}</ref>
* {{flag|Oldenburg}}: [[House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis|Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig]], with Golden Crown, ''14 December 1874''<ref name="Oldenburg1875">{{cite book |author=Staat Oldenburg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bR5mAAAAcAAJ&pg=PR1 |title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: für ... 1875 |publisher=Schulze |year=1875 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bR5mAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA33 33]}}</ref>

=== Emblem and flag<!-- could a vexillologist please clarify what type of flag the right is. Is it an ensign? burgee? Some type of penant? -->===
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Gartered Tughra of Abdülaziz, Sultan of Ottoman Empire.png
| caption1          = [[Order of the Garter]] emblem of Sultan Abdul Aziz
| image2            = Flag of Sultan Abdulaziz.svg
| align             = center
| direction         = horizontal
| caption2          = Naval ensign
}}

== Family ==
Abdülaziz's [[Ottoman Imperial Harem|harem]] was known because, although slavery in the [[Ottoman Empire]] had already been abolished, his mother [[Pertevniyal Sultan]] continued to send him slave girls from the [[Caucasus]].

=== Consorts ===
Abdülaziz had six consorts:<ref name = "guller">{{cite book | first1 = Güller | last1 = Karahüseyin | first2 = Palin Aykut | last2 = Saçaklı | title = Dolmabahçe Sarayı Harem Dairelerinin Mekan Fonksiyonları Dairelerinim Saraylar Daire Başkanlığı Yayını Istanbul | year = 2004 | pages = 86, 101}}</ref><ref name = "davidson">{{cite book | first = Roderic H. | last = Davidson | title = Reform in the Ottoman Empire, 1856-1876 | publisher = [[Princeton University Press]] | date = December 8, 2015 | pages = 200 n. 102 | isbn = 978-1-400-87876-5}}</ref>{{Cref2 | a}}[[File:Admission ticket to Lord Mayor Thomas Gabriel's reception of H.I.M. The Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz Khan at The Guildhall, 18 July 1867 issued to the Chairman of P. & O. Navigation Company.jpg|thumb|190px|Admission ticket to Lord Mayor [[Sir Thomas Gabriel, 1st Baronet|Thomas Gabriel]]'s reception of H.I.M. The Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz Khan at [[Guildhall, London|Guildhall]] on 18 July 1867, issued to the [[chairman]] of [[P&O]].]]
* [[Dürrinev Kadın]] (15 March 1835 - 4 December 1895). [[Kadın (title)|BaşKadin]]. Called also Dürrunev Kadın. Georgian, born Princess Melek Dziapş-lpa, before becoming a consort she was a lady-in-waiting to [[Servetseza Kadın|Servetseza 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. [[Ikbal (title)|Baş Ikbal]]. Sister of [[Nurefsun Kadın|Safinaz Nurefsun Kadın]], consort of Abdülhamid II. She had two daughters.
In addition to these, Abdülaziz planned to marry the Egyptian princess [[Tawhida Hanim]], daughter of the Egyptian [[Khedive]] [[Isma'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.

=== Sons ===
Abdülaziz had six sons:{{sfn | Uçan | 2019 | p = 24-25}}{{sfn | Uluçay | 2011 | p = 232-233}}{{sfn | Brookes | 2010 | p = 278, 283-286, 291}}
* [[Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin]] (11 October 1857 - 1 February 1916) - with Dürrinev Kadın. Favorite son of his father, he was born when Abdülaziz was still a [[Şehzade|prince]] 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 of [[Adile 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 in [[Dolmabahçe Palace]], buried in [[Mahmud II]] [[Türbe|mausoleum]].
* [[Abdulmejid II|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 in [[Yıldız 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.

=== Daughters ===
Abdülaziz had seven daughters:{{sfn | Uçan | 2019 | p = 24-25}}{{sfn | Uluçay | 2011 | p = 232-234}}{{sfn | Brookes | 2010 | p = 280-281, 286 -289}}
* [[Saliha Sultan (daughter of Abdulaziz)|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 II [[Türbe|mausoleum]].
* [[Esma Sultan (daughter of Abdulaziz)|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-brother [[Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin|Şehzade 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 (daughter of Abdulaziz)|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.

== See also ==

* [[Imperial Firman of 27 May 1866]]

==Annotations==
{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha}}
{{Cnote2|a|At the time of his accession to the throne in 1861, he had two [[Kadın (title)|kadıns]].{{sfn|Uçan|2019|pages=21, 23}} Between 1861 and 1867, he had three kadıns.<ref name="guller"/> In November 1872, there were four kadıns and one [[Ikbal (title)|ikbal]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Muhammed Nuri|last=Tunç|title=Ceyb-i Hümâyûn Hazinesi ve Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi Arşivi R.1288 (M.1872) Tarihli Ceyb ve Harc-ı Jâssa Defterlerinin Transkripsiyonu ve Değerlendirilmesi|publisher=Gaziantep University Institute of Social Sciences |type=PhD Thesis |year=2013|pages=113}}</ref> }}
{{Cnote2 End}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

== Sources ==

*{{cite book|first=Douglas Scott|last=Brookes|title=The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem|year=2010|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-78335-5}}
*{{cite thesis|first=Lâle|last=Uçan|title=Son Halife Abdülmecid Efendi'nin Hayatı - Şehzâlik, Veliahtlık ve Halifelik Yılları |url=http://nek.istanbul.edu.tr:4444/ekos/TEZ/60731.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://nek.istanbul.edu.tr:4444/ekos/TEZ/60731.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher=Istanbul University Institute of Social Sciences |type=PhD Thesis |year=2019}}
*{{cite book|first=M. Çağatay|last=Uluçay|title=Padişahların kadınları ve kızları|year=2011|publisher=Ötüken|isbn=978-9-754-37840-5 |oclc=854893416}}

==External links==

{{Commons category-inline}}

{{wikisource author-inline}}
* {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Abd-ul-Aziz |short=x}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Ottoman Dynasty|House of Osman]]||8 February 1830||4 June 1876}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Abdulmejid I]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|Sultan of the Ottoman Empire]]
| years = 25 June 1861{{snd}}30 May 1876
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Murad V]]
}}
{{s-rel|su}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Abdulmejid I]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[List of Caliphs|Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate]]
| years = 25 June 1861{{snd}}30 May 1876
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Murad V]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Sultans of the Ottoman Empire}}
{{Sons of the Ottoman Sultans}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdulaziz}}
[[Category:1830 births]]
[[Category:1876 deaths]]
[[Category:1870s suicides]]
[[Category:Dethroned monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century sultans of the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Turks from the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Composers of Ottoman classical music]]
[[Category:Composers of Turkish makam music]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Extra Knights Companion of the Garter]]
[[Category:Heads of state who died by suicide]]
[[Category:Suicides by sharp instrument in Turkey]]
[[Category:Sons of sultans]]
[[Category:Royalty who died by suicide]]