The Sultan: The Life of Abdul Hamid II

by Joan Haslip

The Turkish sultan Abdul-Hamid II (1842-1918) was the 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the last Sultan to exert effective autocratic control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a period of decline in the power and extent of the Ottoman Empire, including widespread pogroms and government-sanctioned massacres of Armenians and Bulgarians, as well as an assassination attempt, ruling from 1876 until he was deposed shortly after the 1908 Young Turk Revolution of 1909. Joan Haslip's 1958 biography is considered one of the most comprehensive on this important figure in Turkish history.

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Joan Haslip was an author of historical books, often focusing on European royalty. She was born in London and educated in London, Paris and Florence. Her first book, Out of Focus, appeared in 1931; among her other notable publications are Lady Hester Stanhope (1934) and Parnell (1937). She also wrote for the London Mercury, the Daily Mail and Evening News, and the Illustrated London News.
She also worked for the Italian section of the BBC from 1940 to 1944. Her books were generally regarded as accurate and fairly complete although at times falling prey to "outdated interpretations".

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good, but obviously old biography of Abdul Hamid, it's age showing even in the way his name is spelt, and attempts to be fair to a man was condemned by his contemporaries and others as a blood thirsty monster responsible for the deaths of thousands of his subjects. No doubt Abdul Hamid was less of a monster then he has been portrayed but whether you should rely on biographies like this to try and understand him or his era is open to doubt. Ms. Haslip was a good and accurate biographer but her outlook was, even during her lifetime, out-of-date and limited in its perspective and understanding. I read this biography as a teenager back in the 1970s and while it encouraged me to read more, I honestly don't know if it is still worth reading. According to GR Ms. Haslip also wrote a well regarded biography of Parnell - well I've never seen it mentioned in any literature on Parnell published in the last 50 years. Perhaps the best thing to say about this biography is that it isn't bad and, if it wets your appetite, there are plenty of other, better. More recent histories to read.

I would recommend 'Osman's Dream' by Caroline Finkel, not a biography of Abdul Hamid but a history of the Ottoman dynasty, as an excellent and fascinating book to read if you are interested in the Ottoman empire and it's rulers.

[Arsalan Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is so hard to find English material on the life of Abdul Hamid II. It is either non existent or is prejudiced account from European or Kemalist historians. On this account I would praise Joan Haslip for compiling a fair and balanced account of one of the greatest Sultans not only for the Ottoman Empire but also the one who would be considered the last effective Caliph of Islam.

The details and testimonies of the people involved really shed lights on perspectives and despite the fact Abdul Hamid II did not write his biography, Haslip tries her best to recreate the Sultans life based on third party accounts in a chronological order in each chapter with a foreshadowing of the far future, which can be easily understood by those who have a rough idea how future events would play out.

The only reason why I did not give it a five star rating is that, no matter how comprehensive, the author failed to take into account the testimonies of the more religious elements of Abdul Hamid's entourage to give us a better picture. There are also some very orientalist elements which would describe certain traditions in a backward and somewhat skewed manner. This is further made indicated by the authors lack of knowledge of Islam itself, which makes some of her conclusions ambiguous. An example would be where she claims on the account of a one Professor Vamberry that the Sultan was not religious but only kept a facade that he was religious. However, would always point in certain chapters where he was always read his tasbeeh (also wrong, as it helps in reciting the remembrance of God) and wakes up early at dawn for prayers and getting to work etc.

Another major let down was the fact that the Greco-Ottoman War of 1897 was completely ignored. Being one of the most important victories not only for its military success but how it also it created a hope in the revival and its profound affect it had on the Sultan.

Despite its shortcoming, it is still a good and balanced biography if you can look past some biases and Oriental elements. I would surely recommend this anyone to get a general idea of the tough life of Abdul Hamid II.

[Leonardo Sartori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro consigliato caldamente, una delle migliori letture dell'anno ad ora. Haslip ripercorre passo a passo la vita dell'ultimo ("de facto", in quanto abile di governare autonomamente) sultano Ottomano; una vita fatta di paura, terrore della morte ma anche di felicità ritrovata nelle piccole cose. Non so quanto Haslip abbia romanzato (o meno) la storia del sultano, ma scuote veramente nell'intimo vedere come uomini potentissimi fossero nell'intimo deboli e sentimentali.

[Leonardo Sartori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro consigliato caldamente, una delle migliori letture dell'anno ad ora. Haslip ripercorre passo a passo la vita dell'ultimo ("de facto", in quanto abile di governare autonomamente) sultano Ottomano; una vita fatta di paura, terrore della morte ma anche di felicità ritrovata nelle piccole cose. Non so quanto Haslip abbia romanzato (o meno) la storia del sultano, ma scuote veramente nell'intimo vedere come uomini potentissimi fossero nell'intimo deboli e sentimentali.

[Sahil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice very nice

[Hasanuddin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sosok Sultan terakhir dari Kesultanan Turki, bagaimana era "nasionalisme" menguat di berbagai belahan dunia membuat masing-masing wilayah berupaya melepaskan diri. Paham nasionalisme juga merongrong internal kerajaan. Bagaimana gerakan muda Turki banyak dipengaruhi pandangan barat yang berupaya menumbangkan pemerintahan. Belum lagi tekanan-tekanan dari masyarakat Yahudi meminta tanah Palestina yang saat itu masih dalam wilayah Turki.

Sultan Abdul Hamid II memimpin di tengah makin melemahnya monarki. Padahal, Kesultanan Turki pernah meruntuhkan imperium Roma Timur yang berpusat di Byzantium. Imperium yang sempat didaulat menjadi negara superpower pada saat itu. Kesultanan pincang, tidak memiliki tokoh-tokoh yang visioner. Selain itu, perang yang melelahkan sejak akhir abad 19 hingga awal abad 20 makin menguras kas negara. Puncaknya kekalahan dalam PD I membuat negara yang kalah menjadi kue empuk bagi negara pemenang. Berbagai wilayah terpaak dilepas atas nama perjanjian.

[Ahmed El Shara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book on Sultan Abdulhamid II. One of the few objective books on him, highly recommended.