Imperial gifts and sultanic legitimation during the late Ottoman empire, 1876-1909.
Poverty and Charity in Middle Eastern Contexts, State University of New York Press , ss.203-220, 2003
- Yayın Türü: Kitapta Bölüm / Araştırma Kitabı
- Basım Tarihi: 2003
- Yayınevi: State University of New York Press
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.203-220
- Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
On August 15, 1908, just three weeks after the Young Turk Revolution, an imperial decree abolished the practice of distributing alms on a weekly basis to the poor and needy (fukara ve muhtâcîn) during Abdülhamid II's Friday Prayer ceremony at Hamidiye Mosque, near the Yildiz Palace.1 Henceforth, this service of providing weekly alms on behalf of the sultan was transferred to the Municipal Administration (Qehremanati). Thereafter, the Ministry of the Imperial Treasury (Hazine-i Hassa Nezareti) would provide the specified amount of money (sadaka-i seniyye haftaligi) to the Municipal Administration.2 This single decree put an end to a sultanic practice that had been in place since at least the late eighteenth century-one that had gained special importance during the Hamidian period (1876-1909). The timing of this decree is particularly important: Abdülhamid II was still on the throne, but his power had been radically curtailed by the Young Turk Revolution of 1908. On August 4, 1908, in response to the pressures exerted by Young Turk circles, Abdülhamid II dismissed his first secretary, Tahsin Paşa, and replaced him with Cevad Bey, known for his revolutionary credentials. 3 As this chapter demonstrates, it was not accidental that, within a week after his appointment, Cevad Bey had the sultan issue the decree that eradicated Abdülhamid II's alms system. © 2003 State University of New York. All rights reserved.