Abdulhamit II, << `ahb` dul hah MEET >> (1842-1918), was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Under his rule, from 1876 to 1909, his empire lost more than half of its European possessions. The strong national feelings among the subject Balkan peoples and the Armenians led to rebellions and massacres. Abdulhamit was often called Abdul the Damned or Bloody Abdul. His name is sometimes spelled Abdul-Hamid.
Abdulhamit II was born on Sept. 21, 1842. Abdulhamit was the son of Abdul-Medjid. He proclaimed a liberal constitution in 1876 but suppressed it in 1877, after Russia attacked Turkey. For 30 years, he ruled as a dictator.
In 1908, a group called the Young Turks forced Abdulhamit to reissue the constitution. They deposed him in 1909, when he agitated for a counterrevolution. He died on Feb. 10, 1918, while under house arrest.
See also Ottoman Empire (The empire ends).
