In this book, the eminent Turkish historian Yılmaz Öztuna offers an in-depth study of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the last Ottoman sultan to hold real political power, structured around two intertwined themes: his era, marked by crushing financial and political crises, conflict with Western colonial powers, Zionist pressure to settle Palestine, and the revolution that eventually ended his rule; and his personality, a controversial figure who combined deep religious devotion, extreme caution, sharp political intelligence, and a love of reading and craftsmanship.
Drawing on original historical sources, Öztuna presents a balanced portrait of a sultan over whom historians remain divided seen by some as a wise reformer who preserved the dignity of the caliphate, and by others as an authoritarian ruler leaving readers to form their own judgment about one of the most complex and compelling figures in Ottoman history.
