Jaafar A. A. Suleiman Husnu Pasha and His Role in the Causative Events of the Proclamation of the Ottoman Constitution in 1876.
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Abstract
Suleiman Husnu Pasha is considered one of the prominent figures of the Ottoman State during the Tanzimat era. He was an upright military commander, a candid and bold revolutionary, and highly successful in his missions. A man of culture, he was distinguished by his integrity and a deep sense of responsibility toward his homeland and nation. Furthermore, he excelled in the fields of thought, history, and Turkish culture, and is regarded as one of the early pioneers of Turkish nationalist thought.
Driven by national awareness and loyalty, he devoted himself to the country's issues, feeling an urgent need for awakening, modernization, and the opposition of despotism. He sought to reform the state administration, which was sliding toward collapse, by adopting a constitutional system. Consequently, he intervened in political life by participating in the coup d'état that he led on the ground on May 30, 1876, to depose Sultan Abdülaziz and install Crown Prince Murad V, who was sympathetic to the ideals of liberty and constitutionalism.
Despite the success of the operation, which paved the way for the proclamation of the constitution, Sultan Murad’s mental illness and his inability to govern the state disappointed the proponents of reform and the constitution. They were left with no choice but to deal with Crown Prince Abdul Hamid II, who reneged on his promises to proclaim the constitution immediately upon ascending the throne on August 31, 1876.
At that point, constitutional supporters faced difficult circumstances due to Sultan Abdul Hamid's maneuvers aimed at delaying and eventually dismantling the constitutional cause. Taking the initiative to complete the national reformist role for which he had joined the coup, Suleiman Pasha threatened the Sultan with the same fate as his uncle, Abdülaziz, should he refuse to announce the constitution. As a result, it was officially proclaimed on December 23, 1876.