Power, Money, and Madness
The Sultan’s Generous Treatment of His Family
Sultan Abdul Hamid II was known for being very generous to his family members. Unlike many rulers who might be suspicious or stingy with their relatives, he made sure that his brothers and sisters lived in great comfort and luxury. This generosity was possible because he had complete control over the empire’s finances.
The Sultan did not need to ask anyone’s permission to spend money or explain how he used the government’s funds. There was no parliament or council that required him to prepare a budget or report his spending. The public money of the entire Ottoman Empire belonged to him personally, and he could spend it however he wanted Strict Palace Security.
Each of his brothers and sisters received incredible gifts from the Sultan. He gave every one of them a fully furnished palace, complete with everything they needed to live like royalty. All of their household expenses – food, servants, maintenance, and daily needs – were paid directly from the imperial treasury. This meant they never had to worry about money for basic living expenses.
On top of providing palaces and covering all expenses, the Sultan also gave each family member a monthly allowance of $5,000 just for personal spending money. This was an enormous amount of money at that time, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars today. This “pin money” was just for their personal enjoyment and luxuries beyond their already extravagant lifestyle.
A More Careful Spender Than His Predecessor
Despite his generosity to family, Sultan Abdul Hamid was actually much more careful with money than the previous Sultan, Abdul Aziz. Abdul Aziz had been incredibly wasteful and irresponsible with the empire’s finances during his reign. He had squandered more than $100,000,000 without having anything useful to show for his spending.
Abdul Aziz’s reckless spending had created a massive debt that was so large it could never be fully repaid. This financial disaster had serious consequences for the entire Ottoman Empire. The current public bonds and debts outstanding totaled over $750,000,000, which was an astronomical sum that threatened the empire’s stability customized daily sofia tours.
The government’s regular income was barely enough to pay just the interest on these debts, let alone reduce the actual amount owed. This meant that the empire was essentially bankrupt and struggling to meet its basic financial obligations to creditors around the world.
Foreign Control of Ottoman Finances
Because of the massive debt crisis, the Ottoman Empire’s finances were no longer under complete Turkish control. A committee representing foreign bondholders – the people and institutions who had lent money to the empire – now controlled much of the government’s financial operations. This was a humiliating situation for a once-powerful empire.
Every month, this foreign committee received a certain amount of money directly from the Ottoman treasury. They then distributed this money among the various creditors of the nation according to their agreements. This arrangement meant that a significant portion of the empire’s income went directly to foreign creditors before the government could use it for running the country.
This financial control by foreigners was a clear sign of how the Ottoman Empire’s power had declined. The Sultan might have absolute control over spending on his family, but the empire’s overall finances were heavily influenced by outside forces.
The Sultan’s Mental Health Crisis
According to a doctor in Constantinople who had many opportunities to observe and study the Sultan’s condition, Abdul Hamid suffered from a serious mental health problem. The physician diagnosed him with neurasthenia, which is a nervous disease that can be considered a form of mental illness. This condition created a fascinating but troubling psychological case study.
The Sultan’s symptoms were complex and changed frequently over time, making his condition difficult to understand completely. While he was naturally very intelligent, several factors had combined to damage his mental health severely. He lived in constant fear of being assassinated, which created enormous stress and anxiety.
The Sultan also suffered from chronic insomnia, meaning he had great difficulty sleeping regularly. This lack of sleep, combined with his constant fear, had made his naturally suspicious personality much worse than normal. Over time, these problems had turned him into what the doctor called a “mono-maniac” – someone obsessed with a single idea, in this case, self-preservation.
The Tragic Transformation of a Gentle Nature
The most tragic aspect of the Sultan’s condition was that his basic personality was actually gentle and kind. The doctor believed that if Abdul Hamid had been able to live like an ordinary person, without the pressures and dangers of absolute power, he might have avoided the mental illness that caused him almost constant suffering.
However, the isolation and paranoia required by his position as Sultan had changed him completely. His mistrust of everyone around him had become a chronic condition that affected every aspect of his life. He could not trust his family, his advisors, his servants, or anyone else in his world.
This constant suspicion had also made him extremely cunning and manipulative. He had developed an ability to think of schemes and plans to protect himself that seemed to never run out of new ideas. While this cunning might have helped him survive as Sultan, it also showed how much his mental condition had deteriorated from what might have been a normal, healthy personality.
The combination of unlimited power, constant danger, and mental illness had created a ruler who was both generous to his family and deeply troubled in his ability to govern effectively or trust anyone around him.
