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First Constitutional Era (Ottoman Empire)
Encyclopedia
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Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
: مشروطيت Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
: Birinci Meşrutiyet) of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
was the period of constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
from the promulgation of the Kanûn-ı Esâsî
Kanûn-i Esâsî
The Ottoman constitution of 1876 was the first constitution of the Ottoman Empire. Written by members of the Young Ottomans, particularly Midhat Pasha, during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II , the constitution was only in effect for two years, from 1876 to 1878.A large part of the reason for the...
(meaning "Basic Law
Basic Law
The term basic law is used in some places as an alternative to "constitution", implying it is a temporary but necessary measure without formal enactment of constitution. A basic law is either a codified constitution, or in countries with uncodified constitutions, a law given to have constitution...
" in Ottoman Turkish), written by members of the Young Ottomans
Young Ottomans
The Young Ottomans were a secret organization of Ottoman nationalist intellectuals formed in 1865, influenced by such Western thinkers as Montesquieu and Rousseau and the French Revolution. They developed the concept of Ottomanism, aligned with these thinkers...
, on 23 November 1876 until 13 February 1878. The era ended with the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Abdülhamid II.
The first constitutional era did not include any party system
Party system
A party system is a concept in comparative political science concerning the system of government by political parties in a democratic country. The idea is that political parties have basic similarities: they control the government, have a stable base of mass popular support, and create internal...
. At the time, the parliament was seen as the voice of the people but not as a venue for the formation of political parties and organizations. When compared to modern democracies, the Ottoman system in this period was closer to a "Constitutional Monarchy" form of government than a true representative system.
Electoral policies
The elections for parliament were held in accordance with the provisional electoral regulations. The parliament (house) was composed in two stages. The first one was the "Meclis-i Mebusan" (literally "Chamber of Deputies" or House of RepresentativesHouse of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national states. In some countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often called a "senate". In other countries, the House of...
), which is the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
of a bicameral
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
legislature, while the corresponding upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
was the "Heyet-i Ayan" (Senate
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class...
). The initial selection of deputies ("Meclis-i Mebusan") was made by administrative councils in the provinces ("Meclis-i Umumi").
After the establishment of the "Meclis-i Umumi" in the provinces, the members selected the deputies from within the "Meclis-i Umumi to form the "Meclis-i Mebusan" in the capital. The Meclis-i Mebusan had 115 members and reflected the distribution of the millets
Millet (Ottoman Empire)
Millet is a term for the confessional communities in the Ottoman Empire. It refers to the separate legal courts pertaining to "personal law" under which communities were allowed to rule themselves under their own system...
in the empire. In the second elections there were 69 Muslim millet representatives and 46 representatives of other millets (Jews, Phanariotes
Phanariotes
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Phanariote Greeks were members of those prominent Greek families residing in Phanar , the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is situated.For all their cosmopolitanism and often Western education, the Phanariots were...
, Armenians).
The second body was the "Heyet-i Ayan" ("Senate") and the members were selected by the sultan. The "Heyet-i Ayan" had only 26 members. It was designed to replaced the porte and the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
become the speaker of Heyet-i Ayan.
| Representation | ||
| lower house Lower house A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power... |
upper house Upper house An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :... |
|
| Province | Meclis-i Umumi | |
| Capital | Meclis-i Mebusan | Heyet-i Ayan |
The two elections, one each year, happened between 1877–1878.
First term, 1877
The members' reactions to the approaching war were very strong and Abdülhamid II asked for new elections citing the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878).Second term, 1878
The life of the second term of the parliament was counted in days as after the initial speeches by the members from Balkan vilayets Abdülhamid II closed the parliament, citing social unrest.Significant people
Mehmed Rushdi PashaMehmed Rushdi Pasha
Mehmed Rushdi Pasha was an Ottoman statesman. He was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire during five terms:* During Abdülmecit's reign: 24th December, 1859 - 28th May, 1860* During Abdülaziz's reign: 5th June, 1866 - 11th February, 1867...
, Hussein Avni Pasha
Hussein Avni Pasha
Hussein Avni Pasha was an Ottoman statesman. He was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 15 February 1874 until 26 April 1875.- References :...
, Midhat Pasha, Sulaiman Pasha.
See also
- Constitutional history of TurkeyConstitutional History of TurkeyOver the centuries, Turkey has had many constitutions and can be characterized by the steady establishment of a nation-state, democratization and recognition of international law....
- TanzimatTanzimatThe Tanzimât , meaning reorganization of the Ottoman Empire, was a period of reformation that began in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. The Tanzimât reform era was characterized by various attempts to modernize the Ottoman Empire, to secure its territorial integrity against...