Legitimation Structures of the Hamidian Era

Amid a period of decline in the power and extent of the Ottoman Empire, Abdülhamid II ascended the throne in 1876.[1] As sultan, he witnessed insurrection in the Balkans, the Russo-Ottoman War of 1978, the loss of massive amounts of territory, and the end of the Tanzimât period of reform. These points set the stage for a consolidation of imperial power and the utilization of the role of caliph as a legitimation tool in the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. Beginning in 1517, Ottoman sultans had claimed the position of caliph of all Muslims.[2] Abdülhamid II recognized the authority that came with that title and used to it fill a certain void in the Ottoman world. Specifically, a decline in real power in the Ottoman Empire in the face of ever-powerful European states required attention and necessitated the reinvention of the Ottoman power structure. Growing hostilities between European states and the Ottoman Empire and the exit of much of the empire's Christian population made Abdülhamid II's use of Islam as a legitimation structure possible. In the initial stages of Abdülhamid II's reign, he required the adoption of a constitution and the election of a parliament by a universal male electorate.[3] These requirements in their theoretical space could help to realize a liberal transition with Islamic arguments, which could balance the Tanzimât's imitation of western norms. The political structure of western norms did not work with the centuries-old Ottoman political culture, even if the pressure from the Western world was enormous to adapt western ways of political decision.[4] Abdülhamid II eventually suspended the constitution and closed parliament, effectively consolidating power within the throne.[5] Amidst these internal tensions, however, brewed international conflicts.
Beginning with the 1875 insurrection of Bosnia and Herzegovina and ending with the Congress of Berlin in 1881, the Ottoman Empire was faced with the prospect of disintegration and