Abd al-Hamid II (1842–1918)

Last sultan of Turkey 1876–1909. In 1908 the Young Turks under Enver Pasha forced Abd al-Hamid to restore the constitution of 1876 and in 1909 insisted on his deposition. He died in confinement. For his part in the Armenian massacres suppressing the revolt of 1894–96 he was known as the ‘Great Assassin’; his actions still motivate Armenian violence against the Turks.

He succeeded on the deposition of his brother Murad V. His reign included wars with Serbia in 1876, Russia 1877–78, and Greece in 1897.