The Pardons of the Hamidian Era: The Petitions and the State Policy

The Abdulhamid II Era (r. 1876-1909) is one of the most controversial periods in Ottoman history. As a turning point between the 1839 Imperial Edict of Reorganization and 1908 Constitutional Revolution, it was marked by a legitimisation crisis, decline of monarchy, autocracy and censure, separatist national movements, centralisation of the authority, foreign pressure and the bankruptcy of the economy. I argue that pardons played a particular role in this context. The pardoning power was a political tool of the Sultan to solve certain problems and it worked better than the fulfillment of a punishment in establishing a legitimate and just rule in the eyes of the people. This policy was especially applied during the Armenian Events of 1890s, the banditry problem and tribal conflicts. Through the prerogative power of forgiveness, the Sultan tried to restore the monarchical ideology, namely the merciful image of Sultanic rule which was a distinctive element of monarchical power. On the other hand, these pardons also reflected certain expectations of the popular classes. Generally speaking, the convicts used many discursive strategies in requesting pardon through petitions, which can be found in abundance in the Ottoman archives. These pardon petitions mentioned the innocence of the convict, the miserable conditions of prisoners and their families, and the diseases that they faced in jail. Through emphasising the justness, dignity and mercy of the Sultan side by side with their weakness, ignorance and poverty, the convicts pleaded for mercy from him. However, in granting pardons, the Abdulhamid regime expected from the convict not simply loyalty or regret but also certain services such as active collaboration on particular issues; a tension which constituted the dynamics of the pardon negotiations.