Overview
Abdülhamid I came to the throne in the last months of the war with Russia and had to accept its terms. The peace cost the Ottomans their oldest Muslim vassal, the Crimean Khanate of the Giray khans.
Rise to Power
He succeeded his brother Mustafa III in January 1774, after nearly forty-four years in confinement.
Rule and Achievements
- Signed the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in July 1774: the Crimean Khanate became independent of the Ottomans, and Russia gained a foothold on the Black Sea
- The treaty gave the sultan, as caliph, religious authority over the Muslims of Crimea, the first international agreement to recognise that role
- Could not prevent Russia's annexation of Crimea in 1783, and went to war again in 1787
Legacy
He died in April 1789, during the war, and was succeeded by his nephew Selim III.