The Hatt-i-Humayun and Hatt-i-Sharif of Gulhane

The Hatt-i-Humayun Proclamation (1856) is a confirmation of what the Hatt-i-Sharif of Gulhane established 17 years before (1839). It comes directly from the sultan’s ideas and it is directed to the inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire, Muslim and non-Muslim, man and woman. It is not like other proclamations, the ottoman document did consider woman involvement. Perhaps the sultan considered the potential that women could bring together with men to the empire’s production. Perhaps the document just reflected the fear remaining on the sultan from the powerful western European Empire influence pressing on the neighboring ottoman provinces. The Hatt-i-Humayun Proclamation is created to make sure the reinforcement of the reforms establishment, consolidation and effects and restructure of its military and social system as well as religious stability promised in previous decrees and proclamations and inclusion of these provinces.
It confirms the previous proclamations and of course promises made by the sultan’s ancestors over the Ottoman Empire. It addresses many points that the Ottoman Empire was not aware before or was simply not important to consider. The release of this document offered a religious security, for non-Muslim religions, mostly Christians and Jews, and promised equality in education, government appointments, administration of justice making people sovereign and gave them power of decision whether to participate in the reformed Ottoman military system or not.
The Hatt-i-Humayun Proclamation is the sultan’s promise to Ottoman population. It tried to create citizens and considered officially the non-Muslim religions as part of the ottoman system instead of just forcing their participation just because they were taken over by the sultan’s army. This time the proclamation includes every single person without discrimination of gender or religious beliefs, or age. The document is revolutionary for its time. It takes care of the discrimination issue and preference in between Muslim and non-Muslim religions. It promised that court disputes will no longer be Muslim-based religious legislation; instead court legislation will be directed by mixed courts, which is the inclusion of non-Muslim members into the court legislation. The proclamation gave the people the right to establish their own school system. It was more advance and covers specifically the points of religion and civic duties that, compared with the U.S. bill of rights, are just left out. This proclamation denotes the French and British influence since they helped the Ottoman Empire to fight against the European power and their modernism.
The Hatt-i-Humayun Proclamation included Christians and Jews communities giving them the choice of joining the army, instead of forcing their participation as it was done before. It was a big advance for the reformation purposes, possibly viewed by other empires. Consequently it served as a sample to neighbor governments. Leverage amongst all ottoman population was promised by the Ottoman sultan. He basically offered to treat everyone equally, not like the past emperors or like in devshirme period of time, when janissaries take the oldest son of the Christian communities that were conquered and forced them into military life style. Now new generation of janissaries were going to be a mix in religion and beliefs and not forcibly converted into Muslim religion.
The Hatt-i-Humayun Proclamation of 1856 involves all the aspects that society needed to synchronize with the new ottoman system in order to function as a whole. It promises individuality, security, ownership, opportunity to have options and choose from them respecting the individual decision without retaliation from emperor’s institutions and its members. As a result the non-Muslim religions of the Ottoman Empire were able to live and work more freely in their homelands. These reforms and freedoms promised in the proclamation made them wealthy and vital component of the Empire they lived in.