Yılmaz Öztuna was one of the greatest Turkish historians of the 20th century. The following is a translation of the Title and Summary sections of an article he published in Türkiye (daily newspaper in Turkish) on 23-24 April 1991 (Yılmaz Öztuna, Tarihten Portreler, 23-24 Nisan 1991).
See also
https://tarihihakikatlar.blogspot.com/2021/01/ylmaz-oztuna-sultan-abdulhamid-hakknda.html
Indeed, he was not an enemy to anyone; he was only defending his Empire as a sovereign and Islam as a caliph
SULTAN ABDULHAMID
He faced much opposition from the Turks. Especially the
enlightened youth in higher education, primarily military and medical students;
they did everything to overthrow the sultan. They wanted power.
The Jews, because he did not allow the establishment of
Israel; the Armenians, because he did not allow the establishment of Armenia;
the Greeks, whom he defeated in war; the Westerners, who were dizzy from being
constantly outmaneuvered by the caliph’s political combinations; and the
British, who were wary of his prestige in Asia—all collaborated to overthrow
Sultan Abdulhamid.
Today, no [Turkish] leader openly speaks against Sultan Abdulhamid.
They would lose votes in all the provinces of Anatolia. It is now the turn of
our intellectuals. They, too, will be enlightened as they investigate. No one
calls him “the Red Sultan” anymore. Everyone knows that this label was given by
a French historian.
