Milestone·Modern
Tanzimat Reforms Begin in the Ottoman Empire
- Date
- 3 November 1839 CE1255 AH187 years ago
- Place
- Istanbul
- People
- Abdulmejid I, Mustafa Resid Pasha
On 3 November 1839 CE, Sultan Abdulmejid I issued the Edict of Gulhane, which started the Tanzimat reform period. The reforms aimed to modernize the army, the courts, taxation and education. They also gave non-Muslim subjects equal legal status in principle. The reforms were led by officials such as Mustafa Resid Pasha and continued until 1876.
Why it matters
The reforms reshaped Ottoman institutions and laid the groundwork for the constitutional period that followed.