Lettre adressé au feu Sultan Abdul Aziz par le feu Prince Moustapha Fazil Pacha 1866. [i.e., Letter addressed to Sultan Abdul Aziz by the late Prince Moustapha Fazil Pasha 1866].

Original light brown wrappers. Roy. 8vo. (24 x 16 cm). Edition in French. 18 p. The first and only French edition of the renowned letter by Egyptian Prince Mustafa Fazil Pasha, addressing the Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz's alteration of the succession law. The change established succession by a direct male lineage of the reigning Khedive (viceroy), replacing the traditional system of passing the throne from brother to brother. This letter stands as a historical document of protest, as Mustafa Fazil Pasha sought to voice his discontent against the new inheritance system, which favored direct male descendants of the reigning Khedive rather than the traditional fraternal succession. On January 18, 1863, Prince Mustafa became the heir apparent to his brother Isma'il Pasha. However, on May 28, 1866, Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz altered the succession law, establishing inheritance through the direct male line of the reigning Khedive (viceroy) instead of the traditional system of passing the throne from brother to brother. In protest against this decision, Mustafa Fazil Pasha left Egypt for Paris, where he supported the "Jön Türkler [i.e., Young Ottomans Group] in their opposition to Sultan Abdülaziz. ". The idea that constitutional government not only would solve political problems but would also be a magical spur to economic prosperity, was not an unusual one for this period. Same of the New Ottomans espoused it. At almost exactly the same time as Halil Serif wrote his memorandum, Mustafa Fazil Pasa published his famous Letter Addressed to Sultan Abdülaziz; this letter also proposed a constitution, as a solution to the Ottoman Empire's domestic economic, social, and political problems. A constitution, said Mustafa Fazil, would bring liberty, resare individual initiative, aid in cultural development and improve the economy". The political system of France, England, and Belgium and the economic development of those same countries impressed a nll.Ilfber of Ottomans. Their observation and analysis may have been superficial, but their admiration for various aspects of western European life was ·genuine." (From an article by Robert H. Davison, Halil Serif Pasha.). Only two copies in OCLC, not in the US libraries.