The Sultan, The

Abdul Hamid, the Sultan of Joan Haslip's entrancing book, was born in a Turkish harem. His mother, a consumptive Circassian dancer, died when he was only seven years old, leaving him to fend for himself in the corrupt and scheming world of his father's court. Called to the throne at the age of thirty-four, he ruled for thirty-three years as an absolute sovereign. He proved to be a consummate politician who kept his country going by setting the Great Powers one against the other. Too weak to oppose the aggressive policies of Russia by force, he thwarted them by playing upon Britain's fears for her Suez route to India and Austria's fears of a Slav-dominated Balkans. A cunning and ruthless ruler who was able to delay the final disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan could be gentle and charming when it suited his purpose. This biography, first published in 1958, has been acclaimed both as an enthralling story and as a valuable contribution to history.