Hatt-i Sharif
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The Hatt-i Sharif of Gulhane was an 1839 proclamation by Ottoman Sultan Abd-ul-Mejid I that launched the Tanzimat period of reforms and reorganization.
The proclamation was issued at the behest of reformist Grand Vizier Rashid Pasha. It promised reforms such as the abolition of tax farming, reform of conscription, and greater equality of religion. The goal of the decree was to help modernize the empire militarily and socially so that it could compete with the Great Powers of Europe. It also was hoped the reforms would win over the disaffected parts of the empire, especially in the Ottoman controlled parts of Europe, which were largely Christian.
The edict was followed up with the Hatt-i Humayan of 1856 which promised full equality of religion, and the Nationality Law of 1869 that created a common Ottoman citizenship irrespective of religious or ethnic divides.