ʿAbd al-Majīd I (Abdülmecit) ʿUthmānī, son of Sulṭān Maḥmūd II, was the thirty-first Ottoman sultan (1238–1277/1823–1861).

He was born in Istanbul and, unlike previous princes, did not remain confined within the walls of royal palaces but instead received a European education under the supervision of the most experienced teachers and came to know contemporary European culture. He acquired fluency in French, read European books and journals, and debated and exchanged views with European diplomats in French. In t…