The Great Hunger
Sultan Abdülmecid, the young, enlightened ruler of the Ottoman Empire learnt of the unfolding tragedy of a famine 4000 miles away from his Irish born physician, or so the story goes. In the middle of the 19th Century the staple food of one third of the Irish population; the potato, failed due to disease (blight) resulting in starvation,plague and emigration.
Her Majesty's government in Westminster, London, administered the affairs of the British Isles including the entire island of Ireland, at the time, with the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, managing to stave off the worst effects of the 'great hunger.' The prevailing laissez - faire economics and subsequent resignation of Peel meant that matters only got worse as the potato crops again failed.
Sultan Abdülmecid could have received first hand accounts of the unfolding disaster from his friend but the facts relating to the Irish famine were well known internationally. That friendship, his deep religious faith and his efforts to improve international relations were the deciding factors that led the Sultan to offer £10,000 in aid.
With regard to international relations this offer had the opposite effect to that intended as the acting ambassador, Lord Cowley, advised that £1000 would be the appropriate figure. Queen Victoria had sent £2000 in famine relief and protocol dictated that no one could offer more. Either sum was enormous in today's terms but it was an enormous catastrophe.
The ruler of the Ottoman Empire did not want to cause an international incident but was still determined to help on a larger scale than that suggested.
The donation of £1000 by the Sultan is well documented by historians but the sending of three ships full of Indian meal and wheat to make up the rest of his original intended offer is less easy to prove. “I am compelled by my religion to observe the laws of hospitality,” is a quote that indicates that once promised the equivalent of £10,000 had to be sent and records exist of such cargos being received in Drogheda, on a commercial basis, from the Sultan's territory at the time.
Fact or fiction, legend has it that 'We' were not amused and when the ships arrived they were refused entry to the main Dublin and Belfast ports. Undeterred the Commander of the fleet navigated the Boyne river as far as the small port of Drogheda also on the east coast of Ireland where the crew and their cargo were gratefully received. The Sailors were accommodated in the Town Hall and the cargo unloaded.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Richard the Lionheart in the 12th century had bestowed a coat of arms to Drogheda that included a Crescent and star (from the capture of Cyprus) but the story evolved that it was a mark of the citizens' gratitude for the much later donation in 1847.
“The conduct of Abdülmecid on the occasion referred to,” the author wrote, “was that of a good, humane, and generous man. A believer in Mohammedanism [sic], he acted in the true spirit of a follower of Christ, and set an example which many professing Christians would do well to imitate.” Freeman's Journal.
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"OTTOMAN ARCHIVES / COURTESY OF MUSTAFA ÖZTÜRK AKCAOĞLU In addition to financial aid from Sultan Abdülmedjid I, in May and June of 1847, three Ottoman ships arrived in Drogheda. Two came from the Ottoman port of Thessalonica, laden with corn, and one came from Stettin bearing red wheat. Although it is still unclear to historians whether these ships arrived with donations or merely commercial shipments, the Irish eloquently expressed their gratitude in this ornate letter, which is now part of the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul. A copy of it is kept by the National Library of Ireland."
Other contributions from within the Ottoman Empire included a general collection taken up in Constantinople amounting to £450.11s. and £283 sent by the local chapter of the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP), a Catholic charity.
What can't be denied is that Sultan Abdülmecid was an enlightened ruler who initiated positive changes in the empire and who had a religious tolerance which was rare at the time. He achieved much before his death at the age of 39 and his contribution to a starving population 4000 miles away is deserving of its place in history. The exact details should not get in the way of a good story!
GOCPglobal gerald@oconnorleadership.com
Research credit to Connecticut-based freelance writer Tom Verde (writah@gmail.com) who is a regular contributor to AramcoWorld.