General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire

The General Assembly[3] (Turkish: Meclis-i Umumî (French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" ) or Genel Parlamento; French: Assemblée Générale) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Also known as the Ottoman Parliament (French: Parlement Ottoman[4]), it was located in Constantinople (Istanbul) and was composed of two houses: an upper house (Senate, Meclis-i Âyân), and a lower house (Chamber of Deputies, Meclis-i Mebusân).[5]

General Assembly Meclis-i Umumi
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Senate Chamber of Deputies
History
Founded	23 December 1876[1][2] 23 July 1908[1][2]
Disbanded	14 February 1878[1][2] 11 April 1920[1][2]
Preceded by	Divan-ı Hümayun
Succeeded by	Grand National Assembly
Structure
Meeting place
Dolmabahçe Palace (1876-1878) Darülfünûn building (1876-1878, 1908) Çırağan Palace (1909) Cemile Sultan Palace (1910-1920)

Delegation of the Ottoman Parliament to Abdul Hamid II.

The General Assembly was first constituted on 23 December 1876 and initially lasted until 14 February 1878, when it was dissolved by Sultan Abdul Hamid II.[1][2]

As a result of the Young Turk Revolution which brought substantial reforms and larger participation by political parties, the General Assembly was revived 30 years later, on 23 July 1908, with the Second Constitutional Era.[1][2] The Second Constitutional Era ended on 11 April 1920, when the General Assembly was dissolved by the Allies during the occupation of Constantinople in the aftermath of World War I.[1][2]

Many members of the dissolved Ottoman Parliament in Constantinople later became members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, which was established on 23 April 1920, during the Turkish War of Independence.[1][2]

• 
  A postcard depicting the opening of the new Parliament in 1908.
• 
  A postcard depicting a meeting of the Parliament in 1914.
• 
  The Ottoman Parliament in 1877.
• 
  The Ottoman Parliament in 1908.

See also

• Senate of the Ottoman Empire, the upper house
• Chamber of Deputies of the Ottoman Empire, the lower house
• History of the Ottoman Empire
• Ottoman constitution of 1876
• First Constitutional Era
• Second Constitutional Era
• Grand National Assembly of Turkey
• The Ottomans: Europe's Muslim Emperors

References

1. "Meclis-i Mebusan (Mebuslar Meclisi)". Tarihi Olaylar.
2. "Meclis-i Mebusan nedir? Ne zaman kurulmuştur?". Sabah. 19 January 2017.
3. Article. 42 of the Constitution
4. Legislation ottomane Volume 5: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/L%C3%A9gislation_ottomane_ou_Recueil_des_Aristarchi-Bey_Gr%C3%A9goire_Tome5.pdf p. 295 (PDF p. 299/370)
5. Rainer Grote; Tilmann Röder (16 February 2012). Constitutionalism in Islamic Countries: Between Upheaval and Continuity. Oxford University Press. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-19-975988-0.