Timeline November 1839

Events in November 1839 2

• 1839 Gülhane Edict -- the founding charter of reform The Gülhane Edict (Hatt-ı Şerif of Gülhane, 3 November 1839) is the founding document of the Tanzimat era. Promulgated by the new sultan Abdülmecid I (19 years old, four months after his accession), it promises security of life, honour and property for all Ottoman subjects; regular collection of taxes (replacing arbitrary impositions); a fixed term of military service; and equal treatment regardless of religion. The edict is partly a response to European pressure, partly a genuine reformist initiative by the foreign minister Mustafa Reşid Pasha, and partly a diplomatic manoeuvre to gain European support against Muhammad Ali of Egypt. Its promises are only partly fulfilled -- but it establishes the principle of rights-based governance.
• 1839 Newport Rising Chartists stage an armed uprising in Wales Several thousand Chartist supporters marched on Newport, Wales, intending to seize the town and spark a wider rising for political reform. British troops met the marchers at the Westgate Hotel and opened fire, killing more than twenty people. The rising's leaders, including John Frost, were later sentenced to transportation.