TRENDEFRAtlas of the Sultans · Glossary
Term · Sovereignty and central government
Also known as: imperial rescript
An order or note written in the sultan's own hand.
On important firmans and berats the sultan wrote in his own hand an order such as “Let it be acted upon accordingly”. His decision on the memoranda submitted by the grand vizier was also written as a hatt-ı hümayun. The real name of the 1839 document that launched the Tanzimat is the Hatt-ı Hümayun of Gülhane.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, article “HATT-ı HÜMÂYUN” (in Turkish); text condensed for the atlas.