The first written constitution in Turkish history was adopted on 23 December 1876. This constitution, which carried the name of Fundamental Law, was not the result of a movement based on the will of the people, but was realized by means of the Young Ottomans, the name given to the intellectuals who made a rather strong influence upon the sultan. According to the 1876 Constitution, unconditional, unrestricted sovereignty belongs to the Ottoman Family. The sultans person was sacred. The legislative and executive powers definitely belonged to the sultan. The judicial power could be considered to be independent, but the right to give amnesty was definitely belonging to the sultan. All the basic rights were recognized for the citizens excluding the freedom to gather, form political parties and organizations. However, as it was possible to limit these rights by legal means and because there was no gauge on this subject, there was no legal guarantee for basic rights and freedoms. Also, the life, goods, honor and immunity of the homes of the citizens was guaranteed within the law. Still, the sultan, as the result of a police investigation, could exile people abroad with the justification that they harmed the state. Thus, the judicial guarantee was also harmed to the greatest extent. Despite all the deficiencies in the 1876 Constitution, it can be considered a very significant advance due to the fact that it was the first written legal document of the Ottoman State which did not have a tradition of democracy and because it commenced the Constitutional government.

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