Abdulhamid I was the son of Ahmet III and the brother of Mustafa III, and his mother was Rabia Sermi. He was born in Istanbul in 1725. Abdulhamid was only five years old when his father was dethroned as a result of the Patrona Halil rebellion in 1730. He spent his childhood and youth under surveillance in the Topkapi Palace with his brothers. He ascended to the throne at the age of forty-nine in 1774 as the 27th Ottoman sultan, during a difficult period for the Ottoman Empire, following the death of his elder brother Mustafa III.
First of all, the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (today Kaynardzha, Bulgaria) was signed in 1774 to end the war with Russia. With this treaty, the Ottoman Empire suffered significant land losses on its northern borders. Later, he turned his attention to internal issues; tried to suppress internal rebellions, and initiated political and military reforms. He tried to bring a new order to the Janissary Corps and the Navy. During his fifteen-year reign, he was constantly involved in the internal and external affairs of the state.
Many lands were lost in Central Arabia and Iran due to the conflicts that arose on the borders. Later, when the Russians united with Austria against the Ottoman Empire, Abdulhamid I was forced to declare war on these states in 1787. But the wars were against the Ottomans. The sultan, who received bad news one after another, died in 1789 as a result of a sudden stroke. His body was buried in his mausoleum in Bahcekapi, Istanbul. His nephew, Selim III, ascended to the throne.