Starting around 1890 , Armenians began demanding the implementation of the reforms which were promised to them at the Berlin conference . To prevent such measures , in 1890 – 91 , Sultan Abdul Hamid gave semi-official status to the Kurdish bandits who were already actively mistreating the Armenians in the provinces . Made up of Kurds ( as well as other ethnic groups such as Turcomans ) , and armed by the state , they came to be called the '' Hamidiye Alaylari '' ( " Hamidian Regiments " ) . The Hamidiye and Kurdish brigands were given free rein to attack Armenians , confiscating stores of grain , foodstuffs , and driving off livestock , and confident of escaping punishment as they were subject only to court-martial . In the face of such violence , the Armenians established revolutionary organizations , namely the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party ( Hunchak ; founded in Switzerland in 1887 ) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation ( the ARF or Dashnaktsutiun , founded in 1890 in Tiflis ) . Clashes ensued and unrest occurred in 1892 at Merzifon and in 1893 at Tokat . Abdul Hamid II did not hesitate to put down these revolts with harsh methods while using the local Muslims ( in most cases Kurds ) against the Armenians . As a result of such violence , 300,000 Armenians were killed in what became known as the Hamidian massacres . News of the Armenian massacres was widely reported in Europe and the United States and drew strong responses from foreign governments and humanitarian organizations alike . Hence , Abdul Hamid II was referred to as the " Bloody Sultan " or " Red Sultan " in the West . On 21 July 1905 , the Armenian Revolutionary Federation attempted to assassinate him with a car bombing during a public appearance , but the Sultan was delayed for a minute and the bomb went off too early , killing 26 , wounding 58 ( of which four died at hospital ) and destroying 17 cars . This continued aggression , along with the handling of the Armenian desire for reforms , led to the western European powers taking a more hands-on approach with the Turks
assassinate him
Yıldız assassination attempt
Abdul Hamid II