24th April 1909 - a tram on route to the Sultan Hamid Hospital, transporting wounded Turks from combat at Taxim. On January 12th 1909, Constantinople recognized the Austrian annexation of Bosnia and Herzogovina. Vienna paid the Turks a ?2.2 million indemnity, the Russians cancelled a ?20-million Turkish indemnity in return for Constantinople's recognition of Bulgarian independence, and internal strife disrupts the whole of the Ottoman Empire. The 76-year-old Grand Vizier Kiamil was deposed on February 13th and replaced by Hussein Hilmi. The Baghdad-born General Mahmud Sevket Pasa suppressed a religious uprising against the Young Turk Government in what is now remembered as the 31st of March Incident. Upwards of 20,000 Armenians were massacred. The 1st Army Corps revolted at Constantinople on April 13th; composed chiefly of Albanians, it forced Hilmi to resign. A 25,000-man army of liberation arrived from Macedonia on April 24, a 5-hour battle ensued, and leaders of the April 13th revolt were executed. The Sultan Abdul Hamid II favoured a return to absolutism and was duly imprisoned in his palace, his 4,000-man Albanian guard surrendering to the Young Turks on April 25th, giving up its arms, and the Sultan was deposed on April 26th at age 66 (after a 33-year reign) by the unanimous vote of the Ottoman parliament. His helpless 64-year-old brother reigned until 1918 as Mohammed V, and Gen. Sevket was promoted to Inspector General of the first three army corps and Minister of War.