The Sultan of Turkey was -most probably- the monarch of the Ottoman Empire, Caliph of Islam, and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Though ruler of one of the oldest empires in history, the Sultan nevertheless reigned over the weakest of the Great Powers, marked by prolonged economic stagnation, political instability, and continual nationalist uprisings. The support of the British government was critical in preventing the Sultan's lands from falling prey to Russian and Austrian designs. In 1903 Sherlock Holmes performed some services for this ruler on an issue of immediate and critical importance, the neglect of which would have serious political consequences: this caused him to suspend the investigation chronicled in "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier" for some time.