Mehmed V Reshad was the 35th Ottoman Sultan. He was the son of Sultan
Abdülmecid I. He was succeeded by his half-brother Mehmed VI.
Birth He was born at Topkapı Palace, Istanbul.
Like many other potential heirs to the throne, he was confined for 30 years in
the Harems of the palace. For nine of those years he was in solitary
confinement. During this time he studied poetry of the old Persian style and was
an acclaimed poet. On his ninth birthday he was ceremoniously circumcised in the
special Circumcision Room of Topkapı Palace.
Reign His reign began on 27 April 1909, but he
was largely a figurehead with no real political power, as a consequence of the
Young Turk Revolution in 1908 and especially the 1913 Ottoman coup d'état,
which brought the dictatorial triumvirate of the Three Pashas to
power. Mehmed V's most significant political
act was to formally declare jihad against the Entente Powers on 11
November 1914, following the Ottoman government's decision to join the First
World War on the side of the Central Powers. He was actually said to look
with disfavor on the pro-German policy of Enver Pasha.
This was the last genuine proclamation of jihad in history by a Caliph, as the
Caliphate lasted until 1924. The proclamation had no noticeable effect on
the war, despite the fact that many Muslims lived in Ottoman territories.
The Arabs eventually joined the British forces against the Ottomans with the
Arab Revolt in 1916. Mehmed V hosted Kaiser Wilhelm II, his
World War I ally, in Constantinople on 15 October 1917. He was made
Generalfeldmarschall of the Kingdom of Prussia on 27 January 1916, and of the
German Empire on 1 February 1916. Death
Mehmed V died at Yıldız Palace on 3 July 1918 at the age of 73, only four months
before the end of World War I. Thus, he did not live to see the downfall of the
Ottoman Empire. He spent most of his life at the Dolmabahçe Palace and Yıldız
Palace in Istanbul. His grave is in the historic Eyüp district of the city.
Decorations and awards Ottoman orders
Mehmed V was Grand Master of the following Ottoman Orders:
Grand Master of the Order of the Crescent
Grand Master of the Order of Nichan Iftikhar
Grand Master of the Order of the Medjidie
Grand Master of the Order of Osmanieh Foreign orders and decorations
Knight of the Military Order of Max Joseph
Family life = First marriage and issue=
He married firstly at Constantinople, Ortaköy Palace, on 30 September 1872 to
Azerbaijani HH Kamures Kadınefendi, and had:
= Second marriage and issue= He married secondly at Constantinople,
Ortaköy Palace, on 10 October 1876 to Georgian HH Dürriand Kadınefendi, and
had: = Third marriage and issue=
He married thirdly at Constantinople, Ortaköy Palace, on 4 April 1887 to HH
Mihrengiz Kadınefendi, and had: = Fourth marriage and issue=
He married fourthly at Constantinople, Ortaköy Palace, in 1888 to HH Nazperver
Kadınefendi and had: Princess Refia Sultan
= Fifth marriage= He married fifthly at Constantinople,
Ortaköy Palace, in 1907 to HH Dilfirib Kadınefendi without issue.
References See Also
The Ottomans: Europe's Muslim Emperors External links
Media related to Mehmed V at Wikimedia Commons