Editing Mehmed VI

{{Short description|Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1918 to 1922}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image        = File:Sultan Mehmed VI of the Ottoman Empire.jpg
| caption      = Mehmed VI in 1918
| name         = Mehmed VI Vahideddin
| title        = [[Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques]]<br/>[[Khan (title)|Khan]]
| succession   = [[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|Sultan of the Ottoman Empire]]<br/>([[Padishah]])
| reign        = 4 July 1918 – {{nowrap|1 November 1922}}
| predecessor  = [[Mehmed V]]
| reg-type     = {{nowrap|[[List of Ottoman grand viziers|Grand Viziers]]}}
| regent       = {{collapsible list|title=''See list''|1=[[Talaat Pasha|Mehmed Talaat Pasha]]<br />[[Ahmed Izzet Pasha]]<br />[[Ahmet Tevfik Pasha]]<br />[[Damat Ferid Pasha]]<br />[[Ali Rıza Pasha]]<br />[[Salih Hulusi Pasha]]}}
| successor    = ''[[Abolition of the Ottoman sultanate|Monarchy abolished]]''
| succession1  = [[Ottoman Caliphate|Ottoman caliph]]<br/>(''[[Amir al-Mu'minin]]'')
| reign1       = {{nowrap|4 July 1918 – 19 November 1922}}
| predecessor1 = Mehmed V
| successor1   = [[Abdulmejid II]]
| succession2  = [[Osmanoğlu family|Head of the Osmanoğlu family]]
| reign2       = {{nowrap|19 November 1922 – 16 May 1926}}
| successor2   = Abdulmejid II
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1861|1|14|df=y}}
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1926|5|16|1861|1|14|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Dolmabahçe Palace]], Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
| death_place  = [[Sanremo]], then part of the [[Kingdom of Italy]]
| burial_date  = 3 July 1926<ref name="Mehmed"/>
| burial_place = Cemetery of [[Sulaymaniyya Takiyya]], [[Damascus]], Syria
| spouse       = {{Plainlist|
*{{marriage|[[Nazikeda Kadın (wife of Mehmed VI)|Nazikeda Kadın]]<br />|1885|<!-- Omission per Template:Marriage instructions -->}}
*{{marriage|[[Inşirah Hanım]]|1905|1909|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|[[Müveddet Kadın]]<br />|1911|<!-- Omission per Template:Marriage instructions -->}}
*{{marriage|[[Nevvare Hanım]]|1918|1924|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|[[Nevzad Hanım]]<br />|1921|<!-- Omission per Template:Marriage instructions -->}}}}
| spouse-type  = [[Imperial Harem|Consorts]]
| issue        = {{Unbulleted list|Münire Fenire Sultana|[[Ulviye Sultan|Fatma Ulviye Sultana]]|[[Sabiha Sultan|Rukiye Sabiha Sultana]]|[[Şehzade Mehmed Ertuğrul]]|}}
| house        = [[House of Osman|Ottoman]]
| house-type   = Dynasty
| father       = [[Abdulmejid I]]
| mother       = [[Gülistu Kadın]] (biological)<br/>[[Şayeste Hanım]] (adoptive)
| full name    = Mehmed Vahdeddîn Han bin Abdülmecid<ref>{{cite book|title=Osmanlı paleografyası ve siyasî yazışmaları|author=Ali Aktan|publisher=Osmanlılar İlim ve İrfan Vakfı|year=1995|page=90}}</ref>
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]]
| signature    = Tughra of Mehmed VI.svg
| signature_type = [[Tughra]]
}}
'''Mehmed VI Vahideddin''' ({{langx|ota|محمد سادس}} ''Meḥmed-i sâdis'' or {{lang|ota-Arab|وحيد الدين}} ''Vaḥîdü'd-Dîn''; {{langx|tr|VI. Mehmed}} or {{lang|tr|Vahdettin}}/{{lang|tr|Vahideddin}}; 14 January 1861 – 16 May 1926), also known as ''Şahbaba'' ({{lit|Emperor-father}}) among the [[Osmanoğlu family]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Neslishah: The Last Ottoman Princess|year=2017|page=85|author=Murat Bardakçı}}</ref> was the last [[sultan of the Ottoman Empire]] and the penultimate [[Ottoman Caliphate|Ottoman caliph]], reigning from 4 July 1918 until 1 November 1922, when the [[Abolition of the Ottoman sultanate|Ottoman sultanate was abolished]] and replaced by the [[Turkey|Republic of Turkey]] on 29 October 1923.

The half-brother of [[Mehmed V|Mehmed V Reşâd]], he became heir to the throne in 1916 following the death of [[Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin|Şehzade Yusuf İzzeddin]], as the eldest male member of the [[House of Osman]]. He acceded to the throne after the death of Mehmed V on 4 July 1918 as the 36th ''[[padishah]]'' and 115th [[Caliphate|Islamic Caliph]].<ref>Freely, John, ''Inside the Seraglio'', 1999, Chapter 16: The Year of Three Sultans.</ref>

Mehmed VI's chaotic reign began with [[Ottoman Empire|Turkey]] suffering defeat by the [[Allies of World War I|Allied Powers]] with the conclusion of [[World War I]]. The subsequent [[Armistice of Mudros]] legitimized further Allied incursions into Turkish territory, resulting in an informal [[occupation of Istanbul]] and other parts of the empire. An ardent [[anglophile]], Sultan Vahdeddin hoped a policy of close cooperation with Britain could result in a less harsh peace treaty. An initial process of [[Truth and Reconciliation|reconciliation]] between the government and Christian minorities over their [[Armenian genocide|massacres and deportations]] by the government ultimately proved fruitless, when the Greeks and Armenians, via their patriarchates, renounced their status as Ottoman subjects by the end of 1918, spelling a definitive end of [[Ottomanism]]. During the [[Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)|Paris Peace Conference]], Mehmed VI turned to [[Damat Ferid Pasha]] to diplomatically outflank Greek territorial demands on Turkey through Allied [[appeasement]], but to no avail. [[Committee of Union and Progress|Unionist]] elements within the military, discontent with the government's appeasement in the face of partition, and the establishment of [[Istanbul trials of 1919–1920|war crimes tribunals]], began taking actions into their own hands by establishing a [[Turkish National Movement|nationalist resistance]] to resume war. Mehmed's most significant act as Sultan was dispatching [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatürk)]] to reassert government control in Anatolia, which actually resulted in the further consolidation of anti-appeasement actors against the court, and consequently, the end of the monarchy.

With the Greek [[Occupation of Smyrna]] on 15 May 1919 galvanizing the [[Turkish National Movement|Turkish nationalist movement]] and beginning the [[Turkish War of Independence]], by October the sultan's government had to give in to nationalist demands with the [[Amasya Protocol]]. The Allies [[Occupation of Istanbul#Military occupation of Istanbul|militarily occupied Istanbul]] on 16 March 1920, and pressured Sultan Mehmed VI to dissolve the Nationalist dominated [[Chamber of Deputies (Ottoman Empire)|Chamber of Deputies]] and suspend the [[Ottoman Constitution|Constitution]], when the Turkish nationalists stood against Allied designs for a partition of Anatolia. Kemal Pasha responded by establishing a provisional government known as the [[Government of the Grand National Assembly|Grand National Assembly]] based in [[Ankara]], which dominated the rest of Turkey, while the Sultan's unpopular government in Istanbul was propped up by the Allied powers and effectively impotent. Mehmed VI condemned the nationalist leaders as infidels and called for their execution, though the provisional government in Ankara claimed it was rescuing the Sultan-Caliph from manipulative foreigners and ministers. The Sultan's so-called Istanbul government would go on to sign the [[Treaty of Sèvres]], a peace treaty which would have partitioned the remainder of the empire, leaving a rump Turkish state.

With Ankara's victory in the independence war, the Sèvres Treaty was abandoned for their [[Treaty of Lausanne]]. On 1 November 1922, the Grand National Assembly voted to [[Abolition of the Ottoman sultanate|abolish the Sultanate]] and to depose Mehmed VI as Caliph and he subsequently fled the country. His cousin [[Abdülmecid II|Abdul Mejid II]] was elected Caliph in his stead, though he too, and the entire [[Osmanoğlu family]] were soon exiled after the [[abolition of the Caliphate]]. On 29 October 1923, the [[Turkey|Republic of Turkey]] was declared, with Mustafa Kemal Pasha as its first president, ending more than 600 years of Ottoman suzerainty. Mehmed VI died in exile in 1926 in [[Sanremo|San Remo]], Italy, having never acknowledged his deposition.

==Early life==
{{See also|Kafes}}[[File:1909 10 Resimli Kitab Vahdettin.jpg|thumb|357x357px|Mehmed, Resimli Kitab magazine, 1909|left]]
Mehmed Vahdeddin was born in [[Dolmabahçe Palace]],Constantinople on 14 January 1861.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Constantinople |volume= 7 |last= van Millingen |first= Alexander  |author-link= Alexander van Millingen | pages = 3–9 }}</ref><ref>[http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9368294/Istanbul Britannica.com, Istanbul]:''When the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, the capital was moved to Ankara, and Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul in 1930.''</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2023}} His father was Sultan [[Abdülmecid I|Abdul Mejid I]], who died five months after he was born. Abdul Mejid had 42 children and Vahdeddin was his last child, putting him tenth in line to the succession.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=35}} All of his siblings were half-siblings from different consorts and [[Cariye|concubines]], but Vahdeddin had a full sister who lived to adulthood: [[Mediha Sultan|Mediha Sultana]]. His mother [[Gülistu Kadın|Gülistû Kadın]] was of [[Georgians|Georgian]]-[[Abkhazians|Abkhazian]] origin, the daughter of Prince Tahir Bey [[Chachba]]. Vahdeddin became an orphan when she died from one of the many cholera outbreaks of the time when he was four years old.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=36}}

After his mother's death, Vahdeddin [[Effendi|Efendi]] was adopted by [[Şayeste Hanım|Şâyeste Hanım]], another of his father's consorts.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aredba |first1=Rumeysa |title=Sultan Vahdeddin'in San Remo günleri |last2=Açba |first2=Edadil |publisher=Timaş Yayınları |year=2009 |isbn=978-9-752-63955-3 |page=73}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gingeras|2022|p=90}} The [[Şehzade]] had a rough time with his overbearing adoptive mother, and at the age of sixteen he left his adoptive mother's mansion with the three servants who had been serving him since childhood.{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=6}} He grew up with nannies, servant girls, and tutors.{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|pp=4–5}}

Vahdeddin educated himself by taking lessons from private tutors. He read a great deal, and was interested in various subjects, including the arts, which was a tradition of the [[Ottoman dynasty|Ottoman family]]. He took courses in calligraphy and music and learned how to write in the [[Naskh (script)|naskh script]] and to play the [[Qanun (instrument)|qanun]].{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=6}} He became interested in [[Sufism]] and, unknown to the Palace, he attended courses at the madrasa of [[Fatih]] on [[Islamic jurisprudence]], [[Islamic theology]], [[Esoteric interpretation of the Quran|interpretation of the Quran]], and the [[Hadith]]s, as well as the [[Arabic]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] languages.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Küçük |first=Cevdet |title=Mehmed VI |url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-vi |website=İslâm Ansiklopedisi}}</ref> He attended the [[dervish]] lodge of Ahmed Ziyaüddin Gümüşhanevi, located not far from the [[Sublime Porte]], where Ömer Ziyaüddin of Dagestan was the spiritual leader, and he became a disciple of the [[Naqshbandi]] order.{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|pp=6–7}} Time to time, the [[List of Sheikh-ul-Islams of the Ottoman Empire|Sheikh-ul-Islam]] would have to contend with Vahdeddin demanding an amendment on a [[fatwa]] which did not follow ''[[fiqh]]''.{{sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=39}}

Physically he had a weak constitution, something he may have inherited from his father. As he grew older he developed atrophy in one of his lungs and heart palpitations.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=36}} 

In his youth he collected pistols and carried one on him throughout his life. He enjoyed shooting clay pigeons and was a good shot.{{sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=37, 39–40}} His closest friend was [[Abdulmejid II|Şehzade Abdul Mejid]] (to be proclaimed as [[Caliphate|Caliph]] Abdul Mejid II), the son of his uncle, Sultan [[Abdulaziz|Abdul Aziz]]. They went on hunting trips together in the forests beyond the [[Bosporus|Bosphorus]].{{sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=39}} Their bond would be tied by marriage when Vahdeddin's daughter [[Sabiha Sultan|Sabiha]] married Abdul Mejid's son [[Şehzade Ömer Faruk|Ömer Faruk]].{{sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=39}} In the years to come however, the two cousins have an intense falling out over the politics of the [[Turkish War of Independence]]. Before moving to the [[Feriye Palace]], the Şehzade had lived briefly in the mansion in [[Çengelköy]] owned by [[Şehzade Ahmed Kemaleddin]].{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=7}}

During the 33-year reign of [[Abdul Hamid II]], Vahdeddin was considered to be the sultan's closest half-brother. He gave him an allowance to supplement the money he received from the state, and gifted him his own mansion in [[Çengelköy]] which bore his name: the [[Vahdettin Pavilion]]. Vahdeddin built another house next to it on the estate for his adoptive mother Şâyeste.{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=7}} Sabiha explained her father's uncommonly close relationship with Abdul Hamid due to his distaste towards family intrigues, something in common with Abdul Hamid's personal paranoia. When he ascended to the throne, this closeness greatly influenced his political attitudes, such as his intense dislike of the [[Young Turks]] and the [[Committee of Union and Progress]] (CUP), his sympathy for the British, and a wait-and-see policy to political problems.{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=8}}{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=45–46}}[[File:Sultan Mehmed VI LCCN2014708082.tif|thumb|
Mehmed in 1915]]

Much of Vahdeddin's princedom, especially under Abdul Hamid II, was spend in luxurious peace, without care for politics or conflict. After all, during Abdul Hamid's reign, he was behind the dethroned Sultan [[Murad V]], [[Mehmed V|Reşad Efendi]], [[Şehzade Ahmed Kemaleddin|Kemaleddin Efendi]], [[Şehzade Selim Süleyman|Süleyman Efendi]], and [[Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin|Yusuf İzzeddin Efendi]] in the succession.{{Sfn|Gingeras|2022|p=90}} At Feriye he liked to host guests, and frequently organized music parties with his [[fasıl]] band, which consisted of musician apprentices whom he personally took care of in training. Many of the most popular contemporary Ottoman musicians of the time frequented his Çengelköy Pavillion. While Vahdeddin was not one for pomp and flamboyancy, he did care for fashion. He was one of the best dressed princes of the royal family, and his first consort [[Nazikeda Kadın (wife of Mehmed VI)|Nazikeda Hanım]] made sure their daughters dressed in the most contemporary styles, which invited compliments from Abdul Hamid and other members of the royal family.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=43–44}} 

In 1909, at the age of 46, he took his first steps outside of Istanbul when he accompanied his half-brother, the new Sultan [[Mehmed V|Mehmed V Reşad]] on a tour of [[Bursa]]. He accompanied him for another royal tour of [[Edirne]] a year later.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=59–60}}

One of his first conflicts with the CUP was when he harbored an anti-Unionist, Şaban Efendi, in his palace in the aftermath of the [[1913 Ottoman coup d'état|1913 coup d'état]]. [[Mahmud Shevket Pasha|Mahmud Şevket Pasha]] obtained an arrest warrant for the man, and had Vahdeddin's palace surrounded. Vahdeddin didn't consent to the soldiers entering his palace, saying he would shoot dead anyone who attempted to enter in order to arrest an innocent man taking refuge in his palace. He was able to facilitate Şaban's escape to Egypt. Vahdeddin's attitude during this situation made Şevket Pasha furious, and their dispute could only be mulled over by Abdul Mejid's mediation. Nevertheless, under the Unionist dictatorship, Vahdeddin's happy-go-lucky life in Çengelköy moved on, save for the spies and surveillance officers which were reporting his activities to the CUP's Central Committee.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=57–58, 63}}

He held a quiet rivalry with his half-brother Crown Prince İzzeddin and repeatedly requested that [[Mehmed V|Sultan Mehmed V]] retract İzzeddin as heir apparent. In the end İzzeddin unexpectedly committed suicide on 1 February 1916, putting Vahdeddin on track to succeed his brother upon his death.{{Sfn|Gingeras|2022|p=90}} 

== Harem ==
One day in 1884, Vahdeddin visited his half-sister [[Cemile Sultan|Cemile Sultana]], where he discovered one of her ladies-in-waiting, [[Emine Nazikeda]] [[Hanım]], an [[Abkhazians|Abkhaz]] noblewomen from the Marshan family. It was love at first sight.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=41–42}} But when he asked Cemile for Emine's hand in marriage, she flat out refused, for she treated Nazikeda like a daughter, and thought her company was irreplaceable during her daughter's tragic bout with tuberculosis.{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|pp=8–9}}{{sfn|Açba|2004|p=67}} After more than a year pleading with Cemile she finally gave her blessing on the condition she would be Vahdeddin's only wife. Vahdeddin and Nazikeda's marriage was held on 8 June 1885.{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|p=262}} The groom was 24 and the bride 19. The couple was popular among the high society. They lived in one of the [[Feriye Palace|palaces of Feriye]], but when it was destroyed in a fire they moved to the [[Çengelköy Pavilion]].{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=9}}{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=42}} They enjoyed horseback riding together in the wilderness of their estate.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=42}} Their first daughter was born three years after their marriage: Fenire Sultana, who died a few weeks later.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=42}} They had two daughters that survived to adulthood: [[Ulviye Sultan|Fatma Ulviye Sultana]], (1892–1967), and [[Sabiha Sultan|Rukiye Sabiha Sultana]] (1894–1971), who were gifted mansions known as the Twin Palaces in [[Nişantaşı]]. After Sabiha's birth Nazikeda was informed by doctors that she could not have any more children.{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|pp=9–10}}

Even though Vahdeddin was far in the line of succession, he wanted a son on the off chance he could become Sultan and change the succession law to [[agnatic primogeniture]]. He took new wives with the consent of Nazikeda, breaking his oath to Cemile after 20 years of monogamy. In 1905 he married [[İnşirah Hanım]] but this marriage wasn't happy and he permitted her a divorce in 1909. In 1912 [[Şehzade Mehmed Ertuğrul]] was born from his second consort: [[Müveddet Kadın]] (m. 1911).{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=10}} His other consorts were [[Nevvare Hanım]] -Müveddet's niece (m. 1918), and [[Nevzad Hanım]] (m. 1921).

When he did ascend to the throne in 1918, Vahdeddin's biological and adoptive mothers (Gülistû and Şâyeste) -who could have become [[Valide sultan|Valide Sultanas]]- were already dead, leaving Nazikeda the most prominent lady of the court. Vahdeddin bestowed upon her the title [[BaşKadın]] and she was known as "The Last Empress".{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=10}}

== Crown prince ==
As [[Wali al-Ahd|crown prince]] he represented [[Mehmed V]] at the funeral of the Austro-Hungarian emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]] in 1916. CUP leader [[Talaat Pasha|Talât]] was concerned by [[Wali al-Ahd|Veliahd]] Vahdeddin's surprisingly popular conduct in the funeral.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=65}} 

When he was invited by Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]] of [[German Empire|Germany]] to make a state visit in 1917, he was accompanied by his [[aide-de-camp]], [[Mustafa Kemal Pasha|Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatürk)]]. They first met on 13 December 1917. Kemal Pasha was on leave after resigning from [[Yildirim Army Group|Yıldarım Army Group]] command due to his conflict with [[Erich von Falkenhayn]] and received the invitation to accompany the crown prince from [[Enver Pasha]]. [[Naci Eldeniz|Colonel Naci]] invited Mustafa Kemal to meet the crown prince at his palace. Kemal was immediately unimpressed by what can only be described by Vahdeddin's awkwardly egotistical and arrogant behavior towards his guests, such as closing his eyes the entire time, and when they departed from the train station the next day, Kemal had to remind him to wave to the army detachment. On the train, he was invited to another audience with Vahdeddin; this time he apologized for his behavior to Kemal  the day before and expressed gratitude for his role in the [[Gallipoli campaign]] and the two had a long and fruitful conversation, making him cautiously optimistic of the veliahd. On the way back from Berlin, Kemal advised Vahdeddin to request a field command and that he could be his chief of staff if he wants to boost his popularity. The crown prince demurred at this request, giving the excuse that the government would refuse. Biographer [[Murat Bardakçı]] provides probable skepticism of these stories told in [[Falih Rıfkı Atay]]'s accounts, who was Kemal's secretary, as Kemal would have breached several layers of protocol addressing an imperial crown prince this way. Nevertheless, this story generally corroberates other accounts of Vahdeddin's mannerisms.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=68–73}} On the other hand, writing of this first encounter Vahdeddin described Mustafa Kemal as loyal and having a bright mind, who was fiercely anti-German and critical of Enver Pasha.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=74}} Six years later, Mustafa Kemal would declare a republic after deposing his sovereign in 1922.

== Enthronement ==
[[File:Sultan Mehmed VI's Sword girding.jpg|thumb|Mehmed VI's [[coronation]], where he was girded the [[Sword of Osman]]]]On 3 June 1918, Talât Pasha, now the [[List of Ottoman grand viziers|Grand Vizier]], called Vahdeddin to tell him of [[Sultan Reşad]]'s death. Even though he was the crown prince and eligible to become the new Sultan as the eldest male of the Ottoman family, he was greatly shaken by the news and did not immediately accept his entitlement over this call. Later that day Talât, Enver, and Hayri, the Sheikh-ul-Islam, visited Vahdeddin in his palace, and he again wavered over becoming Sultan, suggesting they should focus on his half-brother's funeral, raising anxieties. Following a long night of contemplation, prayer, and even some sleep, Vahdeddin let Talât know he was ready to become Sultan during the funeral. They held an enthronement ceremony at [[Topkapı Palace]]. He delivered an oath to the [[General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire|National Assembly]] and [[Constitution of the Ottoman Empire|Constitution]], and he took the regal name Mehmed VI, though like his predecessor he was known by the people, and in modern Turkey, by his personal name, Vahdettin. He held his sword girding ceremony on 31 August.{{sfn|Sakaoğlu|2015|p=488}}<!-- a noteworthy drama of its own!(80) -->

Part of the reason for his hesitation was knowing that the [[World War I|Great War]] was going poorly for [[Ottoman Empire|Turkey]] and [[Central Powers|her allies]], and the compounding problems at home the CUP was inept at tackling. In addition, the last few sovereigns from his family had a bad track record ruling the empire: his uncle [[Abdulaziz|Abdul Aziz]] was deposed and died in suspicious circumstances, [[Murad V]] and [[Abdul Hamid II]] were also deposed, and [[Mehmed V]] never could wield power. He would later write that he decided to become Sultan because he believed it was his national duty and he didn't trust Abdul Mecid, but that this decision was a mistake. Sabiha recounted how her, her nurse, and her mother couldn't hold back their tears as they moved to the [[Dolmabahçe Palace]], and had to be admonished by the foremen and eunuchs to compose themselves otherwise entering the palace may bring bad luck.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=77–78}}<ref name=":1" />

==Reign==
{{Main|Turkish War of Independence}}
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2025}}
Mehmed Vahdettin ascended to the throne at the age of 57 with little experience in statecraft. Though he detested the Unionists and was ideologically an absolutist, for a four months he had to maintain the Sultanate's subservience to the CUP. Vahdeddin reappointed [[Talaat Pasha|Talât Pasha]] as [[List of Ottoman grand viziers|Grand Vizier]] for another term. This awkward fact aside, he was happy to allow the Unionists to take responsibility for their crimes, troubles, and mishaps, and for now there wasn't too many problems between him and the CUP.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=77–78}}<ref name=":1" />

Mustafa Kemal's first audience with Vahdeddin as Sultan was on 5 August 1918, where he implored his sovereign to dismiss [[Enver Pasha]] as Deputy Commander-in-Chief and hinted that he should be his chief of staff. Vahdeddin would give vague and non-committal answers. Several more audiences of this nature later, and Kemal understood he was going nowhere. He was soon assigned to once again take command of [[Seventh Army (Ottoman Empire)|Seventh Army]] on the crumbling [[Sinai and Palestine campaign|Syrian front]] by the sultan himself, which seemed to be orchestrated by Enver. One small consolation for Kemal was that instead of serving under von Falkenhayn, it was [[Otto Liman von Sanders|Liman von Sanders]] as commander of [[Yildirim Army Group|Yıldırım Army Group]], though his relations with him were not much better. All of his meetings with Sultan Vahdeddin came to crooked fruition when the Sultan took the title of Commander in Chief himself and installed his son-in-law [[İsmail Hakkı Okday|İsmail Hakkı Pasha]], a graduate of the [[Prussian War Academy]], chief of a private staff organization attached to [[Yıldız Palace]]. Mustafa Kemal soon understood after arriving to his command that his troops, demoralized and badly under-equiped, stood no chance to repel a British attack. Three weeks after arriving to his assignment, on 19 September, the British attacked in the [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Battle of Megiddo]] and smashed through Turkish lines. Perhaps as a way to motivate him, Vahdeddin made Mustafa Kemal Pasha his honorary aid-de-camp on 22 September. Over the course of October, one major Levantine city after another fell to the British, while Istanbul attempted to negotiate ceasefire terms.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=86–88}} With the tides of war turning against Turkey, Talât Pasha resigned, the CUP dissolved itself, and the Ottomans exited [[World War I]] with the signing of the [[Armistice of Mudros]] on 30 October 1918, which was a turning point for Vahdettin's reign.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=77–78}}

The First World War was a disaster for the Ottoman Empire. Turkey's entry into the war was initiated by the [[Committee of Union and Progress|CUP]] dictatorship. British and Allied forces captured [[Baghdad]], [[Damascus]], and [[Jerusalem]] during the war, and most of the Turkey was set to be partitioned amongst the Allies. As part of the armistice terms, much of the empire beyond the armistice lines was also to be under occupation, including the Sultan's own capital: Constantinople. Now dealing with an existential crisis over the Turkish state, Sultan Mehmed VI hoped to pursue the traditional policy of close cooperation with Britain and France in order to rehabilitate Turkey into the international community and sign a lighter peace treaty.<ref name=":1" /> He earnestly believed in a natural alliance between Britain, France, and Turkey, or, as he said: friendship with Britain, closeness with France, which had a precedence from the [[Crimean War]].{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=46–47}} However this strategy did not turn out to be successful, as despite the leadership change, the Allies considered the participation of Turkey during the Great War -and its trend in the last decade towards political instability- akin to a [[rogue state]] that deserved punishment. Therefore, Entente statesmen sought to elevate [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]] as a responsible Eastern Mediterranean Great Power in Turkey's place. The French leg of this strategy was abandoned due to the overwhelming British leverage over the Ottomans by the wars end. In an interview with [[The Morning Post]] in 21 June 1919, Sultan Vahdeddin said: “I have always been a friend of England, like my father [[Abdülmecid I|Abdul Mecid]]. I believe that England will provide mercy and justice."{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=96–98}}

Mehmed VI witnessed many of the monarchies of Europe experiencing their demise or extreme shakeup with the end of the Great War. The German [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollerns]], Austrian [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], and Russian [[Romanovs]] all met their end due to the Great War, and Greece and Bulgaria's monarchies also experienced great instability due to the war. The highest priority for the Sultan was to safeguard [[Ottoman dynasty|his dynasty]]'s interests, which soon came into conflict with his empire's national interest.<ref name=":1" />

Domestically, he hoped to rely on Grand Viziers that were connected to the royal family by marriage ties. [[Damat Ferid Pasha]] was Vahdeddin's full-brother-in-law, or imperial ''[[damat]]'', for his marriage to his sister [[Mediha Sultan|Mediha]]. Even though Ferid Pasha would eventually be appointed to the premiership five times, Vahdeddin had a terrible relationship with his ''damat''. He would write of Ferid "...he was very ignorant about domestic issues. He fell victim to the cunning of the British and Mustafa Kemal Pasha and led us to a complete defeat. Poor Ferid Pasha was looking at the world through the British glasses. May God forgive him."<!-- “...iç meselelerde çok bilgisizdi. İngilizlerle Mustafa Kemal Paşa'nın kurnazlıgının kurbanı oldu ve bizi tam bir yenilgiye götürdü. Zavallı Ferid Paşa dünyaya İngilizlerin gözlüğüyle bakıyordu. Allah onu affetsin”  --> When asked by Abdul Mejid his thoughts of appointing Ferid Grand Vizier he answered "Brother, am I crazy? Neither his personality nor his disposition suits me. I would pay him a compliment for the sake of my sister. Otherwise, would I ever appoint him as Grand Vizier." But in a conversation with his daughters, the Sultan believed he no one else to appoint as Grand Vizier but him due to his supposedly good relations with the British.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=109–111}} [[Ahmet Tevfik Pasha|Ahmed Tevfik Pasha]] was his in-law through his son [[İsmail Hakkı Okday|İsmail Hakkı]]'s marriage to Vahdeddin's daughter [[Ulviye Sultan|Ulviye Sultana]]. He was a capable, though elderly, statesman from the [[Abdul Hamid II|Hamidian]] regime, who often had to "clean up" Ferid's mess.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=112}}<ref name=":1" />

=== Armistice era ===
[[File:Sultan Mehmed VI Vahideddin.jpg|thumb|Riding the royal carriage]]
With Talât Pasha's resignation and the CUP's self-liquidation at end of the Great War, Sultan Vahdeddin was given the opportunity to reassert the Sultanate, in contrast to his deceased half-brother who was accommodating to the CUP. He could now appoint a new Grand Vizier. His first choice was his in-law [[Ahmet Tevfik Pasha|Ahmed Tevfik Pasha]], a senile Hamidian that everyone objected to and couldn't present a government, so he dropped the matter. Mustafa Kemal Pasha sent a telegram to the Sultan, asking him to appoint [[Ahmed Izzet Pasha|Ahmed İzzet Pasha]] (the Sultan's new [[aide-de-camp]]) and make himself [[Ministry of War (Ottoman Empire)|War Minister]]. İzzet Pasha wooed the Sultan by promising to 'secure the dynasty's 'legitimate rights' and restore justice in the nation'.{{Sfn|Gingeras|2022|p=92}} The sultan assigned the task of forming the government to İzzet, though Mustafa Kemal was excluded from the [[İzzet Pasha cabinet|new cabinet]], as well as any minorities.<ref name="Mehmed">{{TDV Encyclopedia of Islam|title=Mehmed VI|url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-vi|last=Küçük|first=Cevdet|volume=28|pages=422–430}}</ref> In his speech for the opening of the new legislative year of the parliament, he wished for peace along the lines of [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s [[Fourteen Points]], and that he accordingly wanted peace with the appropriate honour and dignity of the state.<ref name=":1" />{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=98}}

When İzzet's naval minister [[Rauf Orbay|Hüseyin Rauf (Orbay)]], reluctantly signed [[Armistice of Mudros]], the Sultan said the following of the cease-fire terms: "Let’s accept these conditions, even though they are very harsh. I think that the friendship and the condescending policy of the English in the East, which has continued for centuries, will not change. We will gain their tolerance later.” Rauf himself believed the many loopholes of the terms wouldn't be exploited due to his trust in English diplomatic credit and [[Somerset Gough-Calthorpe|Admiral Calthorpe]]. Instead, the allies exploited Article VII to continue occupying Ottoman territory, to much dismay from Ottoman anglophiles. Writing of the armistice terms during his exile, Vahdeddin believed Rauf to be responsible for all of the occupations of territory following Mudros, and Mustafa Kemal for exasperating the ensueing crisis.<ref name=":1" />{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=98, 121}}

Sultan Vahdeddin soon requested the resignation of İzzet, which was unconstitutional, and assigned [[Ahmet Tevfik Pasha|Tevfik Pasha]] to form a government. Two days later, the [[Occupation of Istanbul|allies occupied Istanbul]], though Tevfik Pasha was able to receive a vote of confidence from a disgruntled parliament afterwards. Sultan Vahdeddin made a press statement absolving the Ottoman people of [[collective guilt]] stating that the CUP was solely responsible for the war and its excesses, such as the [[Armenian genocide]]. He requested of his government to establish [[Prosecution of Ottoman war criminals after World War I|tribunals]] to try war criminals and that he would work with all his might to maintain friendship with England. The [[Chamber of Deputies (Ottoman Empire)|Chamber of Deputies]], dominated by Unionists [[1914 Ottoman general election|elected back in 1914]], objected that only the chamber has the authority to establish special tribunals. It looked like the Chamber was drawing up a motion to censure Tevfik, Vahdeddin and the Grand Vizier decided to dissolve the Chamber on 21 December 1918. The Sultan postponed elections until a peace treaty could be signed, even though they were constitutionally mandated to occur four months after parliament's dissolution, on the grounds that the country was under occupation.<ref name=":1" />

The question which immediately dominated Turkey was the fate of the war criminals and the Unionists. Sultan Vahdeddin asked Tevfik Pasha to resign and assigned him to form a new government in order to purge Unionist sympathizers from the government. The escape and suicide of the former governor of [[Diyarbakır|Diyarbekir]], [[Mehmed Reshid|Reşid Bey]], from prison (25 January 1919) renewed British interest in prosecuting war criminals. Britain ended up cooperating with the Turkish government in these arrest campaigns, though controversially demanded extradition of some criminals. British and French demands on war criminals increasingly mounted on the Tevfik Pasha government, and after the Sultan complained about the lack of progress on the matter in the last three and a half months, he resigned, and [[Damat Ferid Pasha|Damad Ferid Pasha]] was appointed Grand Vizier on 4 March 1919. 

A new government, consisting of members of the [[Freedom and Accord Party]], arrested the leaders of the CUP, including one of the former grand viziers, [[Said Halim Pasha]]. The trial of [[Boğazlıyan]] District Governor [[Mehmed Kemal Bey]] was quickly concluded. He was sentenced to death and publicly hanged in [[Beyazıt Square]] after the [[fatwa]] was signed by the sultan, which did not go over well with the Turks, and he was declared a national martyr.<ref name="Mehmed" /> Ferid Pasha was unable to send a Turkish delegation to the [[Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)|Paris Peace Conference]], and the Allies increased interference in government. To calm the situation at home and shore up his popularity, Vahdeddin dispatched [[Commissions of Admonition]] [''Heyet-i Nasîha''], delegations representing the imperial family headed by royal princes to Anatolia and Rumelia.<ref name=":1" />

By the end of the war, conditions in Thrace and Anatolia -by all metrics- were disastrous, to the point where public order collapsed. The Allied Powers allowed officers to be assigned to the army in Anatolia to ensure public order. On 30 April 1919 [[Mustafa Kemal Pasha]] was assigned to the Ninth Army Troops Inspectorate, a wide-ranging responsibility which effectively gave him civil and administrative authority over all of Anatolia. In the lead up to this assignment, Kemal and the Sultan reconnected and held several audiences, with Vahdeddin trying to assess through Kemal the attitude of the army towards him, Kemal wrote later that Vahdeddin's singular concern of the army's loyalty gave him a feeling of hopelessness.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=116}} Once he arrived in [[Samsun]], out of the reaches of Istanbul and without the Sultan's permission, Kemal indeed used his extraordinary powers to coordinate [[Turkish National Movement|a nationalist resistance]] with like minded officers, which led to British demands for his recall. The sultan was indifferent to his activities until late June. Though the government announced Mustafa Kemal's cashiering from the army on 23 June, Vahdeddin preferred to remain silent.<ref name=":1" />

On 15 May 1919, after receiving the necessary support from the Allies, Greece landed an occupation force in Izmir, which inflamed sectarian tensions in Turkey. This began the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|Greco-Turkish War]]. In order to calm nationalist tempers, the Sultan had Ferid, who had resigned following the Greek [[Occupation of Izmir]], form his second government on 19 May, which included ten nationalist ministers without portfolio unaffiliated with political parties or the palace. Twenty-three jailed nationalists, whose trials had already been postponed were released. On 26 May, Damad Ferid convened a [[Sultanic Council]] [''Şûrâ-yi Saltanat''], a faux parliament akin to an ''[[Estates General (France)|estates general]]'', to formulate a response to the Greek occupation of Izmir. The delegates concluded the council demanding complete independence and the establishment of an emergency national council. Though the government did not implement the council's recommendations, in response the Allies extradited sixty-seven prisoners from the Bekir Ağa Division to [[Malta]], making them the first of the [[Malta exiles]]. The Sultan sent a special message to the British High Commissioner [[Somerset Gough-Calthorpe|Admiral Calthorpe]] and complained about Greek atrocities that had "[[Battle of Aydın|turned Aydın into a slaughterhouse]]". He stated that if the Greeks’ excesses were not stopped, it would be impossible to hold back the Anatolian people. He said that since his army had been demobilized, he had no soldiers to maintain order, that the journey had become terrifying and dangerous, and that he saw no hope other than the British government in preventing disasters.<ref name=":1" />

=== Initial clashes with Mustafa Kemal ===
[[File:Kemal Atatürk portrait.jpg|thumb|[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatürk)]], with his [[World War I|Great War]] medals, leader of the [[Turkish National Movement|Turkish nationalist movement]] and responsible for Vahdettin's downfall]]
Following the tension between the British units stationed in Samsun and [[Refet Bele|Refet Bey]], the British demanded that Refet Bey be dismissed from the army and Mustafa Kemal be arrested and brought to Istanbul. Mehmed VI made an effort to prove to the British that he had no connection with the incident in Samsun. In a conversation on the night of 8–9 July 1919 over telegram with Kemal, who was in [[Erzurum]], Vahdeddin stated that the British wanted him to come to Istanbul immediately and that they had given him a guarantee that they would not treat the general dishonorably. In a second telegram he sent without waiting for the reply to the previous telegram, he announced that Mustafa Kemal Pasha had been dismissed from his duty as the Third Army Inspector (position since renamed) and that he should return to Istanbul. Mustafa Kemal Pasha simultaneously announced his resignation from the army and that he was ready to continue the struggle as a civilian.<ref name=":1" />

By the summer of 1919, the Allies finally decided to invite a Turkish delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, which coincided with the commencement of the trial and arrest of the Unionists once again. The Sultan demanded Tevfik accompany Damad Ferid Pasha, who headed the delegation, as he did not trust the Grand Vizier. At this time crown-prince [[Abdülmecid II|Abdul Mecid]] sharply criticized his cousin for following such a pro-British policy and placing Ferid in a position of authority. His presentation of the Turkish position to the conference, effectively demanding ''[[status quo ante bellum]]'', produced shock and ridicule from the Allied representatives, discrediting Istanbul's diplomatic position.{{Sfn|Akçam|2006|p=217–221}} The sultan nevertheless reappointed him Grand Vizier after his resignation upon returning from Paris, hoping that stacking his cabinet with even more nationalist ministers could unite the country and minimize the influence of Mustafa Kemal's burgeoning movement. Tevfik, Ahmed Izzet and [[Ali Rıza Pasha]], who were sympathetic to the national movement, were appointed ministers without portfolio. Ferid issued a circular opposing the proceedings of the [[Erzurum Congress]]. When the Erzurum Congress (23 July) convened under the presidency of Mustafa Kemal Pasha anyway, it began its work by sending a telegram of loyalty to the sultan, and a telegram criticizing the Grand Vizier's circular.<ref name=":1" />

After a long struggle instigated by British pressure, Ferid was able to obtain an arrest warrant for Mustafa Kemal Pasha and [[Rauf Orbay]] on 29 July. Crown Prince Abdul Mecid stormed the palace and criticized the sultan for blindly supporting Damad Ferid Pasha, to the point of insult. With a decree Ferid had the Sultan personally sign, all of Mustafa Kemal Pasha's decorations were withdrawn and his honorary rank of aide-de-camp to the sultan was also abolished (9 August). İzzet and Tevfik Pasha would resign from government over this event. The government was again unsuccessful in dispersing the [[Sivas Congress]] (4–11 September). Upon its conclusion, Mustafa Kemal began the [[Telegram War]] by telling provincial officials to cut communications with Istanbul until they give in to Sivas' demands. Within a month, all of Anatolia and Thrace, save Istanbul, pledged allegiance to Kemal's movement. The British urged the Sultan to create a national unity government, and with the resignation of Damat Ferid Pasha, on 2 October [[Ali Rıza Pasha]], a general with nationalist credentials, was brought to the premiership and signed the [[Amasya Protocol]] with the nationalists. Vahdeddin was unhappy to have been forced to compromise with what he thought were unreconstructed Unionists rebelling against rightful monarch.<ref name=":1" />

=== Detente with the nationalists ===
In the [[1919 Ottoman general election|1919 general election]], held as part of the Amasya Protocol, Mustafa Kemal's [[Association for Defence of National Rights|Association for the Defence of Rights of Anatolia and Rumelia]] won an uncontested victory. The sultan did not attend the opening of the legislative session, citing his illness as an excuse. In order not to be subject to criticism, he had reports about his health published in the press. Mustafa Kemal Pasha sent a get well soon telegram to the sultan. He cordially responded and thanked him. In an interview Sultan Vahdeddin gave to an American agency, he stated that he wanted peace as soon as possible, because delay was worse than war. He stated that the desired peace in the East could only be achieved by continuing Turkey's independence.<ref name=":1" />

Despite the appearances of national unity, the sultan would always believe that the Turkish nationalists surrounding Mustafa Kemal were Unionists (most members of the movement, including Mustafa Kemal, were previously members of the CUP). This disrespect was mutual, Kemal thought of Vahdeddin as naïve and incompetent. The fear of losing Istanbul prevented Vahdeddin from establishing close relations with the nationalists. He considered the nationalists’ seizure of the country's administration as a rebellion, based on the fact that the sultan's prerogatives were no longer absolute. He believed that it was out of the question for a sovereign to compromise and negotiate with rebels. The nationalists imploring him to escape from Istanbul to Bursa or Ankara was also offensive to the sultan, as he thought it would make a compelling excuse for Greece or the Allies to press a claim on the imperial capital.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=101}} While meeting with the British High Commissioner Rumbold (23 March 1921), he said that Mustafa Kemal Pasha was a “revolutionary.” He brought up the issue of the caliphate and said, “...The caliphate will become a tool in the hands of wolves who love foggy weather.” In his memoirs written years later, he would say that he had dispatched Mustafa Kemal, but that he had openly rebelled, that Damad Ferid Pasha had tried to remove him from his post and bring him to his senses, but he had failed, that he had called Tevfik Pasha to duty to reach a compromise, but he had also failed.<ref name=":1" />

After the military [[occupation of Istanbul]] (16 March 1920), an action the Sultan had to accept under duress, Vahdeddin reported that he received the Allies' pronouncement with sorrow. He said that he had always desired cooperation with the Allied Powers, that he was relieved by the arrest of certain nationalist leaders in Istanbul, and that if the allies had not made such a decision, he would have had to do it himself. He expressed his appreciation for the guarantees regarding his own royal prerogatives.<ref name=":1" />

=== Conflict with the nationalist movement ===
[[File:Damad Ferid Pasha 1919.jpg|thumb|[[Damat Ferid Pasha]], Vahdeddin's brother-in-law and five times appointed Grand Vizier]]
While the Allies supported Sultan Vahdeddin against the nationalists, he understood this incident disrupted the rapprochement that had been forming between Istanbul and Anatolia for past six months. Indeed, He received a delegation from the [[Chamber of Deputies (Ottoman Empire)|Chamber of Deputies]] and advised the deputies to be careful in their speech as the British presence was overwhelming. When he was told that the nation was loyal to the sultan and that the British could not do anything to Anatolia, he stated that they could even go to Ankara tomorrow if they wanted. Rauf Orbay, who was in this delegation, asked the sultan not to sign any international treaties without a verdict from parliament. The sultan got angry at this and replied, “Rauf Bey, there is a nation, a flock of sheep! A shepherd is needed for its administration, and that is me!” and tried to explain that an occupied parliament could not do anything.<ref name=":1" /><!-- Bardakçı writes of this quote in a different context but also with Rauf Bey, right after signing the armistice, p120–121 -->

The [[Salih Hulusi Pasha|Salih Hulusi]] government was forced to resign because it did not accept the Allied powers’ demands to “condemn” and “reject” the nationalists (2 April). It was understood that [[Damat Ferid Pasha]] was due to return to the prime ministry. The second president of the Chamber of Deputies, [[Hüseyin Kazım Kadri|Hüseyin Kâzım Bey]], stated that appointing Ferid as Grand Vizier without receiving a solid guarantee from the British would be a disaster for the country and the sultanate. This angered the sultan who said, “If I want, I can bring the Greek Patriarch, the Armenian Patriarch, and the Chief Rabbi [to the Grand Vizierate]!”{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=111}} and assigned Damad Ferid Pasha to form a government for the fourth time (5 April). Under pressure from the British, fatwas were issued declaring that the nationalists were “infidels” and that they were “obligatory” to be killed. These fatwas were distributed by throwing leaflets from British planes. The Sultan ordered the Chamber of Deputies shuttered (11 April), and on 18 April, the [[Kuva-yi Inzibatiye|Army of the Caliphate]] was established against the [[Kuva-yi Milliye|National Forces]] (April 18). The [[Constitution of the Ottoman Empire|Constitution]] was retracted as well, formally ending the [[Second Constitutional Era]], though it was practically not in effect since 1912.<ref name=":1" />

On 23 April 1920 the [[Grand National Assembly of Turkey|Grand National Assembly]] was established in [[Ankara]] and declared itself the sole legitimate government of Turkey. This created a diarchy in Turkey: the Sultan's government in Istanbul and the [[Ankara government|Nationalist government in Ankara]] a situation [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]], [[First Republic of Armenia|Armenia]], [[French Third Republic|France]], and [[United Kingdom|Britain]] hoped to exploit. On 27 April 1920 [[Fevzi Çakmak|Fevzi Pasha]] defected to Ankara and delivered a speech, noting that his defection was encouraged by Sultan Vahdeddin. afterwards, a telegram of allegiance was sent to the sultan, and the [[Grand National Assembly of Turkey|new parliament]] announced that the national resistance was being carried out to rescue the captive sultan. Istanbul's response to this was to sentence Mustafa Kemal Pasha and five of his comrades to death in a martial law court (24 May), a decision signed by the sultan. The Grand Vizier Ferid Pasha returned to Istanbul after receiving the harsh peace terms from the Paris Peace Conference on 11 July.

In a speech to the Grand National Assembly, Mustafa Kemal said the following of Sultan Mehmed VI's legitimacy as a Caliph:<blockquote>“..Istanbul is officially and effectively occupied by the enemy. Today, there is no difference between saying Istanbul and saying London. Unfortunately, in Istanbul, which is like London, our caliph, to whom the entire Islamic world is devoted, and our sultan, the most precious legacy of our great ancestors, has remained."{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=104}}</blockquote>[[File:Mustafa Kemal Paşa ile arkadaşlarının idam cezasına çarptırıldıkları.pdf|thumb|Death sentence signed by Vahdeddin and [[Damat Ferid Pasha]], condemning Mustafa Kemal Pasha, [[Ali Fuat Cebesoy|Ali Fuat Pasha]], [[Mustafa Vasıf Karakol|Kara Vasıf Bey]], [[Ahmet Rüstem Bey|Alfred Rüstem Bey]], [[Adnan Adıvar|Doctor Adnan Bey]], and [[Halide Edib Adıvar|Halide Edib Hanım]]]]
The sultan convened the last Sultanate Council of the Ottoman Empire in [[Dolmabahçe Palace|Yıldız Palace]] to deliberate over the peace terms, which he described as a “conglomerate of calamities” [''musibetler mecmuası''] (22 July). The grand vizier reported that it was understood from a telegram that Istanbul would be fully occupied by Greek troops if the treaty was rejected. After the deliberations, everyone except Topçu Feriki Rıza Pasha accepted signing of the treaty. With the approval he received from the sultanate council, Ferid Pasha shuffled his cabinet to suppress the Turkish nationalist movement in Anatolia and formed his fifth cabinet. Sultan Vahdeddin's representatives signed the [[Treaty of Sèvres]] on 10 August 1920. This treaty detached the Arab provinces of Turkey and turned them into independent countries under British and French [[League of Nations mandate|mandates]], while recognizing British, French, and Italian spheres of influence in Anatolia. Izmir was to be under Greek control and Armenia was to be given independence, leaving Turkey as a rump state in Anatolia and Eastern Thrace under foreign influence. In a secret session of the Grand National Assembly (25 September), Mustafa Kemal claimed that the sultan could not be considered a legitimate caliph, and accused him of treason. However, he argued that it was unwise to neglect the caliphate, the sole support of the Islamic world, and that loyalty to the sultanate and the caliphate must continue in order to achieve salvation. On the other hand, the signatures of the Treaty of Sèvres, including Damad Ferid Pasha, were sentenced to death by an [[Independence Tribunal]] in Ankara (7 October).{{sfn|Sakaoğlu|2015|p=494}} Ankara denounced the rule of Mehmed VI and the command of [[Süleyman Şefik Pasha]], who was in charge of the Army of the Caliphate; as a result, a [[Turkish Constitution of 1921|temporary constitution was drafted]] for Kemal's counter-government in Ankara.<ref name=":1" />

Despite Vahdeddin's support for peace he chose not to ratify the Sèvres Treaty despite British pressure, with the justification that it would completely divide the nation. So he put all responsibility of the Sèvres Treaty on Damad Ferid Pasha, who had been discredited even among anti-Unionists and royalists. On 17 October, the Allied Powers sent their high commissioners in Istanbul to the sultan and requested that the government of Damad Ferid Pasha be changed for a new government that could reach an agreement with Ankara.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=105–106}} The sultan appointed [[Ahmet Tevfik Pasha|Tevfik Pasha]] to the premiership on 21 October, made up of ministers sympathetic to the Nationalists. A delegation which included former grand viziers, Minister of the Interior [[Ahmed Izzet Pasha|Ahmed İzzet]] and Minister of the Navy [[Salih Hulusi Pasha|Salih Pasha]] were sent to [[Bilecik]] to hold talks with Mustafa Kemal. However Kemal said that he did not recognize the government in Istanbul, and the delegation was detained and brought to Ankara where they were held under arrest for a month and a half.<ref name=":1" />

With the Treaty of Sèvres unpopular with the Turks and the Istanbul government seen as illegitimate, the Greeks began an offensive against the nationalist movement. The Allies now hoped to draw up a new peace settlement more acceptable for the Turks, and invited Istanbul and Ankara to the [[Conference of London of 1921–1922|Conference of London]]. Ankara did not accept the invitation as Istanbul (Tevfik Pasha) refused to recognize Ankara as the legitimate government of Turkey. In another secret session of parliament on 8 February 1922 Mustafa Kemal and the delegates discussed the feasibility of dethroning Vahdeddin with the justification that the sultan had vacated the caliphate by accepting Sèvres.<ref name=":1" />

== Abolition of the Sultanate ==
{{Main|Abolition of the Ottoman sultanate}}
[[File:Sultanvahideddin.jpg|thumb|Sultan Vahdeddin departing from the backdoor of the [[Dolmabahçe Palace]]]]
As the nationalist movement strengthened its military positions with the [[Great Offensive]] of late August 1922, Mehmed VI, his five wives, and attendant eunuchs could no longer leave the safety of the palace.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ureneck |first=Lou |url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lou_Ureneck_Smyrna_September_1922?id=T1udBAAAQBAJ |title=Smyrna, September 1922: One American's Mission to Rescue Victims of the 20th Century's First Genocide |date=2015 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-225990-5 |language=en |chapter=Chapter 6: Admiral Bristol, American Potentate}}</ref> On 19 October 1922, after the [[Armistice of Mudanya]] ending the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|Greco-Turkish War]], [[Refet Bele|Refet Pasha]] met with the sultan, requesting him to dissolve the Istanbul government and recognize Ankara as Turkey's sole legitimate government. However Sultan Vahdeddin insisted on the presence of the Istanbul government to represent the throne at the conference, and rejected Refet by claiming that he was a constitutional monarch and he could not dissolve the government. When news reached Ankara that Vahdeddin refused to give up his position and insisted on sending a delegation to the [[Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923|Conference of Lausanne]] the Grand National Assembly voted to [[Abolition of the Ottoman sultanate|abolish the sultanate]] on 1 November 1922, and the crown prince [[Abdülmecid II|Abdul Mejid]] was elected Caliph. During the hours when the assembly made these decisions, Mehmed VI married one of his concubines, the nineteen-year-old [[Nevzad Hanım]] without informing anyone, and reacted by declaring there could be no caliphate without a sultanate. He told Refet Pasha, who notified him of the decision of the assembly, that even if the existence of such a caliphate without executive authority were accepted, he could not accept it.<ref name=":1" />

Although the Grand National Assembly abolished the sultanate and tied the caliphate to new conditions, the government did not publish any information of the Sultan's condition. The assembly accepted the proposals and voted to put Mehmed VI on trial, but the method of trial was not determined. Newspapers published news about the sultan's treason. With Istanbul ministers rapidly resigning from cabinet, Tevfik Pasha resigned the Grand Vizierate despite the sultan's opposition on 4 November, making him the last Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. He did not return the sultan the imperial seal and never meet with the sultan again. In his memoirs, Mehmed VI accused Tevfik Pasha of being Mustafa Kemal Pasha's man, of playing a double game and of leaving him alone during his most difficult day by resigning.<ref name=":1" />

When news came of the lynching of [[Ali Kemal]] in [[İzmit]], the royalists panicked. Those who could get visas ran away, those who could not took refuge in British barracks. The sultan was overwhelmed by those who came to the palace to provide the money to escape, and kept to his harem. On 10 November Vahdeddin went to the [[Friday prayer]]s for the first time after the abolition of the sultanate, but was not mentioned in the sermon. That experience and reading articles attacking him in the press, he decided to leave the country.<ref name=":1" />

On 16 November 1922, Vahideddin wrote to [[Charles Harington (British Army officer, born 1872)|General Harington]] (the British General commanding the Army of Occupation) "Sir, considering my life in danger in Istanbul, I take refuge with the British Government and request my transfer as soon as possible from Istanbul to another place. Mehmed Vahideddin, [[Amir al-Mu'minin|Caliph of the Muslims]]". He stated that he saw his freedom and life in danger due to recent events and that he expected the protection of his life from England, which had the most Muslim subjects, on condition that it preserved its legitimate and sacred rights over the Ottoman Sultanate and the Islamic Caliphate. One day before his departure, he had lunch with his daughter, [[Ulviye Sultan|Ulviye Sultana]], and spent a night at her palace.{{sfn|Sakaoğlu|2015|p=497}}

==Exile and death==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2025}}[[File:Mehmed VI praying.jpg|thumb|Mehmed VI prays with [[List of Sheikh-ul-Islams of the Ottoman Empire|Shaykh al-Islām]] [[Medeni Mehmet Nuri Efendi|Nuri Efendi]] and [[List of Ottoman grand viziers|Grand Vizier]] [[Ahmed Tevfik Pasha]] before leaving Istanbul, 17 November 1922]]
Leaving aboard the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[warship]] [[HMS Malaya|HMS ''Malaya'']] on 17 November 1922, he took care not to bring valuable items or jewellery, other than his personal belongings. He refused to take with him the [[Sacred Relics (Topkapı Palace)|Relics of the Sacred Trust]]. British general [[Charles Harington (British Army officer, born 1872)|Sir Charles Harington]] himself took the last Ottoman ruler from [[Yıldız Palace]]. Ten people with the sultan were sent off early in the morning by an English battalion. He went into exile in [[Crown Colony of Malta|Malta]], later living on the [[Italian Riviera]].<ref name="Mehmed" /> In his memoirs, Vahideddin wrote that he did not flee, but emigrated by following the path of the Prophet [[Muhammad|Muhammed]]. He wrote that he was forced to accept a caliphate without a sultanate, that he was overwhelmed by the blind and ungrateful people surrounding him, that he decided to temporarily relocate until public opinion calmed down and the situation became clear.<ref name=":1" />

[[File:Former Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI arrives in Malta on a British warship. 9 Dec 1922.jpg|thumb|Mehmed VI arrives in Malta on a British warship, 9 December 1922. On the left, 10-year-old Prince [[Şehzade Mehmed Ertuğrul|Mehmed Ertuğrul Efendi]]]]The British governor-general welcomed Vahdeddin on behalf of [[George V]] in Malta. He thanked the king and reiterated that he had not given up his throne and the caliphate. An eight-room apartment was prepared for the sultan and his entourage in the Pini Barracks. On 19 November, his first cousin and heir, Abdul Mejid [[Effendi|Efendi]], was elected [[caliph]], becoming the new head of the Imperial House of Osman as [[Abdulmejid II|Abdul Mecid II]]. Upon hearing this news Vahideddin said "Only my prophet [Muhammed] can dethrone me" ["Beni ancak müvekkil-i zîşânım haledebilir"]. Vahdeddin would say 
{{Blockquote|text=Mecid Efendi finally achieved his wish. They sent an imam’s coat to the poor man. He is still pretending not to know and trying to sit on the throne by dragging his robe.<ref name="Küçük, Cevdet."/>}}
Abdul Mejid, on the other hand, said that he had not only betrayed his country, but had also tarnished the honor of the dynasty and had now been expelled from the country and the dynasty's registry.<ref name=":1" />

[[Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz|King Hussein of Hejaz]], who had rebelled against Turkey in the [[Arab Revolt]], invited the deposed Sultan to his new kingdom. Vahdeddin left Malta on 5 January 1923 and was welcomed by King Hussein's son at [[Port Said]]. After that, he reached [[Suez]] on a second-class ship and from there to [[Jeddah]] on a third-class ship. King Hussein welcomed his guest with a 101-gun salute. From there, they proceeded to [[Mecca]]. The sultan stayed in Mecca until the end of February 1923 when he informed Hussein that he wanted to go to [[Cyprus]] or [[Haifa]]. Hussein wrote to the British representative in Jeddah and said that there might be ulterior motives behind this. London instructed Vahdeddin to stay in [[Taif]].<ref name=":1" />

The Islamic world criticized his visit to [[Kingdom of Hejaz|Hejaz]], where it was viewed as an insincere British public relations stunt for the Muslim world. The Indian Muslim writer [[Maulana Azad|Mawlana Abul Kelam]] attached Vahdeddin, accusing him of sentencing [[Turkish National Movement|Kemalist]] heroes to death while they were saving the state and nation with their hostility towards the British, whereas he was being used by the British to sow discord among Muslims. In the face of this criticism, Vahdeddin published a declaration addressed to the entire Islamic world with the hope to salvage his legacy. A summary of the declaration, which could not be distributed due Sharif Hussein's censorship, was published in ''[[Al-Ahram]]''. In this declaration, Mehmed Vahdeddin defended his actions, and responded to the accusations against him. He attacked Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his friends, stating that he had sent him to Anatolia, but he turned a blind eye to the government that later deemed it necessary to order a military operation against him in order to punish him for not recognizing his sovereignty. He had tried to prevent the Ankara-Istanbul diarchy, that he was being accused of treason for opposed the separation of the caliphate and the sultanate, and that he was taking a risk being temporarily being separated from his throne, homeland, and comfort in order to protect the honor and dignity of the caliphate.<ref name=":1" />{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=307–312, 447–452}} When he realized that he could not stay in the Hejaz any longer, he wished to go to [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] or Cyprus. However, the British vetoed this and offered to house him in Switzerland, though he had to pay out of his own pocket for the journey. From [[Jeddah]], he landed in Suez by sea and from there he reached [[Alexandria]] by train provided by the Egyptian government. Since the British did not allow him to stay in Egypt for more than seventy-two hours, he set off for Switzerland. But due to the [[Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923|Lausanne Conference]] the British understood his presence could raise unnecessary tensions and directed him to [[Fascist Italy|Italy]].<ref name=":1" />

The Italian government welcomed Vahdeddin with an unofficial ceremony at the Port of [[Genoa]] on 2 May 1923. Damad Ferid Pasha was a part of this crowd, and met with his former sovereign for the last time. He moved to the [[Villa Nobel]] in [[Sanremo|San Remo]], where he wrote doomed petitions to England and other states for permission to go to Muslim land. He lived alone for sixteen months, though he enjoyed playing his [[Qanun (instrument)|qanun]]. He was able to reunite with his family after Turkey's decision to send the [[Ottoman dynasty|Ottoman Family]] (soon to be rendered surname [[Osmanoğlu family|Osmanoğlu]]) into exile was made on 3 March 1924. As his family reunited around him he moved to Villa Mamolya, though this financially strained him. As fugitives of the Ottoman court gathered in San Remo, a Little Istanbul was formed here. When Abdul Mejid settled in [[Nice]] in his exile, he and Vahdeddin got in a legal battle over obtaining [[power of attorney]] over their family's affairs. The case was settled by granting both power of attorney.<ref name=":1" />[[File:Damascus Sulaymaniyya Takiyya tomb of the last Sultan Mehmet VI 7886.jpg|thumb|Mehmed VI's grave in the cemetery of [[Sulaymaniyya Takiyya]] in [[Damascus]]]]Mehmed sent a declaration to the [[Caliphate Congress]] and protested the preparations made, declaring that he had never waived the right to reign and be caliph. The congress met on 13 May 1926, but Mehmed died before hearing of the news of the congress meeting on 16 May 1926 in [[Sanremo]], [[Fascist Italy|Italy]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Freely |first=John |url=http://archive.org/details/isbn_9780140244618 |title=Istanbul: The Imperial City |date=1998 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-024461-8 |location=London; New York |page=296 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

Vahdeddin left Istanbul with £20,000. He had lost some of it to [[swindler]]s and spent some of it with his former brother-in-law and aide Zeki Bey in casinos. Since he was in dire financial straits, he had sold everything he had that could provide money, including some of his medals. He owed some 60,000 [[Italian lira|Italian lire]] to all the artisans and creditors of San Remo. Officers locked the former sultan's body in a room along with all the belongings they found in Villa Mamolya and sealed the door. The Italians did not allow for his burial until all the debts were paid. It took one month for the money to be given to the creditors.<ref name=":1" />

In the meantime, a Muslim land was sought where the body could be buried. It was decided that it would be buried in the [[Sulaymaniyya Takiyya]] in Damascus, after the necessary permission was obtained from France and his daughter [[Sabiha Sultan|Sabiha Sultana]] found money for a burial. Once the debt was paid off the body was taken to a station by a horse-drawn carriage and from there to [[Trieste]] by train. Here, the body was loaded onto a ship and transported to [[Beirut]] under the supervision of Prince [[Şehzade Ömer Faruk|Ömer Faruk Efendi]], and from there to Damascus by train where he was buried on 3 July 1926.<ref>{{cite book |author=Raşit Güdogdu |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7vDVDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA247 |title=The Sultans of the Ottoman Empire |author2=Büşra Yildiz |publisher=Rumuz Yayınları |year=2020 |isbn=978-605-5112-15-8 |page=247 |quote=His funeral was brought to Beirut and later to Damascus and buried in the cemetery in the garden of Süleymaniye Complex.}}</ref><ref>Freely, John, ''Inside the Seraglio'',  1999, Chapter 19: The Gathering Place of the Jinns</ref><ref name="Mehmed" />{{sfn|Sakaoğlu|2015|p=498}}<ref name=":1" />

== Personality ==
Vahdeddin had an optimistic and patient personality according to the testimony of his relatives and employees. He was evidently a kind family man in his palace; outside, and especially at official ceremonies, he would stand cold, frowning and serious, and would not compliment anyone; he attached great importance to religious traditions; he would not tolerate rumors, nor would he allow them to circulate in his palace. Even in his informal conversations, he always attracted attention with seriousness.

The sources in question also state that he was intelligent and quick-grasped, but he was under the influence of his entourage and especially those he believed in, that he had a very evident, unstable and stubborn temperament.<ref name="Mehmed" />

Mehmed VI was talented in literature, music, and calligraphy, a tradition of his family.<ref>{{TDV Encyclopedia of Islam |title=Mehmed VI|last=Küçük|first=Cevdet|url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-vi|volume=28|page=429}}</ref> His compositions were performed in the palace when he was on the throne. Instead of commissioning his own anthem he signed an edict making his grandfather [[Mahmud II]]'s anthem as the official national anthem of Turkey.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Çetiner |first=Yılmaz |title=Son Padişah Vahideddin}}</ref> The lyrics of the poems he composed while in Taif envision the longing of the country and the pain of not getting the news that they have left behind. He loved to play the [[Saz (musical instrument)|saz]] and [[Qanun (instrument)|qanun]]. Sixty-three works belonging to him can be identified, but only forty works have signatures.<ref name="Mehmed" />

==Honours==
===Turkish honours===
* [[Order of House of Osman|Order of House of Osman, Jeweled]]<ref name="Öztuna1978">{{cite book|author=Yılmaz Öztuna|title=Başlangıcından zamanımıza kadar büyük Türkiye tarihi: Türkiye'nin siyasî, medenî, kültür, teşkilât ve san'at tarihi|year=1978|publisher=Ötüken Yayınevi|page=164}}</ref> 
* [[Order of Glory (Ottoman Empire)|Order of Glory, Jeweled]]<ref name="Öztuna1978"/>
* [[Imtiyaz Medal|Imtiyaz Medal, Jeweled]]<ref name="Öztuna1978"/>
* [[Order of Osmanieh|Order of Osmanieh, Jeweled]]<ref name="Öztuna1978"/>
* [[Order of the Medjidie|Order of the Medjidie, Jeweled]]<ref name="Öztuna1978"/>

===Foreign honours===
* [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]: [[Order of the Black Eagle|Order of the Black Eagle of Prussia]], ''15 October 1917''<ref>{{cite book|first=Ruhat|last=Alp|title=Osmanlı Devleti'nde Veliahtlık Kurumu (1908–1922)|year=2018|pages=131–132}}</ref>

==Family==
===Consorts===
Mehmed VI had five consorts:<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|pp=265–267}} 
* [[Nazikeda Kadın (wife of Mehmed VI)|Nazikeda Kadın]] (9 October 1866 – 4 April 1941). [[Kadin (name)|Başkadin]] and only consort for twenty years, she is considered the last Ottoman Empress. She was born Emine Marşania, she was Abkhazian and before marrying Mehmed she was in the service of [[Cemile Sultan]] with her sisters and cousins. Mehmed married her in 1885, after a year of insistence and the threat that he would never marry anyone else and the promise that Nazikeda would be his only consort. He kept his word until, after giving him three daughters, Nazikeda could no longer have children, which forced Mehmed to take other consorts to have male heirs. She was described as tall and beautiful, buxom, with fair skin, light hazel eyes, and long auburn hair.
* [[Inşirah Hanım]] (10 July 1887 – 10 June 1930). Born Seniye Voçibe, she was Circassian, the niece of [[Dürriaden Kadın|Durriaden Kadin]], consort of [[Mehmed V]], older half-brother of Mehmed VI. She was tall, with beautiful blue eyes and very long dark brown hair. She was proposed by Mehmed in 1905. Inşirah refused, but was obliged by her father and her brother. Unhappy but still jealous, she divorced Mehmed in 1909, when she found a servant in his quarters. Having divorced before Mehmed's accession to the throne, she was never an Imperial Consort. Later she fell into [[Major depressive disorder|depression]]. She tried to return to her husband in 1922, when he was in exile at [[Sanremo]], Italy, but she was not allowed to see him and he was not notified of her presence. She attempted suicide twice. The first of hers was saved by her niece, but the second she managed by drowning herself in the Nile.
* [[Müveddet Kadın]] (12 October 1893 – 20 December 1951). Second Imperial Consort and only consort other than Nazikeda to obtain the title of Kadın. Born Şadiye Çıhcı, she was introduced to the court by Habibe Hanım, treasurer of Mehmed's harem. They were married in 1911. She was tall, with blue eyes and auburn hair and was known as a very sweet, shy, kind-hearted and hardworking woman. She was also loved and respected by her stepdaughters. She bore Mehmed her only son, whose death caused her to fall into depression. After Mehmed's death she remarried, but divorced after four years.
* [[Nevvare Hanım]] (4 May 1901 – 13 June 1992). [[Ikbal (title)|Başikbal]]. Born Ayşe Çıhçı, she was niece of Müveddet Kadın, who raised her. She married Mehmed in 1918, although Müveddet did everything possible to prevent this. She was tall and beautiful, with green eyes and long black hair, of a kind but proud disposition. She filed for divorce in 1922, when Mehmed was deposed and exiled, and she was granted it in 1924. After that, she remarried.
* [[Nevzad Hanım]] (2 March 1902 – 23 June 1992). Second Ikbal and last woman to become consort of an Ottoman sultan. Born Nimet Bargu. She married Mehmed in 1921, previously she had been a [[Kalfa]] (servant) in the household of [[Şehzade Mehmed Ziyaeddin]], son of Sultan [[Mehmed V]]. She was Mehmed's favorite consort in his later years, so much so that it is said that he never agreed to part with her. After Mehmed's death she changed her name back to Nimet and remarried. By her second marriage she had a son and a daughter. She never agreed to talk about her years as Imperial Consort.

===Sons===
Mehmed VI had only one son:{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|pp=265–267}}{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|p=26}}<ref name=":0">{{cite book|first=Jamil|last=Adra|title=Genealogy of the Imperial Ottoman Family 2005|url=https://archive.org/details/GenealogyOfTheImperialOttomanFamily2005|year=2005|page=25}}</ref> 
* [[Şehzade Mehmed Ertuğrul]] (5 November 1912 – 2 July 1944) – with Müveddet Kadın. He never married or had children.

===Daughters===
Mehmed VI had three daughters:{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|pp=265–266}}{{sfn|Bardakçı|2017|pp=9–10}}<ref name=":0"/> 
* Münire Fenire Sultana (1888 – 1888, two weeks later) – with Nazikeda Kadın. Died an infant, she is sometimes regarded as twins rather than a single princess.
* [[Ulviye Sultan|Fatma Ulviye Sultana]] (11 September 1892 – 1 January 1967) – with Nazikeda Kadın. Married twice, she had one daughter.
* [[Sabiha Sultan|Rukiye Sabiha Sultana]] (19 March 1894 – 26 August 1971) – with Nazikeda Kadın. She married [[Şehzade Ömer Faruk]] and had three daughters.

==See also==

* [[Line of succession to the former Ottoman throne]]
* [[Alexandre Vallaury]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
*{{cite book|first=Leyla|last=Açba|title=Bir Çerkes prensesinin harem hatıraları|year=2004|publisher=L & M|isbn=978-9-756-49131-7}}
*{{cite book |last=Akçam |first=Taner |author-link=Taner Akçam |title=[[A Shameful Act]] |publisher=[[Henry Holt and Company]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8050-8665-2 |place= |page=}}
*{{cite book |first=Murat |last=Bardakçı |title=Neslishah: The Last Ottoman Princess |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2017 |isbn=978-9-774-16837-6|author-link=Murat Bardakçı}}
*{{cite book |first=Murat |last=Bardakçı |title=Şahbaba: Osmanoğulları'nın Son Hükümdarı Vahdettin'in Hayatı, Hatıraları ve Özel Mektupları |publisher=Pan Yayıncılık-İnkılâp Kitabevi |year=1998 |isbn=9751024536|author-link=Murat Bardakçı}}
*{{cite book|first=M. Çağatay|last=Uluçay|title=Padişahların kadınları ve kızları|year=2011|publisher=Ötüken|isbn=978-9-754-37840-5}}
*{{cite book |last=Gingeras |first=Ryan |title=The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire |publisher=[[Penguin Random House]] |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-241-44432-0 |location=Great Britain|author-link=Ryan Gingeras}}
*{{cite book |last=Mango |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Mango |title=Atatürk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey |title-link= |publisher=[[Harry N. Abrams]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-1585673346}}
*{{cite book|first=Necdet|last=Sakaoğlu|title=Bu Mülkün Sultanları|publisher=Alfa Yayıncılık|year=2015|isbn=978-6-051-71080-8}}

==Further reading==

* [[Fromkin, David]], 1989. ''[[A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East]]'' {{ISBN|0-8050-0857-8}}

==External links==

{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{YouTube|KKQ-vIMk47o|Sultane Neslishah – La dernière Sultane – Turquie}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Mehmed V]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Sultan of the Ottoman Empire]]|years=3 July 1918 – 1 November 1922}}
{{s-non| reason = [[Abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate|Sultanate abolished]]<br /><small>Succeeded by [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]<br />as [[President of Turkey]]</small>}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Mehmed V]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Caliphs|Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate]]|years=3 July 1918 – 19 November 1922}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Abdulmejid II]]}}
{{s-bef|before=''[[Abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate|Sultanate abolished]]''}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Osmanoğlu family|Head of the Osmanoğlu family]]|years=1 November 1922 – 16 May 1926}}
{{s-non|reason=[[Abdulmejid II]]}}
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{{Sultans of the Ottoman Empire}}
{{Ottoman claimants}}
{{Sons of the Ottoman Sultans}}

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[[Category:1861 births]]
[[Category:1926 deaths]]
[[Category:Dethroned monarchs]]
[[Category:20th-century sultans of the Ottoman Empire]]
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[[Category:People from the Ottoman Empire of Abkhazian descent]]
[[Category:Dolmabahçe Palace]]
[[Category:Turks from the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Italy]]
[[Category:Exiles from the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Heads of the Osmanoğlu family]]
[[Category:Burials in the cemetery of the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya]]
[[Category:Sons of sultans]]
[[Category:World War I political leaders]]
[[Category:Exiled royalty]]