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Ottoman Empire Devlet-i Aliye-yi Osmaniyye The Ottoman Empire or Sublime Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ
عَلِيّهٔ عُثمَانِیّه
Devlet-i ʿAliyye-yi ʿOsmâniyye (also عثمانلى دولتى
Osmanlı Devleti), Modern Turkish: Osmanlı Devleti or Osmanlı İmparatorluğu) was a Turkish empire
which lasted from 27 July 1299 to 29 October 1923.  The Ottoman Empire was one of the
largest and longest lasting empires in history; such that the Ottoman State, its politics, conflicts, and cultural heritage
in a vast geography provide one of the longest continuous narratives. During the 16th and 17th centuries, in particular at
the height of its power under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the empire became the most powerful state in the world
- a multinational, multilingual empire that stretched from the southern borders of the Holy Roman Empire to the outskirts
of Vienna, Royal Hungary (modern Slovakia) and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the north to Yemen and Eritrea in the
south; from Algeria in the west to Azerbaijan in the east; controlling much of southeast Europe, Western Asia and North Africa.
The empire contained 29 provinces and numerous vassal states, some of which were later absorbed into the empire, while others
were granted various types of autonomy during the course of centuries. 
With Constantinople (present-day Istanbul,
Ottoman Turkish: استنبول, Istanbul and قسطنطينيه,
Kostantiniyye) as its capital city, and vast control of lands around the Mediterranean basin, the empire was at the center
of interactions between the Eastern and Western worlds for over six centuries. After the international recognition of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) headquartered in Ankara,
by means of the Treaty of Lausanne signed on 24 July 1923, the GNAT proclaimed on 29 October 1923 the establishment of the
Republic of Turkey as the new Turkish State that succeeded and formally ended the defunct Ottoman Empire, in line with the
treaty. The Ottoman Caliphate was abolished on 3 March 1924 (de jure, the Caliphate's powers and properties were transferred
to the GNAT.) 
The Imperial House of Osman- Osmanoglu The Osmanli Dynasty traces its origins to Osman
Khan Ghazi, founder of the Turkish Empire and son of Ertugrul, leader of the Kayi clan of the Oghuz tribe, during the late
13th century. The tribe reputedly descends from Noah, through his grandson, Oghuz. The Imperial Ottoman family ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 until the establishment of the Republic
of Turkey in 1922. The rule of one single family, for more than 600 years, over an Empire that was once the most powerful
in the world is unique in world history. There were thirty six Ottoman Sultans who ruled over the Empire, and each one was
a direct descendant through the male line of the first Ottoman Sultan, Sultan Osman I. The Ottoman dynasty is known in Turkish as Osmanlı, meaning "House of Osman".
The first rulers of the dynasty never had called themselves sultans, but rather beys, or "chieftain", roughly
the Turkic equivalent of Emir, which would itself become a gubernatorial title and even a common military or honorific
rank. Thus they still formally acknowledged the sovereignty of the contemporary Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm and its successor,
the Ilkhanate.  The first Ottoman to actually claim the title of sultân was Murad I, who ruled from 1359 to 1389. The title sultan (سلطان)-in
Arabic, was in later Arabic-Islamic dynasties originally the power behind the throne of the Caliph in Bagdad and it was later
used for various independent Muslim Monarchs. This title was more prestigious then Emir; it was not comparable to the title of Malik
'king' or the originally Persian title of Shah. With the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the road was open for the Ottoman state
to become an empire, with Sultan Mehmed II taking the title of pâdişah (پادشاه),
a Persian title meaning "lord of kings" claiming superiority to the other kings, that title was abandoned when the empire declined
and lost its might. In addition to such secular titles, the Ottoman sultan became the Caliph
of Islam, starting with Selim I, who became khalif after the death of the last Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutawakkil
III, the last of Abbasid Caliphs in Cair. After the deposition of the last Sultan, Mehmet VI, in 1922, and the subsequent abolition
of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924, members of the Imperial family were forced into exile. Their descendants now live in many
different countries throughout Europe, as well as in the USA, the Middle East, and since they have now been permitted to return
to their homeland, many now also live in Turkey. When in exile, the family adopted the surname of Osmanoğlu, meaning
son of Osman, out of respect for the founder of their dynasty. It was announced in 2010 that members of the Ottoman dynasty
are working to create a foundation with the goal of uniting the family and helping the ones living abroad to connect with
their Turkish heritage. 
Heads of the House of Osman since
1922 The
Ottoman dynasty was exiled from Turkey in 1924. The female members of the dynasty were allowed to return after 1951, and the male members after 1973. Below is a list of
people who would have been heirs to the Ottoman throne following the abolition of the sultanate on 1 November 1922. These people have not necessarily made any claim to the throne; for example Ertuğrul Osman said
"Democracy works well in Turkey." - Mehmed
VI, last Ottoman Sultan (1918-1922) then 36th Head of the House of Osman in exile (1922-1926).
- Abdülmecid II, last Ottoman Caliph (1922-1924) then 37th Head
of the House of Osman following Mehmed VI's death (1926-1944).
- Ahmed IV Nihad, 38th Head of the House of Osman (1944-1954), grandson of Sultan Murad V.
- Osman IV Fuad, 39th Head of the House of Osman (1954-1973), brother
of Ahmed IV Nihad, and grandson of SultanMurad V.
- (Mehmed)
Abdülaziz II, 40th Head of the House of Osman (1973-1977), grandson of Sultan Abdülaziz I.
- Ali I Vâsib, 41st Head of the House of Osman (1977-1983),
son of Ahmed IV Nihad, and great-grandson of Sultan Murad V.
- (Mehmed) Orhan II, 42nd Head of the House of Osman (1983-1994), grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid
II.
- Ertuğrul Osman V, 43rd Head
of the House of Osman (1994-2009), grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
- (Osman) Bayezid III, 44th Head of the House of Osman (2009-present), great-grandson of Sultan Abdülmecid
I.
 Resurgence
of interest in the Ottoman Dynasty Since the turn of this century there has been a growing interest in the living members of
the Ottoman family, both within Turkey and abroad. In 2006, family members met at Dolmabahçe Palace for the presentation of the documentary "Osmanoğlu'nun
Exile" produced by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation). This
documentary followed the stories of the members of the Ottoman family who went into exile in 1924, following the establishment
of the Turkish Republic and the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate. It then follows the stories of their descendants, who
now live in Turkey, Europe, the United States and throughout the Middle East. Extensive coverage of this event, and the success
of the documentary series has dramatically raised the profile of the Imperial Family. The outpouring of affection shown by the Turkish people at the
funeral of H.I.H Prince Ertuğrul Osman Efendi in September 2009 revealed how deep feeling still runs for the
Imperial family. 
Turkish CitizenshipWithout any exception, all members
of the Imperial Ottoman family were exiled in 1924. Most had never left their homeland before, and all were forced to make
a new life abroad. The family departed from Sirkeci Train Station, and would disperse across Europe, the United
States and the Middle East. As the former Ottoman Sultan, H.I.M. Sultan Mehmed VI Vahideddin, had settled in San
Remo, many members of the family congregated to the South of France. After living in Switzerland for a short time, the last
Caliph of Islam H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Abdulmecid II, also moved to Nice. The travel documents issued by the Turkish
Republic to the Ottoman family on their exile were only valid for one year. Therefore, by 1925 members of the family were
no longer able to travel, and it was due to the intervention of H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Ali Vâsib Efendi
that the family received courtesy passports from the French Government. The French Government also issued passports to the
children of the members of the family who were born in exile. Today many members of the Ottoman family have now obtained Turkish
citizenship, and hold Turkish passports. 
Imperial
Princes (Şehzades) of the House of Osman The formal way of addressing the male descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Daulatlu
Najabatlu Şehzade (given name) Hazretleri Efendi, i.e. Prince (given name) Efendi, with the style of His Imperial Highness.
According to genealogies of the House of Osman, had the Sultanate not been abolished, there are twenty-four Imperial Princes
in the line of succession after Bayezid Osman, the current head of the family. They are listed as follows; the succession
law used is agnatic seniority, with the succession passing to eldest male dynast. - HIH Prince Şehzade Dündar Aliosman Efendi (b.
1930) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Harun Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1932) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Cengiz Nazim Efendi (b. 1939) (descendant
of Mehmed V)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Osman
Selaheddin Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1940) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali I,
and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Ömer Abdülmecid Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1941) (descendant of Mehmed V through Ömer
Hilmi andMahmud Namık)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Mehmed Selim Orhan Efendi (1943) Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Mehmed Ziyaeddin Efendi (b. 1947) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Roland Selim Kadir Efendi (b. 1949) (descendant
of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH Prince
Şehzade Selim Djem Efendi (b. 1955) (descendant of Abdülmecid I)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Orhan İbrahim Suleiman Saadeddin Efendi (b. 1959)
(descendant of Abdülaziz I)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Orhan Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1963) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Eric Mehmed Ziyaeddin Nazim Efendi (b. 1966)
(descendant of Mehmed V)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Orhan Murad Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1972) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed
IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Francis Mahmud Namık Osmanoğlu Efendi
(b. 1975) (descendant of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmiand Mahmud Namık)
- HIH Prince Şehzade René Osman Abdul Kadir Efendi (b.
1975) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Daniel Adrian Hamid Kadir Efendi (b. 1977) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Abdulhamid Kayıhan Osmanoğlu Efendi
(b. 1979) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Selim Süleyman Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1979) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed
IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Nazım Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1985) (descendant
of Mehmed V)
- HIH Prince Şehzade
Yavuz Selim Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1989) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Turan Cem Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 2004) (descendant of Murad
V through Ahmed IV and Ali I)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Tamer Nihad Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 2006) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali
I)
- HIH Prince Şehzade Harun Osmanoğlu
Efendi (b. 2007) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH
Prince Şehzade Batu Bayezid Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 2008) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali
I)
 Imperial Princesses (Sultans)
of the House of Osman The
formal way of addressing the female descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Daulatlu Hazretleri (given name) Sultan, i.e. Princess
(given name) Sultan, with the style of Her Imperial Highness. According to genealogies of the House of Osman, had the Sultanate
not been abolished, there are seventeen Imperial Princesses. - HIH Princess Fatma Neslişah Sultan (b. 1921) (descendant of Caliph Abdülmecid
II, and of Mehmed V)• Children: Sultanzade HRH Prince Abbas Hilmi Beyefendi 1941, HRH Princess İkbal Hanımsultan
1944
- HIH Princess Safvet Neslişah
Sultan (b. 1925) (descendant of Mehmed V) • Children: Sultanzade HH Prince Salih Beyefendi 1955, Sultanzade
HH Prince Ömer Beyefendi 1959
- HIH
Princess Fevziye Sultan (b. 1928) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- HIH Princess Fatma Necla Sultan (b. 1933) (descendant of Mehmed V) • Children: Sultanzade
HH Prince Mehmed Erol Beyefendi 1954, Sultanzade HH Prince Osman Cem Beyefendi 1963
- HIH Princess Margot Leyla Sultan (b. 1947) (descendant of Mehmed V) •
Children: HH Princess Katharina Alia Hanımsultan 1980
- HIH Princess Iskra Sultan (b. 1949) (descendant of Mehmed V) •
Child: HH Princess Andrea Hanımsultan 1974
- HIH
Princess Nilüfer Sultan (b. 1953) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- HIH Princess Perihan Sultan (b. 1963) (descendant of Abdülaziz)
- HIH Princess Ayşe Louise Sultan (b. 1964) (descendant of Mehmed
V)[• Children: HH Princess Peri Kathleen Hanımsultan 1994, Sultanzade HH Prince Zekeriya James Beyefendi
1996
- HIH Princess Gülhan Sultan
(b. 1968) (descendant of Abdülaziz)
- HIH
Princess Ayşe Gülnev Sultan (b. 1971) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali I,
and of Mehmed Vthrough Ömer Hilmi)• Children: Sultanzade HH Prince Maximilian Ali Beyefendi 2000, Sultanzade
HH Prince Cosmo Tarık Beyefendi 2001, Sultanzade HH Prince Lysander Cengiz Beyefendi 2003, HH Princess Tatyana Aliye
Hanımsultan 2005, Sultanzade HH Prince Ferdinand Ziya Beyefendi 2006
- HIH Princess Nurhan Sultan (b. 1973) • Children: Sultanzade HH Prince Muhammed Halil
Beyefendi 2002, HH Princess Sara Hanımsultan 2004
- HIH
Princess Nilhan Sultan (b. 1987) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH Princess Nermin Zoe Sultan (b. 1988) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- HIH Princess Nilüfer Sultan (b. 1995) (descendant of Mehmed
V)
- HIH Princess Berna Sultan (b. 1998)
(descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- HIH
Princess Asyahan Sultan (b. 2004) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
 Biographies of Members of the House of Osman  H.I.H. Prince Orhan Murad Efendi Orhan Murad Osmanoğlu (H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade)
Orhan Murad Efendi) born in Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, England on 26 December 1972, eldest son of H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade)
Osman Selaheddin Osmanoğlu and his wife H.H. Athena Joy Hanımefendi. (b. at London, 9 March 1944), née, Christoforides.
He is the great-great-great-grand-son of H.I.M. Sultan Murad V, 33rd Sovereign of the House of Osman through his grandfather
H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Ali Vasıb Efendi, 41st Head of the Imperial House of Osman, and also the great-great-grand-son
of H.I.M. Sultan Mehmed V Reşad Han Gazi, 35th Sovereign of the House of Osman, through his grandmother H.I.H. Princess
Emine Mükbile Sultan. His father H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Osman Selaheddin Efendi, is the only Ottoman prince whose
parents are both descendants of the Imperial Ottoman dynasty. educ. Degree in Business and Economics at Kingston Univ. H.I.H.
Prince (Şehzade) Orhan Murad Efendi lives in Buckinghamshire with his family, and works for a property investment and
development company. Prince Orhan married on 17 February
2000, H.H. Patricia Emine Hanımefendi née, Iotti, and has issue, two sons: H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Turan Cem Efendi. born at High Wycombe, England, 7 January
2004
H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Tamer Nihad
Efendi. born at High Wycombe, England, 15 April 2006. H.I.H. Prince Selim Süleyman Osmanoğlu Efendi
H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Selim Süleyman
Osmanoğlu Efendi. born at High Wycombe, England , 15 December 1979. educ. Degree in Business Studies at Kingston University,
London and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Insurance, a Chartered Insurance Broker and a Member of the Institute of Risk
Management. m. at İstanbul, 22 June 2003, H.H. Alev Hanımefendi, née, Öcal. educ. Boğaziçi
University, İstanbul. He has issue, one son: i) H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Batu Bayezid Efendi. born at Sidcup, England,
23 April 2008.  H.I.H. Prince Mahmud Namık Efendi Prince Mahmud Namık Efendi (December 23, 1913;
Dolmabahçe Palace-), is the only son of Prince Ömer Hilmi Efendi, and his wife H.H. Hadice Firdevs Gülnev
Başhanımefendi, and grand-son of Sultan Mehmed V. He received the Collar of the Hanedan-ı-Ali-Osman. Mahmud Namık Effendi was born in Dolmabahçe Palace and lived there until the
death of his grandfather, Sultan Mehmed V, just before the end of World War I on July 4, 1918. He then moved with his family
to a Konak (residence) at Nişantaşı for the winter months and to one in Bağlarbaşı, above Beylerbeyi,
for the summer. Following
the establishment of the Republic of Turkey and the abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate and the Ottoman Caliphate, the entire
Imperial Ottoman family were forced into exile in March 1924. Mahmud Namık left his homeland at the age of 10, never
to return to Turkey, since he died before the decree of exile was lifted. He was initially sent to boarding school in Lebanon,
but then soon came to live with his family in Nice, France once they had settled there to be close to the former Ottoman Sultan
Mehmed VI, who had rented a villa in San Remo, and to their cousin the last Caliph of Islam Abdülmecid II, who lived
in Nice. In 1934 he moved to Alexandria, Egypt with his father, Prince Ömer Hilmi Efendi, and grandmother, and was later
joined in January by his sister, Princess Emine Mükbile, and his brother-in-law, Prince Ali Vâsib Efendi. He worked
until the end of World War II for the Alexandria tramline company. In the late 1940s he established himself as a successful
businessman and settled in Geneva, Switzerland where he developed his business interests in places as far apart as Pakistan
and the USA. In 1958 he was asked to help negotiate the marriage of his cousin Princess Sabiha Fazila Hanimsultan, the only
daughter of Prince Muhammad 'Ali Ibrahim Beyefendi of Egypt and Princess Zehra Hanzade Sultan, to King Faisal II of Iraq.
The engagement was brutally brought to an end by the murder of King Faisal II, following a military coup on July 14, 1958.
Mahmud Namık had a passion for music and in particular very much enjoyed playing the Spanish guitar. He died at the age of 49 from a stroke, at Cairo, Egypt on November 13, 1963 and buried
at Khedive Tawfik Mausoleum (Cairo), then transferred to Sultan Mahmud II Mausoleum (Istanbul) in 1987. He married on August 1939 (div. at Alexandria,
1947) Şaharazade Hanımefendi (b. at Alexandria, 1922; d. 1993), only daughter of Ismail Ratib Bey, by his wife Princess
Emine Bihruz, younger daughter of Prince Ibrahim Rashid Fazil Pasha, of Egypt. They had issue, an only son: H.I.H. Prince Ömer Abdülmecid Osmanoğlu
b. at Alexandria, 4 June 1941, educ. Stowe school, Buckinghamshire, England, and degree in Business Administration from London
Univ.
H.I.H. Prince
Ömer Abdülmecid Osmanoğlu H.I.H. Prince Ömer Abdülmecid b. at Alexandria, 4 June 1941, the only child of H.I.H. Prince
(Şehzade) Mahmud Namık Efendi, and his wife H.H. Şaharazade Hanımefendi, (b. at Alexandria, 1922; d. 1993,
only daughter of Ismail Ratib Bey, by his wife H.R.H. Princess Emine Bihruz, younger daughter of H.R.H. Prince Ibrahim Raşid
Fazıl Paşa, of Egypt), and great-grandson of H.I.M. Sultan Mehmed V Reşad Han Gazi , 35th Sovereign of the
House of Osman. educ. Stowe School, Buckinghamshire, England, and degree in Business Administration from London Univ. m. Beulah Hanımefendi (b. 8 April 1943), née Banbury. He has issue, an only
son: H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade)
Mahmud Namık Osmanoğlu born in London, 27 April 1975, educ. MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons The New School
for Design, New York City, USA. He is a co-founder and director of Streaming Well an online health channel, he lives in England.
H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade)
Ömer Abdülmecid Efendi had a career as an oil trader in the City of London, is an accomplished chess player and
is now retired and lives in Sussex, England. 
H.I.H. Prince Mahmud Francis Namık
Efendi H.I.H. Prince
Mahmud Francis Namık Efendi was born in London at what is now the Lanesborough Hotel on 27 April 1975. He is the only
child of H.I.H. Prince (Şehzade) Ömer Abdülmecid Osmanoğlu Efendi, and Beulah Hanımefendi, née
Banbury, and great-great grandson of H.I.M. Sultan Mehmed V Reşad Han Gazi , 35th Sovereign of the House of Osman. Prince
Mahmud earned an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons The New School for Design, New York City, USA and a BFA in Visual
Communications from Parsons Paris School of Art and Design, Paris, France. He is a co-founder and director of Streaming Well
an online health channel, he lives in England. He attended Gulliver Preparatory High School in Miami Florida, and The Mougins School, in the South of
France (Riviera). He is an accomplished drummer with rock group The Janitors and they released their first LP "Sweeping
the Nation" in 2010. He is also an avid tennis player. Prince
Mahmud Efendi was the subject of an interview by the Anatolian News Agency which was picked up for publication in a number
of outlets in both Turkey and the UK. A Sultan's descendant in the heart of London. 
List of Sultans of the Ottoman
Empire The table below
lists Ottoman sultans, as well as the last Ottoman caliph, in chronological order. The "Notes" column contains information
on each sultan's parentage and fate. When a sultan's reign did not end through a natural death, the reason is indicated in
bold. For earlier rulers, there is usually a time gap between the moment a sultan's reign ended and the moment his successor
was enthroned. This is because the Ottomans in that era practiced what historian Quataert has described as "survival
of the fittest, not eldest, son": when a sultan died, his sons had to fight each other for the throne until a victor
emerged. Because of the infighting and numerous fratricides that occurred, a sultan's death date therefore did not always
coincide with the accession date of his successor. In 1617, the law of succession changed from survival of the fittest to
a system based on agnatic seniority (ekberiyet), whereby the throne went to the oldest male of the family. This in turn explains
why from the 17th century onwards a deceased sultan was rarely succeeded by his own son, but usually by an uncle or brother.
Agnatic seniority was retained until the abolition of the sultanate, despite unsuccessful attempts in the 19th century to
replace it with primogeniture. 
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